Founding Software Engineer

Harnham

San Francisco (CA)

On-site

USD 200,000 - 275,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Equity (1%+)

Competitive salary

Fast-moving team

Real ownership

Job summary

An innovative AI company is seeking a Founding Software Engineer to revolutionize creative strategy through AI-driven insights. This role involves designing and scaling an AI-powered platform, making critical technical decisions, and collaborating with product and data teams. You will have the opportunity to lead product development from MVP to full-scale deployment while working in a fast-paced startup environment. Join a dynamic team that values real ownership and minimal bureaucracy, and contribute to cutting-edge AI applications at the intersection of marketing and machine learning.

Qualifications

5+ years experience in AI/ML-powered applications as a software engineer.
Strong expertise in backend development and cloud infrastructure.

Responsibilities

Design and develop AI-powered content intelligence systems.
Build scalable backend infrastructure for AI/ML models.

Skills

Python

Java

AI/ML applications

Backend development

Cloud infrastructure

Scalable system architecture

Computer vision

NLP

Deep learning frameworks

Tools

AWS

GCP

Azure

Kubernetes

Job description

This range is provided by Harnham. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$200,000.00/yr - $275,000.00/yr

Managing Recruitment Consultant at Harnham US — Data, AI & Tech → Mid-West & South Atlantic

Founding Software Engineer

$200,000 to $275,000 +

COMPANY

A cutting-edge AI company is transforming creative strategy with AI-driven insights, leveraging machine learning, computer vision, and NLP to optimize content performance.

ROLE

As a Founding Engineer, you'll be instrumental in designing and scaling our AI-powered platform from the ground up, driving key technical decisions, collaborating with product and data teams, and shaping our engineering culture.

You will work as a Software Engineer/Back Engineer
Design and develop AI-powered content intelligence systems.
Build scalable backend infrastructure and data pipelines for AI/ML models.
Optimize performance and infrastructure to process large-scale creative data.
Partner with data scientists and AI engineers to deploy ML models into production.
Lead product development from MVP to full-scale deployment.
Work closely with product, design, and business teams to deliver innovative AI features.

EXPERIENCE:

5+ years of experience as a software engineer, specializing in AI/ML-powered applications.
Strong expertise in backend development, cloud infrastructure, and scalable system architecture.
Proficiency in Python and/or Java for building high-performance applications.
Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and container orchestration (Kubernetes).
Deep understanding of distributed systems, data structures, and algorithms.
Proven track record of deploying production-ready AI/ML models in collaboration with data scientists.
Ability to work autonomously and make high-impact technical decisions in a fast-paced startup environment.
Experience making key technical architecture decisions in an early-stage startup.
Strong expertise in computer vision, NLP, or deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow).
Background in ad tech, content intelligence, or marketing analytics.
Proven ability to design and implement real-time data processing and analytics pipelines.

BENEFITS:

Play a pivotal role in shaping core technology and product direction from the ground up.
Work on cutting-edge AI at the intersection of creative intelligence, marketing, and machine learning.
Be part of a fast-moving, founder-led team with real ownership and minimal bureaucracy.
Competitive salary plus equity (1%+).

HOW TO APPLY:

If you are interested in this Founding Software Engineering role, please apply for this advert.

Seniority level