Founding Software Engineer, AI & Ops

United Concrete Products; Wallingford (CT); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with 10% match

Dental and health insurance

Paid holidays

Paid sick time

Paid time off

Bereavement leave

Referral program

Relocation assistance

Retirement plan

Job summary

United Concrete Products in Wallingford, CT, seeks an experienced engineer to own the architecture and roadmap for a new internal systems platform. You will build an AI-driven invoice auditing workflow and demand forecasting models, unifying inventory, costing, and routing.

This onsite role collaborates with dispatch and plant teams to deliver tools that save costs and improve operations. You will drive modernization of operations, integrating maintenance data, and ensuring compliance across

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional engineering experience with ownership of a production system from data model through API and UI.
• Strong full-stack fundamentals across backend, database design, and frontend frameworks.
• Experience shipping LLM API integrations into production for automation, not just demos.
• Hands-on OCR/document extraction experience.
• Experience using AI coding tools like Claude Code or Copilot.
• Able to learn from dispatchers and plant staff and translate workflows into adopted software.
• Able to work as the first engineering hire and drive technical decisions.
• Bachelor's degree required.
• Must be able to commute to Wallingford, CT in person.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture, stack, and roadmap for a new greenfield internal systems platform.
• Build an AI invoice auditing workflow to extract line items and compare pricing.
• Develop demand forecasting models from historical sales and inventory data.
• Create a unified system for inventory and job costing across materials, labor, and purchases.
• Design route and load planning tools for truck routing and freight costs.
• Evaluate and integrate or extend the maintenance platform as needed.
• Use maintenance history to identify high-wear parts before failures.
• Implement compliance and alerting for fleet registrations, insurance, inspections, and shipping notices.
• Collaborate with plant team and operational stakeholders to refine tools.
• Deliver software with measurable cost savings and operational improvements.

Skills

Full-stack development

Backend development

Frontend framework

SQL / Relational DB design

LLM API integrations

OCR / document extraction

AI coding tools

Stakeholder collaboration

Self-directed / first engineering hire

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Requirements

Must have:

• – We want at least 3 years of professional engineering experience, including ownership of at least one production system from data model through API and user interface.
• – We look for strong full‑stack fundamentals, including a modern backend language, solid SQL and relational database design, and a modern frontend framework.
• – We value sound technical judgment more than allegiance to any specific stack.
• – We expect experience shipping LLM API integrations into production for structured, task‑specific automation rather than demo chatbots.
• – We want hands‑on experience with OCR or document extraction, turning messy scans into clean and searchable data.
• – We value the ability to choose simpler statistical approaches when they outperform complex models, and to recognize when AI is not worth the added complexity.
• – We expect regular use of AI coding tools such as Claude Code or Copilot to accelerate delivery.
• – We want someone who enjoys learning from dispatchers, plant managers, and other operational users, then translating manual workflows into software they will actually adopt.
• – We look for a self‑directed engineer who is comfortable being the first engineering hire.
• – We require a bachelors degree.
• – We require the ability to commute to our Wallingford, CT location for in‑person work.

Responsibilities:

• – You want you to own the architecture, technology stack, and product roadmap for a new greenfield internal systems platform.
• – You will build an AI invoice auditing workflow that extracts invoice line items, compares pricing against market data, and supports human review when needed.
• – You will develop demand forecasting models using our historical sales data and inventory information to recommend what to produce next.
• – You will create a unified system for inventory and job costing that connects raw materials, finished goods, labor, and job‑specific purchases.
• – You will design route and load planning tools for truck routing, trailer selection, oversize load handling, and freight cost allocation.
• – You will evaluate our maintenance platform and then integrate, replace, or extend it as needed.
• – You will use maintenance history to identify high‑wear parts before failures occur.
• – You will build compliance and alerting features for fleet registrations, insurance, inspections, and shipping or receiving notifications.
• – You will work across the business in areas such as production scheduling, dispatch, truck routing, accounting, predictive maintenance, procurement, and compliance.
• – You will deliver software that produces measurable cost savings and operational improvements quickly.
• – You will collaborate directly with the plant team and other operational stakeholders, gathering feedback and refining tools based on real‑world use.

Company:

We are a precast concrete manufacturer supporting roads, buildings, and utilities across the Northeast. Our plants currently rely on spreadsheets, memory, and paper, and we are hiring one engineer to modernize those operations with full ownership of the architecture, stack, and roadmap. This is an onsite role in Yalesville, CT, working directly with the people who will use the systems every day. We offer benefits including a 401(k) with 10% match, dental and health insurance, paid holidays, paid sick time, paid time off, bereavement leave, a referral program, relocation assistance, and a retirement plan. Our hiring process is designed to move quickly and typically includes an intro call, a technical deep dive, a short practical exercise, a meeting with the plant team, and an offer, with the goal of completing everything in about two weeks.

• 401(k) with 10% match
• dental and health insurance
• paid holidays
• paid sick time
• paid time off
• bereavement leave
• a referral program
• relocation assistance
• retirement plan