Software Engineer (Core)

Vendra (YC S24); San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Vendra (YC S24) is seeking a Software Development Engineer (SDE) in San Francisco, CA, to contribute to our AI-native operating system for manufacturing procurement. This is a high-ownership role where you will work across the stack, collaborating directly with founders and customers.

You will help shape our architecture and product experiences, faster build and ship improvements that are used directly by our clients in industries like aerospace and robotics. If you're excited about developing critical backend, APIs, and AI workflows, join us!

Qualifications

• 1+ years of experience building and shipping real products.
• Strong understanding of software engineering principles.
• Excited about AI, automation, and transformation of the offline industry.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of a production workflow across the marketplace.
• Ship improvements directly used by customers.
• Help define product and technical vision.

Skills

Software engineering principles

Frontend development

Backend development

Tools

React

Node.js

Python

AWS

Job description

Vendra is building the AI-native operating system for manufacturing procurement and supply chain. Our goal is simple: build platforms, both external and internal, that allow fewer people to accomplish dramatically more. Think about what Claude Code did for engineers. We are doing that for supply chain (and are well on our way).

You will be part of the core engineering team at Vendra. This is a high-ownership role where you will help shape everything from our architecture across multiple connected platforms to the product experiences our customers rely on every day.

As an SDE here, you will work across the backend, APIs, frontend, and core AI workflows that power our manufacturing marketplace. You will collaborate directly with the founders, move fast, and work closely with customers building some of the most advanced hardware in the world.

We are already working with some of the most ambitious companies in aerospace, defense, robotics, and advanced manufacturing, including teams at Anduril, Mach Industries, Relativity Space, and more.

This is a role for builders who want to work on products that are used by the companies building the future of hardware. We are growing faster than anyone in this space, and the only way to keep up with the demand in front of us is to build faster, think bigger, and raise the bar on what one great engineer can ship.

What You Will Do

Within days

• Take ownership of a real production workflow across our marketplace, supplier portal, internal tools, or AI automation systems
• Ship improvements used directly by customers, suppliers, or the Vendra team
• Work directly with Anish and the founding team to support our newest product lines

Within weeks

• Become responsible for one of our core platforms
• Suggest, plan, and execute product and engineering improvements
• Help us design and build the next product in our stack
• Improve backend systems, APIs, internal tools, and AI workflows that directly impact customers

Within months

• Help define product and technical vision
• Build new platforms and products that support our mission
• Develop a deep understanding of supply chain, procurement, and custom part manufacturing
• Work with us to automate more of the manufacturing procurement lifecycle from RFQ to supplier matching, quoting, ordering, tracking, and fulfillment using Agentic Workflows

Who You Are

• You have 1+ years of experience building and shipping real products
• We don't care about your degree; we care about the systems you've put into production. Tell us about those in the message you send over
• You understand software engineering principles. You also understand that they could be wrong at this stage. You know when to follow them and when to break past them. Confused? You should be. That’s what makes this fun.
• You DO NOT need experience in Supply chain or Hardware. You just need to be a really good engineer
• You are a US Person (Greencard works too)
• You are strong in at least one part of the stack and excited to work across the rest: frontend, backend, APIs, data systems, infrastructure, and AI workflows
• You can take ambiguous product or customer problems and turn them into working software quicklyYou are comfortable working directly with founders, customers, and suppliers to understand what needs to be built
• You are excited by AI, automation, marketplaces, infrastructure, and the opportunity to transform a massive offline industry
• You want a high-ownership role where your work ships fast and matters immediately
• You are willing to learn fast. Requirements change, processes change. We iterate at lightspeed and prioritize on a case by case basis.

Our Tech Stack

• Frontend: React, Next.js, TypeScript
• Backend: Node.js, Python
• AI Stack: OpenAI models, Anthropic models, custom fine‑tuned models, agentic workflows
• Infrastructure: AWS, Postgres, Redis, S3, MongoDB
• Data: Real‑time quote intelligence, supplier availability, historical manufacturing performance, customer and supplier workflow data

How We Work

We plan, push, and ship features many times in a single day. You will not be stuck waiting weeks to see your work matter. At Vendra, the feedback loop is immediate: you build, customers use it, and the product gets better.

This role is a fit for someone who wants ownership, speed, ambiguity, and direct impact. You should be excited to work across the stack, talk to customers, make product decisions, and build systems that become the backbone of modern manufacturing procurement.