Technical Co-Founder

HardHatCoach.Ai; Remote; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A construction-focused AI startup seeks a Technical Co-Founder passionate about developing generative AI solutions for the construction industry. This full-time remote role involves overseeing the technical roadmap and the software development lifecycle while building scalable infrastructure. Ideal candidates will have strong experience in AI, full-stack development, and a keen interest in merging technology with construction. The startup offers significant equity and the chance to shape the product from the ground up, directly impacting construction teams in the field.

Benefits

Founder Equity

Autonomy to shape product

Opportunity to influence company direction

Mission-driven work

Collaboration with seasoned professionals

Qualifications

• Strong experience in machine learning and large language models.
• Ability to architect and code across the stack.
• Familiar with RAG techniques for LLM responses.
• Knowledge of SOC 2 controls and GDPR compliance.
• Experience with multi-tenant SaaS architecture.
• Familiarity with construction industry technology is a plus.
• Skilled in prompt engineering for AI.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the technical roadmap for AI-based solutions.
• Build and maintain scalable software infrastructure.
• Manage the software development lifecycle.
• Collaborate on product design and implementation.

Skills

AI/ML Engineering & LLMs

Full-Stack Development

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

Data Security & Compliance

Architectural Best Practices

Construction Tech Integration

Prompt Engineering

Job description

HardHatCoach.Ai (HHC) empowers construction project managers and operations leaders with Generative AI tools to optimize workflows, improve decision-making, and streamline reporting. Founded by a seasoned construction professional with over 25 years of experience, HHC bridges the gap between traditional project management and cutting-edge AI automation. Designed specifically for the construction and infrastructure sectors, HHC provides prompt packs, automated reporting, and workflows tailored to industry needs. Our solutions are trusted across North America by field superintendents, project engineers, and operations managers. Learn more about HHC’s tools and resources at https://hardhatcoach.ai.

Role Description

The Technical Co-Founder (Pre-Rev) will play an integral role in developing and advancing HHC’s generative AI-based software solutions for the construction industry. Responsibilities include overseeing the technical roadmap, building and maintaining scalable infrastructure, and managing the end-to-end software development lifecycle. Collaboration with other team members on strategic planning, product design, and implementation will be essential. This is a full-time remote role, perfect for someone passionate about merging technology with innovative solutions in the construction sector.

Mission Alignment

We believe in the power of human-centric AI for field-first construction teams. That means building AI as a mentor and coach, not a replacement. Our ideal co-founder shares this philosophy. You should resonate with our “Mentor” brand ethos – we’re all about guiding and upskilling the blue‑coloured professionals who actually build the world. HardHatCoach.ai focuses on blue‑coloured‑first AI adoption, delivering practical, field‑ready AI coaching & tools that helps superintendents, project managers, and foremen work faster, safer, and more effectively. In short, we build tools that the folks on the job site trust and love to use – and you should be excited about that mission.

Technical Requirements

We need a full‑stack AI engineer who can design and lead development of our platform. Key requirements include:

• AI/ML Engineering & LLMs: Strong experience in machine learning and building products with large language models (LLM‑based tooling). You’ve possibly worked with GPT or similar, and you know how to fine‑tune or prompt these models effectively.
• Full‑Stack Development: Ability to architect and code across the stack (front‑end, back‑end, database). You should be comfortable wearing multiple hats in early development.
• Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG): Familiarity with RAG techniques (using external knowledge bases to make LLM responses more factual). Our AI will likely need to pull in project data, manuals, or regulations on the fly – you should know how to implement or utilize RAG pipelines.
• Data Security & Compliance: Knowledge of implementing SOC 2 controls and GDPR compliance. Our target customers operate in enterprise environments, so security and privacy can’t be an afterthought.
• Architectural Best Practices: Experience (or strong interest) in multi‑tenant SaaS architecture. You should understand data security, role‑based access control (RBAC), and how to design systems that scale for many enterprise clients while keeping each client’s data isolated and safe.
• Construction Tech Integration: Bonus if you have familiarity with construction industry tech – e.g. integrating with BIM (Building Information Modeling) tools, or APIs of construction management platforms like Procore or ACC (Autodesk Construction Cloud). Even if you haven’t, being eager to dive into these domains is important.
• Prompt Engineering: You should be comfortable with prompt engineering and iterating on AI behavior. Since our product will involve conversational or assistive AI for end‑users, skill in crafting and refining prompts (and maybe fine‑tuning models) is valuable.

Experience & Fit

• Industry & Domain: Experience in construction tech or related developer tools is a big plus. If you’ve built software for the field (or have family in the trades and a passion for helping them), that’s icing on the cake.
• Startup & Product Stage: You’ve worked in a startup or fast‑paced environment before, or you can demonstrate scrappiness and adaptability. You’re comfortable navigating early‑stage product development – quick iterations, customer feedback loops, wearing many hats – and you appreciate what it takes to later achieve enterprise‑grade robustness (scalability, testing, documentation).
• Developer Tools & SaaS: If you have experience building SaaS products or developer platforms, you’ll fit right in. Understanding how to serve both power‑users and non‑tech‑savvy users will be helpful as we build AI tools for a variety of construction professionals.
• Leadership & Collaboration: This is a co‑founder role – you should be able to set technical direction, make key architecture decisions, and also roll up your sleeves to code. You’ll be working side by side with the founding CEO, so a collaborative spirit and ability to both give and receive coaching is important (remember, our brand is about coaching!).

The Opportunity

This isn’t a typical job; it’s a co‑founder opportunity to create something new with significant ownership and influence. Here’s what’s in it for you:

• Founder Equity: You will receive a substantial founder‑equity stake in HardHatCoach.ai. We’re offering ownership, not a salary (at least until we have revenue or secure funding). If you’re looking for a true partnership and are able to invest your time and talent in exchange for equity, this is for you.
• Build from Scratch: You’ll have carte blanche to shape the product architecture, tech stack, and engineering team as we grow. Your decisions will directly impact the success of construction teams in the field.
• Influence & Autonomy: With great responsibility comes great freedom – you’ll lead the technical vision and drive implementation of our AI coaching platform. There’s no bureaucracy or legacy tech to worry about; we’ll be moving fast and building what truly helps users.
• Mission‑Driven Work: The chance to solve real, gritty problems on construction sites with AI. From preventing project delays to improving safety, your work will have tangible impact on an industry that’s historically underserved by tech.
• Experienced Partner: You’ll work directly with a seasoned founder who has 25+ years in construction (including roles at Tesla Energy and Amazon Web Services). Our founder understands the problem space deeply and has already developed an initial brand, IP, and go‑to‑market strategy and MVP. In other words, the business groundwork is laid – we need you to bring the tech to scale.
• Future Rewards: Once we start generating revenue or hit key funding milestones, salary and financial benefits will kick in. As co‑founder, you’ll help determine those milestones. The upside potential is significant if we execute well.

Our Culture & Brand Tone

At HardHatCoach.ai, we keep it real. Our culture is grounded, no‑nonsense, and team‑oriented – more like a good construction crew than a slick Silicon Valley startup. We avoid buzzword bingo and focus on delivering value. We see ourselves as coaches and partners to our customers, and we bring that same supportive, roll‑up‑your‑sleeves attitude to our internal team. If you’re tired of hype and want to build something practical and trusted, you’ll fit right in.

Call to Action – Let’s Build Something That Matters

This role isn’t for everyone. But if you’ve read this far and feel excited, we want to talk to you. This is a chance to join a founder‑to‑founder conversation from day one and shape a product that could change how construction projects are run in the field.

Ready to build something useful, used, and trusted on real job sites? If you’re an engineer who wants to create tech that actually helps people on the front lines, let’s chat. Reach out and join us at HardHatCoach.ai – let’s coach an industry together.