Technical Founder-in-Residence / CTO

Stealth Startup; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Stealth Startup in New York is seeking a Technical Founder-in-Residence / CTO to lead the development of its flagship product. The role demands owning the technical vision, architecture, and product direction from the ground up, while guiding an early engineering team through rapid growth.

You will build a production-ready foundation, collaborate with customers to refine requirements, and steer technology choices to scale a robust AI-driven solution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree from a top-tier university in CS/Engineering/AI.
• Strong fundamentals and production-quality systems experience.
• Experience with AI/ML, distributed systems, or full-stack development is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical strategy, architecture, and execution of the product.
• Build the initial product and technical foundation from scratch.
• Make key engineering and product decisions alongside the founding team.
• Design, develop, and deploy scalable AI-powered software solutions.
• Collaborate with early customers to refine product requirements.
• Recruit and lead the engineering organization as the company grows.
• Move quickly while maintaining high engineering standards.

Skills

Software engineering

AI/ML

Distributed systems

Full-stack development

Entrepreneurial mindset

Ownership & leadership

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/Engineering/AI

Job description

An early-stage venture-backed startup is seeking a Technical Founder-in-Residence / CTO to lead the development of its flagship product. The company already has a validated product thesis, committed funding, and multiple B2B Letters of Intent (LOIs). This is a true founder-level opportunity focused on building and launching a product from the ground up—not generating business ideas.

The ideal candidate is an exceptional engineer who wants to take ownership of both the technical vision and product direction while helping build a company from its earliest stages.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical strategy, architecture, and execution of the product.
• Build the initial product and technical foundation from scratch.
• Make key engineering and product decisions alongside the founding team.
• Design, develop, and deploy scalable AI-powered software solutions.
• Collaborate closely with early customers to refine product requirements.
• Recruit and lead the engineering organization as the company grows.
• Move quickly while maintaining high engineering standards.

Ideal Candidate

• 0–5 years of professional software engineering experience (up to 10 years considered for exceptional candidates).
• Bachelor's or Master's degree from a top-tier university in Computer Science, Engineering, AI, or a related field.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals and experience building production-quality systems.
• Experience with modern AI/ML technologies, distributed systems, or full-stack development is highly preferred.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a desire to build a company from the ground up.
• Comfortable taking ownership in a fast-paced startup environment.