Founding Engineer – AI / E-Commerce

Founding Engineer – AI / E-Commerce

Location: San Francisco, CA
Work Setup: On-site
Employment: Full-time
Level: Senior
Salary: $160,000–$200,000/year

About the Role

People Hive HR is supporting one of our clients in the recruitment of a Founding Engineer to join a fast-growing, YC-backed AI company in San Francisco.

As the first engineering hire, you’ll have significant ownership over technical direction, product architecture and full-stack development. You’ll work directly with customers, turn feedback into shipped features and help build scalable infrastructure for AI-powered commerce.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and develop features across the full technology stack
• Help shape the company’s technical architecture and engineering direction
• Build and improve AI agent and agent-based systems
• Develop robust, scalable backend and frontend infrastructure
• Work directly with customers and translate feedback into product improvements
• Build production systems with strong observability and workflow orchestration

What We’re Looking For

• 3–7 years of professional software engineering experience
• Experience within a Series A, Series B or fast-moving technology company
• Hands-on experience building or working with AI agents / agent-based systems
• Strong full-stack expertise in TypeScript, Node.js, Express, React and Next.js
• Ability to independently ship features across the entire stack
• Strong ownership and ability to work effectively in an early-stage, ambiguous environment

Experience with PostgreSQL, Redis, asynchronous systems, browser automation, scraping, retrieval infrastructure and AI agent orchestration would be an advantage.

What’s Offered

• $160,000–$200,000/year
• Unlimited PTO
• Health insurance
• 401(k)
• Bay Club gym membership
• Opportunity to join as the first engineering hire and have significant influence over the product and engineering function

How to Apply

Apply directly through Indeed with your updated CV.

You may also send your CV to [email protected] with “Founding Engineer” as the email subject.

Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Pay: $160,000.00 - $200,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Health insurance
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person