Software Engineer — AI Infrastructure & Networking

Location: Pleasanton, California — In person
Engagement: 6–12-month contract, with potential to convert to full-time
Anticipated start: October 2026

About the opportunity

We are hiring for an early-stage AI startup building a new product and technology platform from the ground up. We’re looking for a hands-on software engineer who enjoys turning ambiguous ideas into reliable, production-ready systems.

You will work closely with the founding team in Pleasanton and contribute across architecture, implementation, testing, deployment, and operations. This is a high-ownership role for someone energized by zero-to-one development, rapid iteration, and the opportunity to influence both the product and the engineering culture.

What you’ll do

• Design and build core software components for an emerging AI platform.
• Develop production-quality software using Python, C/C++, or Go.
• Work on AI infrastructure, data-center networking, telemetry, and distributed system capabilities.
• Integrate AI and machine-learning libraries into scalable applications and services.
• Build and improve CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, observability, and release processes.
• Work with PostgreSQL and open-source frameworks to develop reliable, data-driven services.
• Implement streaming telemetry and real-time data-processing workflows.
• Collaborate directly with the founders to translate evolving business needs into technical solutions.
• Help establish engineering standards, architecture, tooling, and development practices.
• Diagnose complex problems across software, infrastructure, networking, and AI workloads.

What we’re looking for

• 3–5 years of professional software development experience.
• Strong programming skills in at least one of the following: Python, C/C++, or Go.
• Experience building, testing, and operating production software.
• Working knowledge of AI or machine-learning application development.
• Hands-on experience with CI/CD tools and modern software delivery practices.
• Familiarity with PostgreSQL or comparable relational databases.
• Experience with open-source software, frameworks, and development ecosystems.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work effectively in a fast-moving, ambiguous startup environment.
• Willingness and ability to work in person with the founding team in Pleasanton.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with data-center networking, network automation, or network management systems.
• Familiarity with NVIDIA AI libraries, SDKs, or GPU-accelerated computing.
• Experience with MLOps, including model deployment, monitoring, versioning, or production lifecycle management.
• Knowledge of streaming telemetry, event-driven architectures, or real-time data pipelines.
• Experience designing test frameworks or building automated integration and system-level testing.
• Familiarity with distributed systems, containerization, orchestration, or cloud-native infrastructure.
• Previous experience at an early-stage startup or on a zero-to-one engineering initiative.

What makes this role compelling

• Build foundational technology rather than maintaining a mature legacy product.
• Work directly with the founding team and have meaningful influence on technical decisions.
• Own projects across the full engineering lifecycle.
• Solve challenging problems at the intersection of AI, infrastructure, networking, and distributed systems.
• Potential to transition into a full-time role as the company grows.

Engagement details

This position will begin as a contract engagement lasting approximately six months to one year. Based on mutual fit, company needs, and performance, there may be an opportunity to join the company as a full-time employee in the future.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. The company is unable to provide employment-based visa sponsorship for this position, now or in the future. Candidates must not require current or future sponsorship to maintain employment authorization.

We welcome builders who are pragmatic, curious, comfortable with uncertainty, and excited to create something new from the ground up.

Pay: $80.00 - $140.00 per hour

Ability to Commute:

• Pleasanton, CA 94588 (Required)

Work Location: In person