Founding Engineer

Clera

$137K — $190K *
Consumer Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 3+ years of software engineering experience with a proven ability to deliver production features quickly and iteratively.
  • Strong proficiency in Python and TypeScript for effective development of APIs and backend systems.
  • Solid foundation in data modeling and designing scalable, production-grade systems.
  • Hands-on experience in building and deploying AI/ML features within live environments.
  • Familiarity with AI coding agents and LLM-based development tools as integral to daily tasks.
  • Proven experience in creating APIs and backend solutions that accommodate both human and automated clients.
  • An end-to-end ownership mindset, capable of taking projects from inception to production independently.
  • Adaptable in fast-paced and ambiguous early-stage settings with direct access to founders.

Responsibilities

  • Collaborate closely with the founding team to define and iterate on product requirements based on customer feedback.
  • Develop and maintain core product infrastructure, including APIs and backend systems optimized for human and AI interaction.
  • Deploy production-ready AI features that streamline customer go-to-market workflows end-to-end.
  • Engage in customer calls and product demonstrations to gather insights for continuous improvement.
  • Utilize state-of-the-art AI coding agents and LLM-based tools to enhance development processes and efficiency.
  • Establish AI-native engineering workflows that improve speed and quality over time.

Benefits

  • Early-stage equity reflecting the foundational role of a founding engineer.
  • Visa sponsorship opportunity available for qualified candidates.
Full Job Description
About the Role

This is a rare founding engineer opportunity at an early-stage, venture-backed AI startup building tools that transform how teams execute go-to-market workflows. You'll work side-by-side with the founders in a Union Square, New York office - shipping features that land in the hands of real customers fast. You'll have meaningful ownership over major product areas from day one, with direct influence over both product direction and engineering culture.

Visa sponsorship is available for this role.
What You'll Do
  • Collaborate closely with the founding team in person to define product requirements, build features, and iterate on customer feedback in tight loops.
  • Build core product infrastructure - including APIs, backend systems, and interfaces designed for both human users and AI agents.
  • Ship production-ready AI features that power customer GTM workflows end-to-end, from development through deployment.
  • Join customer calls and demos to understand real needs and translate them directly into product improvements.
  • Leverage the latest AI coding agents and LLM-based tooling to accelerate development velocity while exercising sound engineering judgment.
  • Help establish AI-native engineering workflows and processes that compound the team's speed and quality over time.
What We're Looking For

Must-haves:
  • 3+ years of software engineering experience with a strong track record of shipping production features quickly and iterating based on feedback.
  • Strong proficiency in Python and TypeScript for building APIs, backend systems, and user interfaces.
  • Solid data modeling fundamentals and the ability to design scalable, production-grade systems.
  • Hands-on experience building and deploying AI/ML features in production environments.
  • Comfort using AI coding agents and LLM-based development tools as everyday instruments.
  • Experience building APIs and backend systems that serve multiple client types (human and programmatic).
  • End-to-end ownership mindset - you've taken features from requirements to production independently.
  • Thrives in early-stage, ambiguous, fast-paced environments with direct founder collaboration.

Nice-to-haves:
  • Experience with go-to-market workflows, customer acquisition, or outbound campaigns.
  • Experience building interfaces designed for both human and agent (programmatic) consumption.
  • Familiarity with AI-native development workflows and modern tooling ecosystems.
Compensation & Benefits
  • Salary: $137,000 - $190,000 per year
  • Early-stage equity commensurate with a founding engineer role
  • Visa sponsorship available
Location

This is a fully on-site role based in New York City, NY (Union Square area). You'll work in person with the founding team daily - this is core to how the team operates and iterates.

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