Founding Engineer

Clera

$120K — $200K *
Consumer Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 3+ years of experience shipping software products, including a physical hardware product.
  • Hands-on expertise in PCB design, schematic review, or electronics hardware.
  • Proficient in a systems or low-level programming language like C, C++, Rust, or Go.
  • Solid software engineering fundamentals in algorithms, data structures, and systems design.
  • Experience in building and shipping embedded systems or firmware.
  • Portfolio showcasing side projects or contributions to open-source or hardware builds.
  • Startup or founder experience, adaptable in dynamic environments.

Responsibilities

  • Build and ship AI-assisted PCB design tools and EDA automation features.
  • Integrate manufacturing pipelines and oversee the hardware-to-production workflow.
  • Own full-stack problems across the platform from backend systems to user-facing tools.
  • Collaborate with founding team to define technical strategy and product direction.
  • Ship quickly, iterate on user feedback, and address business needs.

Benefits

  • Flexible working environment to encourage innovation.
  • Opportunity to shape product direction in a founding team setting.
  • Engagement with cutting-edge AI and PCB design technologies.
  • Possibility for significant impact in an early-stage startup.
Full Job Description
About the Role

This is a founding engineering role at an early-stage hardware-meets-software startup building AI-assisted PCB design tooling and EDA automation infrastructure from the ground up. You will own the full technical surface, from design tools and backend systems to manufacturing pipeline integrations, and work directly with the founding team to shape product direction. It is a software-first role with deep hardware roots, sitting at the intersection of electronics engineering and modern developer tooling.
What You'll Do
  • Build and ship AI-assisted PCB design tools and EDA automation features to real users.
  • Integrate manufacturing pipelines and manage the end-to-end hardware-to-production workflow.
  • Own full-stack problems across the platform, from backend systems to user-facing tooling.
  • Collaborate closely with the founding team to define technical strategy and product direction.
  • Ship fast, iterate on user feedback, and unblock whatever the business needs.
What We're Looking For
  • 3 or more years shipping software products, including at least one physical or hardware product delivered to end users.
  • Hands-on experience with PCB design, schematic review, KiCad, or electronics hardware work.
  • Proficiency in at least one systems or low-level language: C, C++, Rust, or Go.
  • Strong software engineering fundamentals across algorithms, data structures, and systems design.
  • Experience building and shipping embedded systems or firmware.
  • An active portfolio of side projects, open-source contributions, or personal hardware builds.
  • Startup or founder experience, with comfort navigating ambiguity and wearing many hats.
  • Bonus: experience with EDA tools, manufacturing pipelines, hardware supply chain integration, or AI/ML in design automation.
Compensation & Benefits

Base salary: $120,000 to $200,000 USD annually. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.
Location

On-site in San Francisco, California, United States.

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