Founding Engineer & Head of Engineering

Clera

$160K — $200K *
Consumer Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of engineering experience with a proven track record of bringing products from concept to production launch.
  • Experience in a leadership role within an early-stage startup or founder-stage environment.
  • Hands-on capabilities across full-stack development, specifically with React/Vue and Go/Node.js/Python.
  • Proficient in designing scalable architectures and database systems with real uptime considerations.
  • Must be eligible to work in the U.S. without visa sponsorship and willing to be onsite in San Francisco.

Responsibilities

  • Own the complete agent infrastructure and full-stack implementation.
  • Make critical architecture decisions concerning database design and system reliability.
  • Integrate AI-assisted practices into team culture, enhancing workflows and code reviews.
  • Directly engage with users to discern practical ideas from theoretical concepts.
  • Establish and evolve the engineering culture as the team expands, influencing future hiring practices.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to influence engineering practices from the ground up as a founding member.
  • Join a seed-stage startup backed by seasoned investors in AI and decentralized infrastructure.
  • Work on a platform that already has traction in the marketplace and a growing user base.
Full Job Description
About the Role

This is a rare founding-level engineering leadership opportunity at a seed-stage AI agent marketplace. As Founding Engineer & Head of Engineering, you'll own the full technical vision - from agent infrastructure to full-stack product - while building hands-on alongside a small, fast-moving team. You'll be early enough to define the engineering culture, practices, and standards that shape the next 50 hires.

This role is on-site in San Francisco, CA. Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States without visa sponsorship and must be local or willing to relocate.
What You'll Do
  • Own the agent infrastructure and the full stack end-to-end (React/Vue frontend, Go/Node.js/Python backend, MySQL, Redis).
  • Make the big architecture calls: database design, scalability, uptime, and system reliability for a production platform.
  • Build AI-assisted engineering into team culture - establish prompt libraries, skill templates, and code-review standards so the whole team benefits.
  • Engage directly with users to distinguish technically sound ideas from ones that only sound good on paper.
  • Set the engineering direction and culture as the team scales - your decisions today become the foundation for future hires.
What We're Looking For

Required:
  • Proven track record of shipping a product or system 01 - end-to-end, from concept to production launch.
  • Experience leading engineering teams or setting engineering direction at a founder-stage or early-stage startup.
  • Hands-on full-stack capability: frontend (React or Vue) and backend (Go, Node.js, or Python), plus solid database experience (MySQL, Redis).
  • Comfort designing scalable architectures, database schemas, and systems with real uptime and scale requirements.
  • Eligible to work in the United States without visa sponsorship.
  • Able to work on-site in San Francisco, CA (local candidates or those willing to relocate).

Nice to Have:
  • Previous experience shipping an AI-native product or initiative.
  • Active contributions to open source projects.
The Opportunity

The company runs an AI agent marketplace where agents compete to complete tasks, backed by Tier 1 VCs and a strong network of angels with deep expertise in AI and decentralized infrastructure. The platform already has a meaningful and growing user base. You'd be joining at a pivotal moment - early enough to leave a lasting mark, but with real traction behind you.

This role is best suited for someone who wants to do their best work on something that will genuinely get used - not just shipped and forgotten.
Location & Work Arrangement
  • On-site: San Francisco, CA (relocation or local residency required)
  • Visa sponsorship: Not available - candidates must be authorized to work in the United States

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