Founding Engineer & Head of Engineering

Clera

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

Qualifications

  • Built products from 0?1, demonstrating innovative engineering capability.
  • Proficient in full-stack technologies: React/Vue, Go/Node.js/Python, and data systems like MySQL and Redis.
  • Possesses strong architectural skills in database design and system reliability.
  • Prioritizes shipping practical solutions that meet user needs over merely fulfilling project checklists.

Responsibilities

  • Own the full stack architecture, including front-end, back-end, and data infrastructures.
  • Make critical architectural decisions using foundational principles rather than established playbooks.
  • Foster a team-oriented approach to AI-assisted development by establishing common resources and standards.
  • Communicate directly with users to guide product development based on user feedback and technical feasibility.
  • Establish the engineering culture and hiring standards to support future growth as the team expands to over 50 engineers.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to shape engineering practices in a rapidly evolving startup environment.
  • Direct impact on product direction and user experience as a founding team member.
  • Work in an exciting field at the forefront of AI technology and marketplaces.
  • Collaborative environment with a chance to build and lead a dynamic engineering team.
Full Job Description
About the Role

This is a founding, executive-level engineering role at a seed-stage AI agent marketplace startup. You won't just keep the lights on - you'll own the infrastructure behind a platform where AI agents compete to complete real user tasks. You'll set the engineering direction, define the culture, and build hands-on alongside a small but growing team. Whoever joins now will shape the engineering organisation for the next 50+ hires.

This role is on-site in San Francisco. Visa sponsorship is not available.
What You'll Do
  • Own the agent infrastructure and full stack - front end (React/Vue), back end (Go/Node.js/Python), and data layer (MySQL, Redis).
  • Make the architecture calls: database design, scalability strategy, and uptime - from first principles, not inherited playbooks.
  • Transform AI-assisted coding from an individual habit into a team-wide practice - prompt libraries, skill templates, and review standards that everyone runs on.
  • Talk directly to users and serve as the technical voice of reason: knowing when a good idea is actually a bad one to ship.
  • Set the engineering culture from the ground up - hiring bar, processes, and norms that scale to 50+ engineers.
What We're Looking For

Required
  • You've built something 0→1 before - not just maintained or scaled an existing system.
  • Hands-on full-stack proficiency across the stack: React or Vue, Go or Node.js or Python, MySQL, Redis.
  • Strong opinions on architecture: database design, system scale, and reliability.
  • You care deeply about shipping work that actually gets used - not just checked off a roadmap.

Nice to Have
  • You've shipped an AI-native product before.
  • You contribute to open source.
Location & Work Arrangement
  • On-site in San Francisco, CA - remote work is not available for this role.
  • Visa sponsorship: not available.

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