Founding AI/ML Engineer
David Joseph & Company
San Francisco, United States of America
5 days ago
Role details
Contract type
Permanent contract Employment type
Full-time (> 32 hours) Working hours
Regular working hours Languages
English Experience level
Intermediate Compensation
$ 200KJob location
San Francisco, United States of America
Tech stack
Artificial Intelligence
Information Engineering
Data Security
Data Systems
Distributed Systems
Python
Software Deployment
Data Streaming
Systems Architecture
TypeScript
Unstructured Data
PyTorch
Delivery Pipeline
Large Language Models
Backend
FastAPI
Machine Learning Operations
Job description
An early engineer role building the company's AI backbone - processing massive video, audio, and text datasets to surface investigative leads across backend infrastructure and applied ML.
What you'll be doing
- Build retrieval pipelines over large-scale video, audio, and text datasets
- Integrate LLMs/VLMs and deploy secure, distributed systems in sensitive environments
- Ship end-to-end, from data flow design through production deployment
- Surface investigative signals and leads from unstructured data
- Work closely with founders on system architecture and technical direction
Tech stack: Python, FastAPI, LangChain, PyTorch; LLM/VLM inference; distributed backend infrastructure
Requirements
- 4-6+ years of engineering experience, ideally 2+ in applied ML
- Strong Python backend + ML ops familiarity (FastAPI, LangChain, PyTorch, etc.)
- U.S. work authorization and willingness to undergo FBI background check
- Deep technical communication skills (can explain systems and trade-offs clearly)
- Production experience deploying LLMs/VLMs or custom ML inference pipelines
- Experience understanding and scaling backend infrastructure (does not have to be an expert but must have solid knowledge)
Green Flags
- Built secure, distributed backend systems (Python/Go/TypeScript)
- Demonstrated curiosity across both infrastructure and model-level work
- Worked on real-time or high-throughput data systems
- Prior early-stage or mission-driven startup experience
- SWE and data engineering experience/knowledge
Red Flags
- Only academic or research exposure to AI (no production deployment)
- Preference for large-company processes or siloed work
- Weak understanding of data security / compliance requirements
Benefits & conditions
$125,000 - $200,000 a year - Full-time
About the company
An early-stage public-safety AI company building tools that help law enforcement search digital evidence and accelerate investigations into major crimes by reducing evidence overload. The team includes engineers who have previously built national-scale systems. Backed by top-tier investors, with live deployments and paying customers already in production., LocationSan Francisco, CA · New York City, NYWork policyIn-person, at least 3x/weekCompensation$125,000-$200,000 + equityVisa sponsorshipNone availableEmployment typeFull-time