> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/231659-founding-engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/231659-founding-engineer). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Founding Engineer - **Company:** CLERA, LLC - **Location:** San Francisco, CA, United States - **Salary:** $150,000.0 - $220,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Artificial Intelligence, Amazon Web Services, Cloud Computing, Data Infrastructure, Distributed Systems, Graph Database, Linux Servers, Systems Development Life Cycle, Large Language Models, Core Api, Data Pipelines, User Identification, Microservices - **Published:** May 23, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=bd2880c10b9e51ec ## About the Role Do you have experience in System design for system development?, * Required: 1+ years of professional experience shipping software to production. * Hands-on experience with APIs, distributed systems, microservices, and data pipelines. * Comfort working with LLMs, AI agents, and knowledge graph or identity resolution systems is a strong plus. * Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS or GCP) and Linux server environments. * Strong instincts for performance, reliability, and cost-efficient system design. * High agency - you move fast, take ownership, and operate well with limited direction. * First-principles thinker who is energized by building 0-to-1 in a fast-moving environment. ## Description A seed-stage AI data infrastructure startup in San Francisco is looking for a Founding Engineer with 1+ years of professional experience shipping to production. This is a foundational hire at an early-stage company building a people-data and agent platform - you'll have real ownership, work directly with leadership, and help shape the technical direction of the product as it scales toward Series A. Ideal for a high-agency, first-principles thinker who thrives in ambiguity and has founder aspirations., * Design, build, and operate core infrastructure powering a people-data and AI agent platform, including APIs, LLM-powered workflows, scraping systems, and large-scale knowledge graph architecture. * Architect and maintain production-grade systems capable of handling millions of API requests, with a strong focus on performance, cost efficiency, and reliability across cloud and Linux server environments. * Own projects end-to-end - from ambiguous problem definition through deployment and iteration - shipping quickly without sacrificing system integrity. * Collaborate directly with the CEO and CTO on technical decisions, roadmap priorities, and foundational architectural choices that will define the company's long-term direction. * Contribute broadly across the stack, including developer documentation, technical tutorials, internal tooling, and experimental builds that showcase and stress-test platform APIs. ## Related Videos - [Headless by Design: Building Enterprise Systems That Agents Can Actually Use](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100092-headless-by-design-building-enterprise-systems-that-agents-can-actually-use) - [Insights from building the Canva Developers Platform to empower 185 million designers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/942-insights-from-building-the-canva-developers-platform-to-empower-185-million-designers) - [The Software Bug All Stars - and what we can learn from them](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/423-the-software-bug-all-stars-and-what-we-can-learn-from-them) - [Microservices: how to get started with Spring Boot and Kubernetes](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/242-microservices-how-to-get-started-with-spring-boot-and-kubernetes) - [Why make use of an integration platform in today's software developments and infrastructure?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/758-why-make-use-of-an-integration-platform-in-today-s-software-developments-and-infrastructure) - [You are not an AI developer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1148-you-are-not-an-ai-developer) ## Related Articles - [How to Become an AI Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/331-how-to-become-an-ai-engineer) - [Navigating the AI Shift](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/629-navigating-the-ai-shift) - [Dev Digest 132 - Binging WADFlix?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/473-dev-digest-132-binging-wadflix) - [What Are Large Language Models?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/304-what-are-large-language-models) - [Dev Digest 121 - AI goes offline](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/456-dev-digest-121-ai-goes-offline) - [Dev Digest 120 - Apple and peers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/455-dev-digest-120-apple-and-peers)