Founding Engineer

Who is Recruiting from Scratch: Recruiting from Scratch is a premier talent firm that focuses on placing the best product managers, software, and hardware talent at innovative companies. Our team is 100% remote and we work with teams across the United States to help them hire.Founding EngineerLocation - San Francisco, CA (Onsite)Compensation - $160,000 - $230,000 Base + Competitive Equity (0.5%-1%)Visa - Case-by-case visa transfer sponsorship availableCompany Stage - Seed Stage (~$2.5M raised)Industry - AI, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, LogisticsAbout our clientOur client is building AI agents that modernize manufacturing by automating complex procurement and supply chain workflows.Today, critical procurement operations across global manufacturers are still managed through fragmented spreadsheets, emails, and manual processes. Optimized replaces these outdated systems with autonomous AI agents that can monitor supplier activity, surface insights, and execute procurement workflows automatically.Backed by Foundation Capital and already working with large-scale manufacturing customers, they are building the operating system for the future of industrial procurement.As a Founding Engineer, you’ll work directly with the founders to shape both the product and technical direction of the company while deploying AI systems into real-world manufacturing environments.This is a rare opportunity to join an extremely early-stage startup, own end-to-end product development, and help define how AI transforms one of the world’s largest industries.What You’ll DoBuild and ship production-grade AI-powered software used by procurement and supply chain teamsWork directly with customers to understand operational challenges and translate them into product solutionsDeploy forward with customers and gather real-world feedback from manufacturing environmentsOwn projects end-to-end from architecture and implementation through deployment and iterationDesign backend services, APIs, data models, and AI-powered workflowsBuild customer-facing product experiences using modern full-stack technologiesCollaborate closely with founders on product strategy, roadmap decisions, and technical directionHelp establish engineering culture, standards, and best practices as one of the earliest engineersTravel periodically to customer sites to support deployments and gather operational insightsHelp define the future of agentic software for supply chain and procurement operationsIdeal Candidate BackgroundExperience Requirements2+ years of professional software engineering experienceExperience shipping production software with measurable business impactExperience owning projects end-to-end and driving stakeholder outcomesExperience at an early-stage startup or highly respected technology companyForward Deployed Engineering experience strongly preferredExperience working closely with customers, operators, or business stakeholdersSupply chain, procurement, logistics, manufacturing, or operational software experience preferredStrong track record of rapid execution in fast-moving environmentsTechnical RequirementsStrong Python development experienceExperience building backend services, APIs, and production systemsFull-stack capabilities preferred (TypeScript and React are strong pluses)Experience building with LLMs, AI products, or agentic workflowsComfortable using modern AI development tools (Cursor, Copilot, Claude, etc.)Strong system design and software architecture fundamentalsExperience deploying and maintaining production systemsEducationComputer Science or related technical degree preferredStrong academic pedigree from a recognized engineering program is a plusSoft SkillsExceptional problem-solving abilityStrong ownership mentalityCustomer-oriented mindsetComfortable operating with ambiguityExcellent communication skillsAbility to work directly with technical and non-technical stakeholdersCompensation & BenefitsBase Salary: $160,000 - $230,000Equity: 0.5% - 1%Significant ownership and influenceDirect collaboration with foundersOpportunity to shape technical strategy from day oneExposure to enterprise manufacturing customersVisa sponsorship considered on a case-by-case basisWhy JoinThey are building AI infrastructure for one of the largest and most operationally complex industries in the world.You’ll work directly with customers solving real supply chain challenges while helping define how autonomous AI systems operate inside manufacturing organizations.As one of the first engineers, you’ll have outsized ownership across product, architecture, and company direction while working alongside a highly technical founding team.If you’re excited by AI, customer-facing engineering, and building products from zero to one, this role offers a rare opportunity to shape an entire category from the earliest stages. Who is Recruiting from Scratch: Recruiting from Scratch is a premier talent firm that focuses on placing the best product managers, software, and hardware talent at innovative companies. Our team is 100% remote and we work with teams across the United States to help them hire. Founding EngineerLocation - San Francisco, CA (Onsite)Compensation - $160,000 - $230,000 Base + Competitive Equity (0.5%-1%)Visa - Case-by-case visa transfer sponsorship availableCompany Stage - Seed Stage (~$2.5M raised)Industry - AI, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, LogisticsAbout our clientOur client is building AI agents that modernize manufacturing by automating complex procurement and supply chain workflows.Today, critical procurement operations across global manufacturers are still managed through fragmented spreadsheets, emails, and manual processes. Optimized replaces these outdated systems with autonomous AI agents that can monitor supplier activity, surface insights, and execute procurement workflows automatically.Backed by Foundation Capital and already working with large-scale manufacturing customers, they are building the operating system for the future of industrial procurement.As a Founding Engineer, you’ll work directly with the founders to shape both the product and technical direction of the company while deploying AI systems into real-world manufacturing environments.This is a rare opportunity to join an extremely early-stage startup, own end-to-end product development, and help define how AI transforms one of the world’s largest industries.What You’ll DoBuild and ship production-grade AI-powered software used by procurement and supply chain teamsWork directly with customers to understand operational challenges and translate them into product solutionsDeploy forward with customers and gather real-world feedback from manufacturing environmentsOwn projects end-to-end from architecture and implementation through deployment and iterationDesign backend services, APIs, data models, and AI-powered workflowsBuild customer-facing product experiences using modern full-stack technologiesCollaborate closely with founders on product strategy, roadmap decisions, and technical directionHelp establish engineering culture, standards, and best practices as one of the earliest engineersTravel periodically to customer sites to support deployments and gather operational insightsHelp define the future of agentic software for supply chain and procurement operationsIdeal Candidate BackgroundExperience Requirements2+ years of professional software engineering experienceExperience shipping production software with measurable business impactExperience owning projects end-to-end and driving stakeholder outcomesExperience at an early-stage startup or highly respected technology companyForward Deployed Engineering experience strongly preferredExperience working closely with customers, operators, or business stakeholdersSupply chain, procurement, logistics, manufacturing, or operational software experience preferredStrong track record of rapid execution in fast-moving environmentsTechnical RequirementsStrong Python development experienceExperience building backend services, APIs, and production systemsFull-stack capabilities preferred (TypeScript and React are strong pluses)Experience building with LLMs, AI products, or agentic workflowsComfortable using modern AI development tools (Cursor, Copilot, Claude, etc.)Strong system design and software architecture fundamentalsExperience deploying and maintaining production systemsEducationComputer Science or related technical degree preferredStrong academic pedigree from a recognized engineering program is a plusSoft SkillsExceptional problem-solving abilityStrong ownership mentalityCustomer-oriented mindsetComfortable operating with ambiguityExcellent communication skillsAbility to work directly with technical and non-technical stakeholdersCompensation & BenefitsBase Salary: $160,000 - $230,000Equity: 0.5% - 1%Significant ownership and influenceDirect collaboration with foundersOpportunity to shape technical strategy from day oneExposure to enterprise manufacturing customersVisa sponsorship considered on a case-by-case basisWhy JoinThey are building AI infrastructure for one of the largest and most operationally complex industries in the world.You’ll work directly with customers solving real supply chain challenges while helping define how autonomous AI systems operate inside manufacturing organizations.As one of the first engineers, you’ll have outsized ownership across product, architecture, and company direction while working alongside a highly technical founding team.If you’re excited by AI, customer-facing engineering, and building products from zero to one, this role offers a rare opportunity to shape an entire category from the earliest stages.

• 2+ years of professional software engineering experience
• Experience shipping production software with measurable business impact
• Experience owning projects end-to-end and driving stakeholder outcomes
• Experience at an early-stage startup or highly respected technology company
• Forward Deployed Engineering experience strongly preferred
• Experience working closely with customers, operators, or business stakeholders
• Supply chain, procurement, logistics, manufacturing, or operational software experience preferred
• Strong track record of rapid execution in fast-moving environments

Technical Requirements

• Strong Python development experience
• Experience building backend services, APIs, and production systems
• Full-stack capabilities preferred (TypeScript and React are strong pluses)
• Experience building with LLMs, AI products, or agentic workflows
• Comfortable using modern AI development tools (Cursor, Copilot, Claude, etc.)
• Strong system design and software architecture fundamentals
• Experience deploying and maintaining production systems, * Computer Science or related technical degree preferred
• Strong academic pedigree from a recognized engineering program is a plus

Soft Skills

• Exceptional problem-solving ability
• Strong ownership mentality
• Customer-oriented mindset
• Comfortable operating with ambiguity
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to work directly with technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Base Salary: $160,000 - $230,000
• Equity: 0.5% - 1%
• Significant ownership and influence
• Direct collaboration with founders
• Opportunity to shape technical strategy from day one
• Exposure to enterprise manufacturing customers
• Visa sponsorship considered on a case-by-case basis

Why Join

They are building AI infrastructure for one of the largest and most operationally complex industries in the world.

You’ll work directly with customers solving real supply chain challenges while helping define how autonomous AI systems operate inside manufacturing organizations.

As one of the first engineers, you’ll have outsized ownership across product, architecture, and company direction while working alongside a highly technical founding team.

If you’re excited by AI, customer-facing engineering, and building products from zero to one, this role offers a rare opportunity to shape an entire category from the earliest stages.

Our client is building AI agents that modernize manufacturing by automating complex procurement and supply chain workflows.

Today, critical procurement operations across global manufacturers are still managed through fragmented spreadsheets, emails, and manual processes. Optimized replaces these outdated systems with autonomous AI agents that can monitor supplier activity, surface insights, and execute procurement workflows automatically.

Backed by Foundation Capital and already working with large-scale manufacturing customers, they are building the operating system for the future of industrial procurement.

As a Founding Engineer, you’ll work directly with the founders to shape both the product and technical direction of the company while deploying AI systems into real-world manufacturing environments.

This is a rare opportunity to join an extremely early-stage startup, own end-to-end product development, and help define how AI transforms one of the world’s largest industries.