Founding Engineer

People Hive is supporting a client in San Francisco in the search for a highly skilled Founding Engineer to join the business as its first engineering hire.

This is an opportunity to shape the technical direction and engineering culture of a fast-moving, YC-backed startup focused on the future of AI-powered commerce.

The successful candidate will have significant ownership across product architecture, full-stack development and the implementation of AI agent technologies. The Founding Engineer will work directly with customers, translate feedback into shipped features, and build robust and scalable infrastructure from the ground up.

3-7 years of professional software engineering experience Proven experience at a Series A, Series B or fast-moving technology company Demonstrated experience building or working with AI agents and agent-based systems Strong full-stack proficiency with TypeScript, Node.js, Express, React and Next.js Ability to independently ship features across the entire stack High agency, strong sense of ownership and comfort with ambiguity Strong startup mindset with the willingness to wear multiple hats

Important Requirements

Experience with PostgreSQL, Redis and asynchronous systems Experience with browser automation, scraping and retrieval infrastructure Experience with AI agent orchestration, context management and evaluations Experience with production systems, observability and workflow orchestration

Nice to Have

Experience with MCP servers and developer tools Background in e-commerce, retail, search, attribution or analytics Degree from a top-50 university

Unlimited PTO Health insurance 401(k) Bay Club gym membership