Founding Engineer
At a glance
Mid-level Software Engineering role at Clera. San Francisco · full-time · $150,000–$220,000 base.
techroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Build and run the platform’s APIs, LLM workflows, scraping systems and knowledge graph infrastructure
- Design production systems for millions of API requests, balancing speed, reliability and cloud operating costs
- Take projects from unclear problem through launch, then improve them without compromising system integrity
- Work with the CEO and CTO on technical choices, roadmap priorities and core architecture
- Create developer docs, technical tutorials, internal tools and experimental builds to test platform APIs
What you bring
- At least one year of professional experience delivering software into production
- Practical experience with APIs, distributed systems, microservices and data pipelines
- Experience with AWS or GCP cloud services and Linux server environments
- You bring strong judgment on performance, reliability and cost-conscious system design
Who this fits
This suits an engineer who takes initiative, works well with limited direction and enjoys shaping early-stage systems from the ground up. It is an on-site role in San Francisco, with in-person work required. Visa sponsorship is unavailable.
From the employer
About the Role
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.
What You'll Do
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.
What We're Looking For
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.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary: $150,000 – $220,000 USD annually
Early-stage equity as a founding team member
Note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this role
Location
This is an on-site role based in San Francisco, CA. Candidates must be available to work in-person.
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