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Forward Deployed Engineer

CleraSan Francisco🇺🇸United StatesPosted 5 Sept 2026

Why This Role Stands Out

As a founding engineer at an AI infrastructure startup, you'll have the opportunity to shape core systems end-to-end and establish engineering patterns for the entire future team, with a competitive salary of USD 150,000 - 250,000. This hands-on, high-impact role is perfect for experienced software engineers who thrive in early-stage environments and are eager to build from the ground up. Apply now to directly influence the product and drive innovation in a dynamic startup setting.

Quick Overview

Salary
$150k - $250k/yr
Seniority
Mid Senior
Employment type
Full Time
Location
San Francisco, United States
Posted
6 days ago
AWSConcreteKubernetesPostgreSQLReactTypeScript

Job Description

About the Role

This is a founding engineer position at an early-stage AI infrastructure startup building an agentic integration platform. You will own core systems end-to-end alongside the founding team, setting the engineering patterns that every future hire builds on. The work is hands-on, high-stakes, and directly shapes the product from day one.

What You'll Do

  • Own the agent platform, infrastructure, and integrations runtime end-to-end.

  • Set engineering patterns and standards that the entire future engineering org will build on.

  • Ship to production constantly, working directly with the founding team.

  • Help shape the full system architecture across agent orchestration, durable execution, self-healing systems, and a growing integration knowledge base.

What We're Looking For

  • 2 to 9 years of professional software engineering experience; staff, principal, lead, or manager titles at large companies are not the right fit for this hands-on IC role.

  • A completed or in-progress engineering, computer science, or quantitative degree from a strong technical university.

  • Prior experience as a founder of a funded startup or as an early engineer at a well-backed seed or Series A startup; a career spent exclusively at large tech companies, enterprise, or consulting does not meet the bar.

  • Proven track record of shipping and owning real production systems end-to-end, multiple times.

  • Proficiency across the stack: TypeScript, React, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, and AWS; experience with Bun or Effect-TS is a plus.

  • Comfortable working with and directing multiple AI coding agents while exercising strong judgment over production quality.

  • Broad end-to-end engineering ability spanning agent platforms, infrastructure, and integration runtimes.

  • Genuine motivation for a fast-paced, high-intensity, in-person early-stage environment.

Compensation & Benefits

  • Salary range: $150,000 to $250,000 USD annually.

  • Visa sponsorship is available where an O-1 visa is a realistic path.

Location

On-site, five days a week in San Francisco, CA. Candidates based elsewhere in the US are welcome with a concrete, dated relocation plan to San Francisco.

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