Software Engineer

Founding Engineer (Backend / AI )Start-up Fintech NYC Hybrid $180K–$220KIf you've built real backend systems and shipped something meaningful with LLMs, this might be worth two minutes of your time.I'm working with a well-funded seed-stage startup taking a direct shot at one of the most entrenched duopolies in financial services.The product sits at the intersection of institutional investing, corporate governance, and AI — extracting intelligence from SEC filings, proxy statements, and alternative data to generate explainable, policy-aligned voting recommendations for asset managers.The founding team is exceptional. We're talking capital markets credibility at the most senior level of institutional asset management, paired with strong technical leadership.They know the industry, they know the buyers, and they've got design partners lined up. Now they need someone to help build it.The roleYou'd be one of the first engineers on the ground, working directly with the CTO.Your ownership spans:Backend services, APIs, and data ingestion from SEC and alternative sourcesThe AI pipeline — RAG, inference, agentic workflows, and recommendation logicEvaluation infrastructure to measure when the model is right, when it's wrong, and whyArchitecture decisions the next several engineers will build onThis is a fiduciary product. The AI has to be right, explainable, and auditable. That's what makes it interesting.What they're looking for3–7 years of experience, with a real track record of owning backend systems end-to-endStrong TypeScript; Python for AI/data work is a bonusHands-on experience with LLM-backed systems — RAG, evals, agentic flowsThat zero-to-one mindset — comfortable with ambiguity, biased toward shippingFintech or regtech background is a plus, not a mustThe setup$180K–$220K base + equityHybrid NYC — no minimum office days, you own your scheduleSeed-stage, moving fast, proxy season is the forcing functionIf you've shipped backend systems at pace, have real LLM experience, and want to work on something genuinely niche with a team that knows exactly what it's building — drop me a message.