Founding AI Engineer
Who is Recruiting from Scratch: Recruiting from Scratch is a specialized talent firm dedicated to helping companies build exceptional teams. We partner closely with our clients to deeply understand their needs, then connect them with top-tier candidates who are not only highly skilled but also the right fit for the company's culture and vision. Our mission is simple: place the best people in the right roles to drive long-term success for both clients and candidates.https://www.recruitingfromscratch.com/Title of Role: Founding AI Engineer (Agentic Systems / Full-Stack)Location: San Francisco, CACompany Stage of Funding: Seed Stage (~$7.5M raised)Office Type: Hybrid (3-4 days/week in office)Salary: $230,000 - $300,000 + EquityCompany DescriptionOur client is an early-stage, venture-backed AI startup building the next generation of "AI coworkers"-autonomous systems that can own and execute entire business workflows end-to-end. Unlike traditional AI tools that assist users, their platform is designed to replace operational work by orchestrating multi-step processes across systems.Founded by experienced operators who previously scaled enterprise teams at leading AI companies, the company is working with top-tier design partners and is rapidly building out its founding engineering team to define this new category.What You Will DoBuild core agentic systems that automate complex business workflows end-to-endDesign and implement multi-step AI agents with memory, reasoning, and orchestrationWork across the full stack (frontend, backend, and infrastructure) to ship product featuresPartner directly with founders and customers to define product directionSolve hard problems around reliability, hallucination, and system trust at scaleBuild integrations across enterprise tools (CRM, communication, and workflow systems)Own product surfaces from concept to production deploymentHelp define engineering standards, architecture, and team culture as a founding member Ideal Candidate Background3-10 years of software engineering experienceProven experience building production AI systems (agents, not just RAG/chatbots)Strong proficiency across the stack (backend + frontend as needed)Experience working in early-stage startups or high-ambiguity environmentsDeep understanding of LLM limitations (hallucination, state, reliability) and mitigation strategiesStrong product mindset with ability to define and build solutions end-to-endHigh ownership, strong opinions, and ability to operate independently PreferredExperience building multi-agent or autonomous systems with real-world impactExperience at top-tier AI or product-first companies (e.g., OpenAI, Scale AI, Notion, Retool)Background as a founder or early engineering hireExperience with workflow orchestration systems or event-driven architecturesFamiliarity with GTM tools (Salesforce, Slack, Outreach, etc.)Strong academic background in Computer Science or related field Compensation and BenefitsCompetitive base salary: $230,000 - $300,000Founding-level equity: ~0.5% - 5% (depending on experience)High ownership and direct impact on company trajectoryWork directly with experienced founders from top AI companiesOpportunity to define a new category in AI (agentic workflow automation)Hybrid work in San Francisco with a small, high-caliber teamFast, founder-led hiring process