Founding Engineer

Founding Engineer (Future CTO) – Bootstrapped Construction Tech

Location: Remote

The Opportunity: Digitizing the First Step of the Built World

The multi-trillion-dollar global construction and architecture industry remains shockingly analog. The pre-design phase is particularly broken - relying on manual processes and fragmented data, leading to delays, difficult communication and budget overruns.

We are building a revolutionary, web-based software suite that fundamentally changes how property owners design, and budget their projects. Starting with the complex environment of hospital design, our platform empowers users to rapidly create interactive floor plans, while automatically generating real-time cost estimates and project analysis.

We are a bootstrapped, fiercely independent company. This is a rare opportunity to join us as the first technical hire, take a significant ownership stake, and shape the future of an entire industry.

The Team and The Traction

We (the founders) are not software engineers looking for a market; we are industry veterans with decades of experience in construction management and design. We have lived the pain points we are solving and possess the deep domain expertise and industry network necessary to successfully position this solution in the market.

For the past 18 months, we have self-funded the development of our initial React-based product through contractors. We have a functional application that validates our core thesis, but we now need a technical counterpart—an owner—to take the reins, professionalize the codebase, and accelerate development.

The Role

As our Founding Engineer, you will be the technical soul of the company. This is a strategic leadership role with a clear path to Chief Technology Officer.

This is not a typical greenfield opportunity. Your immediate mandate will be to take full ownership of the existing codebase, conduct a thorough audit, and determine the best path forward—whether that means aggressive refactoring, architectural stabilization, or targeted rebuilding.

We are committed to staying extremely lean and efficient. This role is not about rapidly scaling a large team; it’s about maximizing leverage through inspired architecture and execution. You will be the primary system builder.

Key Responsibilities and Technical Challenges

• Codebase Ownership (The Immediate Priority): Audit, assess, and take ownership of the existing React application. This includes stabilizing the environment, implementing best practices (CI/CD, testing), and establishing the architectural foundation for future scale.
• Develop the Core Interface: Architect and build an intuitive, high-performance, browser-based diagramming and CAD system. This requires expertise in graphical rendering (e.g., SVG, Canvas, specialized libraries like Fabric.js, D3.js, or similar).
• Implement Complex Functionality: Develop advanced features such as drag-and-drop, rotation, resizing, and grouping of graphic objects as well as the critical binding of cost attributes and descriptive data to those objects. As the project diagram is built, use the object data to build an estimate in real time.
• Full-Stack Architecture: Design the backend infrastructure, database schema, and APIs (REST or GraphQL) to support real-time data processing, complex calculations, and persistent storage.
• Strategic Pragmatism: Collaborate closely with the founders, balancing the long-term product vision with the immediate needs and constraints of a lean, bootstrapped organization.

Who You Are

We are looking for a rare combination of technical depth, resilience, and the entrepreneurial spirit required for a bootstrapped venture.

• A Pragmatic Architect: You have experience inheriting legacy or contractor-built code. You are adept at diving into an inherited codebase and making the hard decisions to refactor or rebuild, prioritizing business needs over technical perfectionism.
• A Specialist in Graphical Interfaces: You have proven experience building complex, interactive web applications, with specific expertise in web-based diagramming, CAD, or data visualization tools.
• A Force Multiplier: You are proficient across the stack, with strong expertise in modern JavaScript/TypeScript (React essential) and relevant backend technologies (e.g., Node.js, Python). You make technical choices that maximize efficiency for a small team.
• Product-Minded and Autonomous: You prioritize speed-to-market and business impact. You thrive in a lean environment with minimal oversight.
• An Owner Mentality: You possess the communication skills, drive, and organizational chops to manage the entire technical operation independently.

The Offer: True Foundational Ownership

We are bootstrapped and have taken no external funding. We are looking for a foundational partner, not just an employee.

We are offering a substantial foundational equity stake commensurate with a first technical hire/CTO-in-waiting. Cash compensation will be minimal until the business reaches identified revenue milestones (or we decide to raise funding).

This opportunity is for someone financially prepared to invest their time and career alongside the founders, in exchange for true ownership and the potential of a transformative outcome.

Interested?

If you are ready to build the future of the construction industry and take ownership of a transformative product, we want to talk. Send your resume or LinkedIn profile link and a brief note about why this challenge excites you to mark@calcutek.com .