Demo

Founding Engineer - Applied AI

Product Pulse
San Francisco, CA Full Time
POSTED ON 6/12/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 12/7/2026

We’re a stealth startup building AI hardware for complex manufacturers. At the intersection of AI, hardware development, and policy, they accelerate innovation and safety in the physical world. This company partners with some of the world's most iconic automotive, aerospace, and industrial manufacturers.


Engineering Agent Workflows

Design and implement core workflows and infrastructure for hardware engineering agents, including intelligent context management, novel indexing approaches, and advanced data structures.


Design Data Interpretation

Build agents that can interpret, reason over, and manipulate complex engineering design data, integrating with enterprise-grade engineering tools and systems.


Direct Customer Collaboration

Work closely with customers and the engineering team to deliver AI-powered workflows that are reliable, intuitive, and trusted in production environments.

Move Fast, Learn Fast: Prototype rapidly, validate ideas with real users, and ship frequently. Help Shape the Company: Influence engineering culture, architectural decisions, and the product's future.


Our Culture

We are intentional with our time. We work hard on meaningful problems and protect our personal time, because working together is a privilege. We care deeply about our people, our customers, our product, and our craft. Success is defined by our customers' success and our team's professional growth. We want you to thrive, physically, mentally, and professionally, while solving some of the most meaningful and complex problems in the physical world.


About the Role

We’re hiring a world-class Applied AI Engineer to build the core systems behind their automation engine for hardware engineering. You will design, implement, and post-train AI agents that power critical product development workflows for global enterprise customers, working on novel AI systems that retrieve, interpret, and manipulate complex engineering design data, integrating deeply into real-world engineering environments. This is a deeply technical, high-impact role. You will be among the first technical hires and will own mission- critical systems end-to-end. The problems are ambiguous, the constraints are real, and the expectations are high. If you move fast from idea to production, care deeply about customer experience, and want to build foundational AI infrastructure for the world's most impactful industries, this role is for you.


Key Responsibilities

Design and implement core workflows and infrastructure for hardware engineering agents, including intelligent context management, novel indexing approaches, and post-training

Build agents and ML models that can interpret, reason over, and manipulate complex engineering design data, integrating with enterprise-grade engineering tools and systems

Work closely with customers and the engineering team to deliver AI-powered workflows that are reliable, intuitive, and trusted in production environments

Prototype rapidly, validate ideas with real users, and ship frequently

Influence engineering culture, architecture decisions, and the future of the product Requirements


Must-Have

Bachelor's or higher in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or equivalent experience

Strong familiarity with LLM architectures and agent research trends

Excellent programming skills with experience using ML libraries such as PyTorch, Hugging Face, and W&B Experience building production ML or AI systems

Solid practical experience with search and information retrieval

Moves fast from idea to production, with a genuine care for customer experience

Based in or willing to relocate to San Francisco, or an exceptional remote candidate


Nice-to-Have

2 years in applied machine learning, backend engineering, or AI infrastructure Experience working with machine learning over geometric data, including CAD

Track record of high-impact contributions or published papers at top-tier AI labs or teams


Benefits & Perks

Unlimited PTO

Full health insurance

Free lunch and dinner Company equipment provided


VISA SPONSORSHIP

H-1B, O-1, OPT

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Salary.com Estimation for Founding Engineer - Applied AI in San Francisco, CA
$126,380 to $154,571
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