Lead Full Stack Engineer

Lead Full Stack Engineer
Compensation: Target ~$180K base + equity (flexible based on level and interview performance)
Location: San Francisco, CA (Remote within the U.S.; strong preference for Pacific Time Zone)
Work Policy: Remote
Stage: Pre-seed AI startup | ~$2M funding | Founded 2024

Who Are We?

Were an early-stage AI startup building tools that help teams create high-quality written content faster and more efficiently. Our platform embeds AI directly into everyday workflows, enabling organizations to scale content creation without sacrificing quality.

Were operating in classic early-startup mode: small team, real users, real problems, and no one handing you a perfectly laminated roadmap. If you like shipping meaningful product and seeing direct business impact, you'll feel right at home.

What's in It for You?

• A chance to lead engineering at a pre-seed startup where your decisions shape the product and culture from day one.

• Ownership over core systems used by real teams, not demo dashboards.

• Equity that's meant to be earned, not framed.

• Direct collaboration with the CEO and product stakeholders.

• A paid, realistic technical assessment that reflects how you'll actually work on the job.

• The freedom (and responsibility) to build in a messy, fast-moving environment where outcomes matter more than process theater.

What Will You Do?

• Serve as the technical lead for a small engineering team (currently ~4 engineers).

• Design, build, and evolve backend systems primarily in Python, supporting AI-powered content workflows.

• Work across the stack, including frontend (React/TypeScript), or be willing to ramp quickly if your background is backend-heavy.

• Own architecture decisions across APIs, databases, and cloud infrastructure (AWS).

• Collaborate closely with product and leadership to translate business goals into shipped features.

• Navigate ambiguous problem spaces and make pragmatic technical tradeoffs.

• Help set engineering standards while still getting your hands very, very dirty in the codebase.

What Will You Need?

• Strong backend engineering experience with Python (beyond scripting).

• Technical leadership experience in an early-stage, VC-backed startup environment.

• Comfort working on both backend and frontend, or a clear willingness to do so.

• Experience building and maintaining production systems using modern databases (Postgres, MongoDB).

• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure (AWS); DevOps experience is a strong plus.

• A track record of working on small, scrappy teams where structure is earned, not given.

• Product-minded thinking: you care about real users, real metrics, and real outcomes.

• Ability to work effectively in U.S. time zones, with a preference for Pacific Time.