Senior Software Engineer

About the Company

Athena is an AI-driven bank built from first principles to slash operating costs in banking by 90% and pass those savings directly to consumers. We’re rebuilding the financial system to make money actually work for people: cheaper loans, higher yields, instant approvals, and transparent products. We are starting with cheap, frictionless refinances and from there, we’ll expand into mortgages, checking, savings, and beyond - creating a full-service digital bank powered end-to-end by AI. We’re assembling a small, elite team of engineers to redefine what’s possible in consumer finance.

About the Role

As one of the founding engineers, you’ll help build the intelligence that powers the bank. You’ll work across the stack, blending deep technical skills, and sharp product sense. Your work will directly drive decisions that move millions of dollars and redefine how people interact with money. You won’t just integrate AI models - you’ll build agentic systems that reason, act, and improve through real-world feedback, supported by evaluation frameworks and consensus mechanisms that ensure accuracy, reliability, and regulatory trust.

Location - onsite (SF or NY)

Responsibilities

• Build systems that automate underwriting, decisioning, and compliance — replacing manual workflows with AI-driven agents.
• Designing systems that are auditable and reliable in regulated environments.
• Work across the stack, blending deep technical skills and sharp product sense.
• Drive decisions that move millions of dollars.
• Build agentic systems that reason, act, and improve through real-world feedback.
• Support evaluation frameworks and consensus mechanisms to ensure accuracy, reliability, and regulatory trust.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience working in top tech companies and building/scaling systems

Required Skills

- Builder at Heart
: You dive into the deep end, figure things out, and make hard things happen.
- Strong Programming Fundamentals
: You make Claude Code or Cursor write code that’s efficient and reliable.
- AI Native
: You live and breathe AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude Code, Google AI Studio, and Cursor. You’re always testing new frameworks, libraries, and techniques.
- High agency
: You take ownership, move quickly, and drive problems to completion. You care deeply about building great systems and shipping real-world impact.

Why Athena

- Backed by the best.
We’re funded by some of the most respected investors and operators in technology and finance.
- Learn from world-class builders.
Our founder and founding engineers have scaled products, systems, and companies you already know and you’ll work alongside them every day and create an elite standard and culture - fast-moving, ambitious, and deeply hands-on.
- Redefine banking for millions.
Help create a new kind of bank: one that’s intelligent, transparent, and truly built to make people’s financial lives better.

Equal Opportunity Statement

We are committed to diversity and inclusivity. If you're ready to embark on an incredible adventure, to learn from the best, and to make your mark on the world of AI, we want to hear from you. This is a chance to be part of something truly special.