Founding Software Engineer

Company overview:

Company Size: 5

Industry: AI / Generative Media / Motion Graphics Software

Founded: 2025

Headquarters
: Berlin, Germany: On-site Strongly preferred

(Remote possible from
New York
, NY or
San Francisco
, CA) · Full-time

Total Funding: Not Disclosed (YC S25 startup)

Job overview:

A startup is hiring a Founding Software Engineer to lead development of an AI-powered video production platform. The role involves building full-stack features, designing scalable systems, optimizing LLM-based workflows, and developing a motion graphics engine.

They are looking for someone with at least 1 year of production experience, strong full-stack and system design skills, and the ability to work in a fast-paced startup environment. Experience in high-growth or top tech companies is a plus.

This is a high-impact role with ownership over the technical foundation and engineering culture. Salary ranges from $80,000 USD to $130,000 annually.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the founders to deliver user-centric product solutions from concept to production.
• Own the end-to-end development of full-stack product features.
• Design scalable architecture that supports rapid product iteration and long-term growth.
• Build and optimize agentic LLM systems using tool-calling, multi-step reasoning, and MCP protocols. Optimize LLM inference performance, latency, and cost across multiple model architectures.
• Develop a high-performance motion graphics engine.
• Make architectural decisions that support scaling the platform to millions of users.

Qualifications:

• 1+ years of experience building production software.
• Strong experience with full-stack development.
• Experience building or working with modern web applications.
• Strong programming and system design skills.
• Ability to ship products quickly in fast-moving environments.

Must-have requirements:

• Proven experience working with or within a top high-growth startup or elite technology company
• Strong programming skills in modern languages used for web or backend development.
• Ability to design and build scalable full-stack systems.
• Comfort working in fast-paced startup environments with high ownership.

Ideal candidate profile:

• Ambitious builder who wants to join a founding team
• Strong curiosity about AI and creative tools
• Comfortable solving ambiguous technical problems
• Excited about building systems that support millions of users
• Motivated by ownership and long-term impact

Interview process:

• Intro call with the founders
• Technical discussion or coding interview
• Architecture or system design conversation
• Final founder interview

Benefits:

Salary range: $80,000 to $130,000 annually.

401(k) retirement, Health insurance, Vision insurance, Dental insurance, 0.50% - 1.50% Equity