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Artificial Intelligence, Manufacturing, Computer Vision, Industrial Automation

Member of Technical Staff, Founding Backend Engineer

San Francisco, California, United StatesOnsiteFull TimeStaff$150,000–$200,000 /yrPosted 2 months agoHidden Gem · YC Startup

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Role summary

Ocular AI is seeking a Founding Backend Engineer to join their early-stage, well-funded startup in San Francisco. This role involves designing and developing production backend systems, including deploying and fine-tuning AI models, scaling an internal analytics system, and building data pipelines. The ideal candidate will have 3+ years of experience with Python/Node.js and PostgreSQL, hands-on experience with ML models or AI APIs, and experience deploying on major cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) with Docker. This is a high-agency, in-person role reporting directly to the founders, requiring a founder mentality and a fast-paced, collaborative approach.

### Ocular AI

**Ocular AI** is the data annotation engine for Generative AI, Computer Vision, and Enterprise AI models.

We help companies transform unstructured, multi-modal data into golden datasets to power generative AI, frontier models, and computer vision.

**Ocular Foundry** is the most intuitive, data-centric, and fastest platform that lets you label, annotate, version, and deploy your data for training models. It also orchestrates your annotation jobs, improving collaboration with members and annotators.

With **Ocular Bolt**, shift from humans in the loop to experts in the loop to supercharge your data labeling and annotation projects. Our global expert workforce ensures fast, accurate results—no matter the scale or complexity of your data.

In just 3 months, our small team of 3 (including founders) has achieved remarkable progress, making this an exceptional opportunity for you to join a fast-moving, well-funded startup backed by top investors like **Drive Capital, Y Combinator, Alumni Ventures, BDMI, Orange Collective e.t.c**

### What you’ll be working on?

Ocular AI is looking for a Founding Backend Engineer to work directly with the Founders to design and develop backend systems for production. Your core work at Ocular will include:

* Deploying, Training and Fine Tuning AI Models.
* Developing and Scaling An Internal Analytics System.
* Building Data pipelines to evaluate model performance, and integrate AI models into the product
* Working directly with the founders and customers to shape the product direction and engineering strategy

This is a high agency role with a lot of ambiguity as a part of an early stage startup. You will be reporting directly to the Founders.

### What we are looking for

* **3+ years** experience developing software with **Python/Node** and **Postgress** for production systems.
* Hands-on experience training **ML models, building chatbots**, or using AI APIs.
* Experience deploying on **AWS, GCP, or Azure** with Docker skills and the ability to set up databases and queues (e.g., Redis, RabbitMQ). 
* Open to working **in person at our office in SF**. We’re an early stage company which means that the role requires working hard and moving quickly. Please only apply if that excites you.

### Values

* **Founder Mentality:** We value taking initiative, making confident decisions, and taking full responsibility for the outcomes of your work.
* **Design Oriented:** Design is in our DNA - we believe in crafting solutions that are not only functional but also user friendly and beautiful.
* **Customer Obsession:** We put customers first, deeply understand their needs, and ensure every decision you make creates value for them.
* **Humble and Collaborative:** We value humility, diverse perspectives, and an environment where teamwork is key.

### Other Benefits

* 401k
* Heath Insurance (Dental + Vision)
* Annual Company Retreats
* Mental Health Stipend 
* Work setup stipend (MacBook, Monitor, & Accessories)

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