Backend-Leaning Product Engineer

ABOUT THE ROLE

This is a high-ownership engineering role on a small, fast-moving product team building real-world AI and automation products. You'll own customer-facing features end-to-end — from design through shipping and iteration — making both product and engineering decisions with speed and strong judgment, with minimal PM overhead.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own features end-to-end across design, shipping, and iteration.

• Make independent product and engineering decisions without heavy process support.

• Build and maintain backend systems, APIs, data models, and automation pipelines.

• Integrate with external tools, legacy systems, and messy third-party services.

• Design workflows and orchestration for AI/automation-driven products.

• Debug production issues and apply strong engineering judgment under pressure.

• Collaborate closely with founders, customers, and cross-functional stakeholders in a hybrid SF setting.

• Contribute across the full stack when needed, with a clear emphasis on backend ownership.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Background as an early or founding engineer, startup generalist, or strong product/backend engineer at a scaling startup.

• Demonstrated track record of shipping real products, ideally in 0-to-1 or ambiguous, messy environments.

• Solid experience with backend systems, APIs, data modeling, automation, and third-party integrations.

• Experience designing, implementing, and maintaining data models and automation pipelines.

• Strong debugging instincts and production troubleshooting skills.

• Applied AI or workflow/orchestration experience (e.g. agentic workflows, RAG, LLM-enabled features) is a plus.

• Python experience is a plus; modern web/backend stacks are acceptable — engineering quality matters more than specific stack.

• Genuine motivation for early-stage startup work and comfort with ambiguity and pace.

• Based in San Francisco or willing to relocate; on-site presence in SF required.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Base salary up to $275,000 USD annually, plus meaningful equity. Visa sponsorship is not available.

LOCATION

On-site in San Francisco, CA. Candidates must be based locally or willing to relocate.