Founding Engineer
This role is based in Berlin, Germany on a hybrid basis. Visa sponsorship is available.
- Work arrangement: Hybrid (on-site + remote flexibility)
Founding Engineer role at an early-stage AI logistics SaaS in Berlin, hybrid, visa sponsorship available. Full-stack with Node.js, TypeScript, React, Python, LLM expertise required.
ABOUT THE ROLE
This is a rare founding-team opportunity at an early-stage AI logistics SaaS startup building purpose-built AI agents for the sea and air freight industry. As a Founding Engineer, you will be one of the first technical hires, working at the intersection of customer engagement, product strategy, and hands-on engineering. You'll help transition the product from demo-stage to a scalable, production-ready platform — and leave a lasting imprint on the company's technical and strategic direction.
The company operates in the freight forwarding space, helping top-tier operators automate rate requests, bookings, and exception handling through AI agents that interpret operational processes described in plain language. The stack spans Node.js, TypeScript, React, and Python, with a strong emphasis on LLM design patterns and AI capabilities.
This role is based in Berlin, Germany on a hybrid basis. Visa sponsorship is available.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Lead direct customer conversations, translating real-world operational insights into concrete product features and technical strategy.
- Design, build, and ship full-stack applications — frontend in Node.js, TypeScript, and React; backend in Python.
- Drive the transition from prototype/demo-mode to scalable, high-quality, production-grade systems.
- Advance the product's AI capabilities, including LLM integrations, vector stores, and model fine-tuning.
- Shape the overall product, technology, and company direction as a founding team member.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Must-haves
- 2+ years of professional software engineering experience building and shipping production applications.
- Full-stack development proficiency: Node.js, TypeScript, and React on the frontend; Python on the backend.
- Hands-on experience with LLM design patterns, vector stores, and model fine-tuning.
- Demonstrated experience designing, building, and deploying scalable products from MVP to production.
- Comfort leading customer conversations and translating feedback into product requirements.
- Prior experience in a startup or early-stage environment.
Nice to have
- Experience transitioning products from prototype/demo stage to production-ready systems.
- Hands-on experience with vector databases or semantic search implementations.
- Background in logistics, freight forwarding, or supply chain technology.
LOCATION & WORK ARRANGEMENT
- Location: Berlin, Germany
- Work arrangement: Hybrid (on-site + remote flexibility)
- Visa sponsorship: Available