Founding Engineer – Full Stack / AI (NYC or SF)

Founding Engineer – Full Stack / AI

Location: San Francisco, CA or New York, NY
Work Arrangement: On-site, 5 days per week
Employment Type: Full-time
Compensation: 175,000–300,000 + competitive equity

About the Opportunity

We are seeking a Founding Engineer to join a small, talent-dense team building AI-native systems that are transforming how small businesses access quality health insurance.

This is an opportunity to own problems end-to-end, from data models to user experience, while developing agentic systems where reliability and accuracy have real consequences for real people.

The company is building an AI-native service that replaces traditional, manual health insurance brokerage workflows with AI-powered solutions. The platform supports plan research, quoting, enrollment, and ongoing servicing, helping small businesses access higher-quality benefits guidance.

As a founding engineer, you'll work closely with internal stakeholders and help define the engineering culture and architecture as the team grows.

What You'll Be Doing

• Build and iterate on agentic AI systems that automate broker analyses and operational workflows for internal service operators.

• Own full-stack product development end-to-end across Python and TypeScript.

• Work closely with internal stakeholders, including brokers and service operators, to build tools that enable them to serve 10x more clients at higher quality.

• Design evaluations, guardrails, and reliability infrastructure for high-stakes AI agents.

• Help define engineering architecture, technical standards, and culture as part of a founding engineering team scaling from four to eight engineers.

Required Qualifications

• 5–12 years of experience owning products end-to-end in a full-stack or backend engineering role, with a strong preference for senior full-stack engineers.

• Strong proficiency in Python and TypeScript, including demonstrated experience building and shipping full-stack products.

• Proven experience with React or modern frontend frameworks and the ability to build beyond backend APIs or infrastructure.

• Demonstrated ownership of products from ideation through production, rather than solely contributing individual features.

• Experience with AI engineering, including agents, evaluations, LLM APIs, or fine-tuning, or strong curiosity in these areas.

• Experience at Series A–D startups, FAANG companies, or as a founder.

• A strong technical background, with experience at recognized technology companies or a degree from a top-tier university.

• Ability to work independently, collaborate with internal stakeholders, and operate effectively in an early-stage environment.

• A humble, service-oriented approach and genuine interest in improving access to healthcare and employee benefits.

• Ability to work on-site five days per week in San Francisco or New York City.

This is not a frontend-only, infrastructure-only, or backend API-only position. The team is seeking engineers who have demonstrated the ability to build and ship complete products.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in healthcare or insurance technology.

• Experience with React and other modern frontend frameworks.

• Experience building AI agents, evaluations, or production LLM-powered applications.

• Experience working in high-growth, venture-backed startups.

Technology Stack

Python, TypeScript, React, MCP, LLMs, and AI Agents.

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary range: 175,000–300,000.

• Competitive equity.

• Relocation assistance available.

• Visa transfers and sponsorship supported, including OPT, H-1B transfers, new H-1B sponsorship, and TN visas.

Work Location

This is a full-time, on-site position requiring five days per week in the San Francisco or New York City office.

Candidates willing to relocate to either location may be considered.