Clera
AI & Machine LearningDirect Ashby career site

Founding Engineer

Pay
$150,000 – $220,000 per year
Location
San Francisco, CA · On-site
Job type
Full-time
Level
Mid-level
Experience
1+ year
Listed
30 days ago

Skills & highlights for this role

  • APIs
  • distributed systems
  • data pipelines

Also useful

  • LLMs
  • AI agents
  • knowledge graph
  • AWS
  • GCP
  • Linux server

About the Role

A seed-stage AI data infrastructure startup in San Francisco is looking for a Founding Engineer with 1+ years of professional experience shipping to production. This is a foundational hire at an early-stage company building a people-data and agent platform - you'll have real ownership, work directly with leadership, and help shape the technical direction of the product as it scales toward Series A. Ideal for a high-agency, first-principles thinker who thrives in ambiguity and has founder aspirations.

What You'll Do

  • Design, build, and operate core infrastructure powering a people-data and AI agent platform, including APIs, LLM-powered workflows, scraping systems, and large-scale knowledge graph architecture.
  • Architect and maintain production-grade systems capable of handling millions of API requests, with a strong focus on performance, cost efficiency, and reliability across cloud and Linux server environments.
  • Own projects end-to-end - from ambiguous problem definition through deployment and iteration - shipping quickly without sacrificing system integrity.
  • Collaborate directly with the CEO and CTO on technical decisions, roadmap priorities, and foundational architectural choices that will define the company's long-term direction.
  • Contribute broadly across the stack, including developer documentation, technical tutorials, internal tooling, and experimental builds that showcase and stress-test platform APIs.

What We're Looking for

  • Required: 1+ years of professional experience shipping software to production.
  • Hands-on experience with APIs, distributed systems, microservices, and data pipelines.
  • Comfort working with LLMs, AI agents, and knowledge graph or identity resolution systems is a strong plus.
  • Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS or GCP) and Linux server environments.
  • Strong instincts for performance, reliability, and cost-efficient system design.
  • High agency - you move fast, take ownership, and operate well with limited direction.
  • First-principles thinker who is energized by building 0-to-1 in a fast-moving environment.

Compensation & Benefits

  • Salary: $150,000 - $220,000 USD annually
  • Early-stage equity as a founding team member
  • Note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this role

Location

This is an on-site role based in San Francisco, CA. Candidates must be available to work in-person.

Read the original posting

From Clera's careers page, first listed on Rolev.ai on October 10, 2026. Rolev.ai is not the employer.

How Rolev.ai helps with this application

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Common questions

What is the salary for the Founding Engineer role at Clera?

The Founding Engineer posting at Clera states compensation of $150,000 – $220,000 per year. It is listed as a full-time position. Final pay may depend on location, experience, and interview evaluation on Clera's official career site.

Where is the Founding Engineer job at Clera located?

This Founding Engineer position at Clera is located in San Francisco, CA (On-site). Always check Clera's application page for specific state eligibility or relocation policies.

What qualifications are required for Founding Engineer at Clera?

For the Founding Engineer role, Clera highlights 1+ year of relevant experience; experience with APIs, distributed systems, data pipelines. Rolev.ai can score your existing resume against these requirements and show any skill gaps before you apply.

How do I apply for the Founding Engineer position at Clera?

This listing links directly to Clera's Ashby application page. You can apply directly on Clera's site, or use Rolev.ai to check your resume fit, generate a zero-hallucination tailored resume and cover letter for this posting, and autofill the Ashby application form in 1 click with the Rolev.ai Chrome extension. You always review the form and press Submit yourself.

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