Associate Software Engineer

Founding Full-Stack Engineer | San Francisco | $130k–£180k + equity

I’m working with a YC-backed defense AI startup that’s scaling like crazy (60% MoM growth, profitable, $1M ARR inside 8 months, $3.3M raised). They’re building an AI platform that helps defense suppliers, from seatbelt makers to loitering munitions, win the right government contracts.

They’re lean, scrappy, and hiring their Founding Engineer to own massive parts of the stack, ship fast, and work directly with customers shaping mission-critical defense tech.

What you’ll be doing

• Ship full-stack features daily (70/30 backend/frontend bias but comfortable across the stack)
• Build AI agents + LLM-based workflows into production systems
• Talk to users (defense companies, military stakeholders) and turn feedback into product decisions
• Work on hard, ambiguous problems with huge national-security impact
• Be in-person in San Francisco, with occasional travel to DC / military bases

What they’re looking for

• 0–4 YoE ideal (can flex up to 7 for exceptional talent)
• Strong background in React, Next.js, Python
• Ex-technical founder, founding CTO/CPO, or Forward Deployed Engineer background = big plus
• Hungry, fast-moving builder who thrives with agency, feedback, and ambiguity
• US citizen only (no visa sponsorship)

Package

• $130k–$180k
• 0.5%–1.5% equity
• SF office, 5 days/week