US-based Founding Engineer – Stealth-Mode Cyber & AI Startup

About the position

Location: San Francisco Bay Area (flexible, but must be US-based).

Compensation: Competitive salary + equity.

We are a stealth-mode cyber and AI startup in California (name withheld till the interview stage) backed by top-tier VCs and industry-leading angels from the top of the cyber industry. Founded by cybersecurity experts from Microsoft and Tesla, our team is on a mission to redefine the industry with breakthrough products that deliver entirely new capabilities in the cyber realm.

The Role

We are looking for a top-tier technical leader who thrives in startup environments—someone who can architect, build, and ship a highly complex application from zero to launch. This is a founding engineering hire, responsible for selecting the tech stack, leading the development, and turning our vision into reality.

You will be working alongside a highly experienced CTO, who comes from a strong research background and has managed large teams but is not deeply hands-on in development. Your role will be to lead the technical execution, while also hiring and mentoring a second engineer over time.

Many startups are creating beautiful and meaningful products. However, in this role, you will have the opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind product that will literally define a new set of capabilities in the cyber realm.

What you’ll do

• Build from scratch: Architect, develop, and deploy a scalable, secure, high-performance system in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
  
  

• Own the tech stack: Make key technical decisions independently, balancing speed and scalability. The stack is flexible—problem-solving skills matter most.
  
  

• Hands-on development: This is an execution-heavy role—be a true builder, not just a manager.
  
  

• Optimize for speed: Help launch an MVP in 2-2.5 months for internal testing while maintaining high-quality standards.
  
  

• Work closely with founders: Shape the product roadmap and broader company strategy.
  
  

• Thrive in ambiguity: Operate in an evolving, unstructured startup setting, taking ownership of challenges and driving solutions.

What we’re looking for

• Fast-growth experience: Prior work in a high-growth startup (zero-to-one or one-to-hundred scale) is strongly preferred over experience in large, slow-moving corporations.
  
  

• Lead by example: Architect and build complex web systems from concept to launch.
  
  

• Technical problem solver: Make smart, scalable decisions without rigid dependencies on specific tech stacks.
  
  

• Innovate processes: Implement efficient development workflows, including CI/CD pipelines and version control best practices.
  
  

• Cloud expertise: Strong AWS experience required (GCP/Azure is a bonus).
  
  

• Agentic AI & Scalability: Experience with agentic AI workflows and scalable infrastructure is a plus.
  
  

• Hands-on leadership: Roll up your sleeves, solve real problems, and set a high technical bar.
  
  

• Strong communication: Not just a genius coder—someone who can collaborate, lead, and contribute to a strong team culture.
  
  

• Reliability & commitment: Adaptability, follow-through, and dependability are critical.

• US-based: Preferably in Seattle or the Bay Area (we will have an office soon but remain flexible on remote work).
  

What we’re looking for:

• 8+ years of experience developing complex web systems.

• Deep expertise in AWS development.

• Experience with building agentic AI workflows and scalable infrastructure is a huge plus.

• A strong believer in teamwork and collaboration.

• Excellent communication skills.

• An unyielding drive to build the next breakthrough in cybersecurity.

• An independent, positive mindset and a willingness to push hard every day.

Why Join Us?

• Huge impact: Your work will define the next era of cybersecurity.

• High equity: Be a founding team member with meaningful ownership.

• Elite backing: Work with top-tier investors and cybersecurity leaders.

• Real customers: Fortune 500 enterprises are already lined up for our product.

This is a high-intensity, high-reward opportunity for someone who wants to be at the core of something groundbreaking. If you’re up for the challenge, let’s talk!

Place of work