Founding Engineer (Python / FastAPI / Next.js) — (US Based)

Sierra Studio is an innovative product development firm dedicated to empowering founders and business leaders in their quest to create impactful, meaningful products. Our team of experienced professionals is committed to delivering high-quality solutions that drive business growth. We prioritize a culture of good vibes, open communication, and continuous learning, providing our team members with the opportunities and resources they need to thrive.

This role is with one of the teams we help build through our staffing partnerships. When you apply, Sierra manages the hiring process, but you'll be hired directly by and work within the client company.

Our client is building the software and intelligence layer for consumer goods manufacturers. The co-manufacturers and co-packers that make the products on every store shelf still run production on email, spreadsheets and phone calls. The first product gives manufacturers and their brands one shared, real-time view of every production run, from purchase order to shipment, and a broader product roadmap is already mapped out.

The founder and CEO spent 7 years building consumer brands at a PE-backed brand studio, where he launched 5 brands in food and wellness. The company is backed by owners of CPG manufacturing companies, has a working v1 and a design partner cohort lined up, and plans to launch in early 2027.

Our client is hiring a founding engineer to own the product's technical foundation. You'll take a working v1 and turn it into production-grade software manufacturers run their businesses on, deciding how it's built, how it scales, and how the engineering team works as it grows. This role is for a builder: someone who would rather ship, talk to users, and iterate than wait for a perfect spec.

• Own the codebase and architecture end to end, starting with an audit of v1 and a plan for what to keep, rebuild, and harden.

• Ship full-stack features across Python, FastAPI, SQLAlchemy, PostgreSQL, WebSockets, and Next.js.

• Build integrations with manufacturers' ERP systems and other third-party tools so order, inventory, and production data flow into the product without manual entry.

• Design and evolve the data model as the product expands, with clean, reversible Alembic migrations.

• Build the real-time layer that keeps manufacturers and brands looking at the same status, documents, and messages.

• Own infrastructure, deployment, and monitoring.

• Join design partner calls and turn what you hear into product decisions.

• Help shape how AI shows up in the product as we build it in.

• Set the engineering bar and help hire the engineers who come next.

• Have 5+ years building production software, with real ownership of systems across the front end and back end.

• Have shipped a product from 0 to 1, ideally as an early engineer at a startup.

• Write Python and TypeScript fluently, and have built with FastAPI (or similar) and React or Next.js.

• Know PostgreSQL well, from schema design to query tuning and migrations.

• Have integrated with external systems and know what it takes to make them reliable: retries, idempotency, and sync conflicts.

• Make product and prioritization decisions instead of waiting for specs.

• Push back on ideas, including the founder's, and bring a better option.

• Treat tests, monitoring, and clean deploys as part of shipping, not extra work.

• Use AI tools every day to move faster.

• Write clearly and enjoy working closely with a hands-on, detail-oriented founder.

• Experience with ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite, SAP Business One, Acumatica, or QuickBooks) or with supply chain, manufacturing, or B2B operations software.

• Built real-time features with WebSockets.

• Shipped AI or LLM-powered features, such as document extraction or retrieval.

• Side projects that show range and initiative.

Remote, U.S.-based, with regular in-person work sessions with the founder in the early months. Expect occasional travel to manufacturing sites to see how our users work on the production floor.

$160k - $250k annually + an equity grant (share count and fully diluted total shared during the process).