As a Founding Software Engineer, you will own product features, engage with customers, shape architecture, and work with AI workflows in a fast-paced startup environment.
Why Dalus Exists
About the Role
Our Stack
Who We Are
What You’ll Do
Nice to Have
At Dalus, we're building AI-powered software to reimagine how complex hardware systems are designed — think rockets, satellites, EVs, aircraft, nuclear plants.
Right now, companies building these systems are held back by legacy tools that were never built for today’s fast-paced engineering teams. We’re changing that. Our platform makes hardware development faster, safer, and more scalable, even with smaller teams.
We believe that designing atoms should feel more like working with bits — and that the next industrial renaissance needs better software.
More on our vision here
We’re looking for Founding Engineer #1 — someone who wants to go deep, build fast, and shape the future of our product and team. You’ll be working across the entire stack (frontend, backend, AI, systems modeling) and helping us deliver real value to some of the most advanced hardware companies in the world.
You’ll thrive in this role if you:
- Love wearing multiple hats and learning new things fast
- Have strong product intuition and care about UX
- Are excited to build the future of complex system design, not just work on it
- Don’t mind getting your hands dirty with hard problems (and hard schedules)
- Frontend: Next.js, Typescript, React
- Backend: Node.js, Python (for simulation/AI), AWS
- AI: Different LLMs, Langfuse, agent tooling workflows
We started Dalus in 2024.
- Eliot was a test/systems engineer at Aerojet Rocketdyne (L3Harris), where he saw firsthand how siloed communication slowed down hardware teams.
- Sebastian previously founded a neurotech hardware startup and scaled a software company to exit.
We just wrapped up YC W25, have revenue, and are working closely with aerospace, robotics, and defense customers
- Own major product features from idea to production
- Work directly with customers to understand pain points
- Help shape the architecture and engineering culture
- Get hands-on with AI workflows, model interfaces, and simulations
- Scale the platform to support real-world, high-stakes use cases
We won’t sugarcoat it — this will likely be the hardest you’ve ever worked. We move fast. We work late. We build on weekends.
But if that energizes you rather than scares you — you’ll probably grow more here in 1 year than in 5 anywhere else.
This role comes with significant ownership, learning, and impact. You’ll help define not just the product, but the company itself.
- Experience with systems engineering, aerospace, manufacturing, or industrial software
- Interest in simulation, modeling tools, or AI workflows
- Past startup experience or personal projects that went deep
If there appears to be a fit, we'll reach to schedule 2-3 short technicals. The final step is an onsite in our office, where you'll work on a small project, discuss ideas, and meet the team.
Base Salary: $140k-$200k
Shares: 0.5-2.5%
Must be a US Citizen to apply
Dalus San Francisco, California, USA Office
San Francisco, California, United States, 94133
Similar Jobs
Machine Learning • Payments • Security • Software • Financial Services
Design, develop, test, and maintain software solutions while collaborating with a team, debugging issues, and creating documentation.
Top Skills:
.NetDelphiJava
Cloud • Computer Vision • Information Technology • Sales • Security • Cybersecurity
The Sr. Director of AI Program Management will lead AI initiatives, foster an internal AI community, support AI governance, and drive collaboration across teams for effective AI adoption.
Top Skills:
AICalifornia Ai Transparency ActDmaGdprIso 42001Machine LearningNist Ai RmfU.S. Ai Executive Orders
Fintech • Information Technology • Insurance • Financial Services • Big Data Analytics
The role involves managing loan assets, servicing agreements, conducting valuations, and supporting loan modifications in commercial real estate investments.
Top Skills:
ArgusExcelMicrosoft PowerpointMicrosoft Word
What you need to know about the San Francisco Tech Scene
San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area attracts more startup funding than any other region in the world. Home to Stanford University and UC Berkeley, leading VC firms and several of the world’s most valuable companies, the Bay Area is the place to go for anyone looking to make it big in the tech industry. That said, San Francisco has a lot to offer beyond technology thanks to a thriving art and music scene, excellent food and a short drive to several of the country’s most beautiful recreational areas.
Key Facts About San Francisco Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 365,500; 13.9% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Google, Apple, Salesforce, Meta
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, fintech, consumer technology, software
- Funding Landscape: $50.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, Greylock Partners, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins
- Research Centers and Universities: Stanford University; University of California, Berkeley; University of San Francisco; Santa Clara University; Ames Research Center; Center for AI Safety; California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
