The role involves owning the architecture and initial product development for a system that interprets user behavior and makes real-time decisions in commerce. Responsibilities include defining system architecture, hands-on building, leading engineering teams, and collaborating with the founder on product direction.
Founding Technical Leader: Head of Engineering / CTO Company: Newco (Stealth)
Role: Head of Engineering / Founding Engineer (Full-Time)
Location: Flexible (US, preference for NYC)
Stage: Pre-seed (Venture Studio backed)
Comp: Significant equity + competitive cash
Who We Are
Commerce is undergoing a fundamental shift. For the past decade, ecommerce has been built around static pages, manual optimization, and fragmented tooling: from analytics to experimentation to personalization.
Newco is building the AI-native intelligence layer for DTC commerce. Our platform interprets shopper behavior from the moment of ad click, scores intent in real time, and dynamically personalizes the on-site experience without requiring brands to rebuild their infrastructure. Every interaction compounds: the system learns, adapts, and improves outcomes continuously.
The result: higher conversion, stronger retention, and a lasting edge for brands competing in a signal-scarce, AI-native world.
What You'll Do
- Define system architecture from first principles and own it end-to-end
- Build the initial product hands-on (this is a 0 to 1 role)
- Design and scale the decisioning and personalization engine across data, infra, and product layers
- Work directly with the founder on product direction and technical strategy
- Hire and lead the early engineering team as the company grows
- Communicate technical tradeoffs and system design to non-technical stakeholders in outcome-oriented terms
Who You Are
- A builder-leader at the intersection of AI, product, and real-time systems
- Experienced in high-stakes, fast-moving environments: vertical SaaS, applied ML, or personalization/recommendation systems
- Comfortable working across backend, frontend, and product, not siloed
- Strong product intuition alongside technical execution
- Thrives in ambiguity and early-stage building
Key Technical Responsibilities
- Decisioning and Personalization Architecture Design and scale the real-time scoring and routing engine: interpreting incomplete behavioral signals, making decisions under uncertainty, and serving personalized experiences with low latency.
- LLM and Agentic Systems Build and maintain AI agent layers using frameworks like LangGraph or PydanticAI, including modular reasoning pipelines (RAG, ReAct, planner-executor) for CRO automation and content decisioning.
- Data Infrastructure Integrate event-driven pipelines, vector databases (pgvector, Pinecone), and structured data stores to support real-time retrieval, persistent memory, and behavioral pattern recognition.
- Evaluation and Observability Build tools for trace inspection, confidence scoring, and output validation. Develop evaluation loops and test harnesses to ensure reliability and consistency across decisioning outputs.
- Engineering Architecture and Delivery Define technical standards, development processes, and system architecture to support a scalable, maintainable product. Partner with product leadership to translate strategy into roadmap.
Core Skills
- 5 to 7+ years of full-stack engineering experience
- Experience building real-time systems, data pipelines, or decisioning / recommendation engines
- Familiarity with LLM agent development and frameworks (LangGraph, PydanticAI, or similar)
- Production-level experience with FastAPI, Docker, and cloud-native deployment
- Comfort with vector databases and retrieval-augmented generation patterns
- Proficiency in agentic IDEs (Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code)
Bonus (not required)
- Experience in ecommerce, marketplaces, or personalization platforms
- Familiarity with event-driven or streaming architectures (Kafka, Kinesis)
- Shopify ecosystem knowledge
What This Is Not
- Not a pure infrastructure or platform role
- Not a maintenance or scaling role
- Not joining a large existing team
You will be building the foundation.
Why Join
- Significant equity + competitive cash
- True technical ownership: define the system architecture from day one
- Backed environment: venture studio with capital, operational support, and design partners already in market
- 0 to 1 opportunity: build a company, not just write code
Similar Jobs
Artificial Intelligence • Automotive • Greentech • Information Technology • Machine Learning • Software • Cybersecurity
The Client Integration Specialist II manages client integration processes, ensuring timely setup and support, while maintaining communication and attention to detail throughout the onboarding process.
Top Skills:
APIsFtpLinuxSalesforce CRMSQLWindowsXML
Cloud • Information Technology • Security • Software
The Account Executive will develop a territory plan for large accounts, generate new business, manage the sales cycle, and ensure exceptional customer service.
Top Skills:
Marketing AutomationSalesforce
Cloud • Information Technology • Security • Software
The VP of Channel & Strategic Alliances will build and execute strategy for partnerships, drive revenue growth, and manage a cross-functional team, focusing on cultivating relationships with global consulting firms and developing marketing strategies.
Top Skills:
AIGrcMarketingSales
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
