Founding Engineer

About Huzzle At Huzzle, we connect exceptional talent with top opportunities at leading companies across the UK, US, Canada, Europe, and Australia. Our clients include high-growth startups, venture-backed tech companies, and innovative platforms across SaaS, FinTech, AI, and Web3. Unlike traditional outsourcing agencies, we place you directly with a client?where you?re hired in-house as a core team member, with real ownership and long-term upside.

Location: On-site ? San Francisco, USA (Non-negotiable)

About the Company Our client is an early-stage, venture-backed startup building a category-defining platform designed to transform how businesses operate in a digital-first world. With experienced founders, strong early traction, and ambitious growth plans, the company is now seeking a Founding Engineer / CTO to define and scale its entire technology function from the ground up. Job Summary This is a rare opportunity to join at the ground floor as a Founding Engineer / CTO, owning the technical vision, architecture, and execution from MVP to scale. You will operate as both a hands-on builder and strategic leader, working closely with founders and investors to shape the product, engineering culture, and long-term innovation roadmap. If you?re looking for a high-impact remote startup role where you can combine deep technical expertise with executive-level influence, this is it.

• Define and execute the company's technical vision, architecture, and product roadmap
• Lead full-stack development from MVP to a scalable, production-ready platform
• Make critical decisions on tech stack, infrastructure, and system design
• Build, hire, and mentor a high-performing engineering team
• Establish engineering best practices, workflows, and performance standards
• Collaborate with founders on business strategy, fundraising, and product-market fit
• Ensure system scalability, security, and reliability across all environments
• Represent the technical function at the executive level with stakeholders and investors

• Languages: TypeScript, JavaScript, Python (bonus)
• Frontend: React, Next.js
• Backend: Node.js (Express/NestJS), Python (FastAPI/Django)
• Infrastructure: AWS / GCP, Cloudflare Workers/R2, Docker, CI/CD pipelines
• Database: PostgreSQL, Redis
• AI & APIs: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google AI, Bedrock, OpenRouter
• Dev Tools: Git, Linear, Cursor, Augment

• 6?10+ years of software engineering experience, including leadership roles
• Proven experience building and scaling products in startup environments
• Strong full-stack expertise with the ability to remain hands-on
• Experience leading engineering teams and defining technical direction
• Deep understanding of system architecture, scalability, and cloud infrastructure
• Strong business acumen with the ability to align tech with company goals
• Excellent communication skills across technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Prior experience as a Founding Engineer, Head of Engineering, or CTO is highly preferred

Benefits Competitive salary (based on experience) Significant equity stake with early-stage upside Work onsite in San Francisco alongside founders and leadership team True ownership over product, engineering, and long-term technology vision Collaborate with experienced founders and top-tier investors Opportunity to build and lead a world-class engineering organization