Founding Engineer
Huzzle 💚
Other Engineering
San Francisco, CA, USA
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.
Key Responsibilities
- 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
Tech Stack
- 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
💰 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