Founding Engineer

Founding Engineer
Early-Stage AI + Cloud Infrastructure Startup | San Francisco

Harrison Clarke is partnering with a well-funded, early-stage startup at the intersection of cloud infrastructure, data systems, and AI. They are building foundational technology that will power the next generation of intelligent applications.

We are seeking a Founding Engineer - one of the very first few technical hires - to join this ambitious founding team in San Francisco.

About the Role
As a Founding Engineer, you will work directly with the founders to define the technical direction and build core systems from the ground up. This is a high-ownership role where your technical decisions will shape the company’s architecture, engineering culture, and long-term success.

You’ll tackle complex, high-impact problems in areas such as:
Distributed systems and high-performance cloud infrastructure
Large-scale data processing, storage, and query engines
AI/ML platform infrastructure, model serving, or agentic systems
Observability, reliability, and developer experience at the intersection of cloud and AI

Expect significant autonomy and the opportunity to work across the full stack - from low-level systems to rapid product iteration.

Who We’re Looking For
We are targeting exceptional engineers who graduated (or are graduating) from top computer science programs - Stanford, MIT, CMU, Berkeley, UIUC, Waterloo, and similar institutions - or have demonstrated equivalent caliber through elite experience.

Key qualifications:
Strong computer science fundamentals (algorithms, distributed systems, databases, computer networks)
Hands-on experience with modern cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure), Kubernetes, or large-scale data/AI infrastructure
A track record of shipping high-quality code quickly while maintaining long-term technical vision
Intellectual curiosity, low ego, and genuine excitement for solving hard technical problems
Comfort with ambiguity and a strong ownership mindset

Prior background in AI infrastructure, data systems, or cloud-native platforms is a plus, but we prioritize raw talent, engineering taste, and builder mentality above all.

What’s On Offer
Significant founding-level equity with real upside potential
Competitive salary and benefits
Direct influence on both product and technical roadmap
The opportunity to help build a category-defining company in the cloud + data + AI space

If you’re a high-caliber engineer who thrives on ownership, loves deep technical challenges, and wants your early-career work to have outsized impact, this is a rare opportunity.
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