Founding Engineer
Own XEO's technical foundation end to end, working directly with the founder in a 0→1 environment.
XEO is an AI-native system for advertising and business growth. The architecture, data model and AI infrastructure being written now will carry the product for years. This is a founding-level engineering role, not a conventional developer position with a predefined roadmap: there is no backlog waiting for you, and the technical decisions are yours to make alongside the founder — and to live with.
Responsibilities
- Product architecture — how the system is shaped, not only how tickets are closed
- Backend systems, services and background workers
- AI / LLM infrastructure: prompting, orchestration, evaluation and cost control
- Data architecture and PostgreSQL schema ownership
- APIs and third-party integrations, including advertising platforms
- Production reliability, observability and incident response
- Security and scalability decisions appropriate to the stage
- Technical decisions in a 0→1 environment, made with the founder
- Taking problems from definition to production, including the unglamorous parts
Ideal background
- TypeScript / JavaScript
- Python
- PostgreSQL / SQL
- Backend APIs
- Cloud infrastructure
- LLM APIs / AI systems
- React / Next.js
- Third-party integrations
- Production systems
- Security / observability
What matters more than credentials
- Ownership — you finish what you start, including the unglamorous parts.
- Judgment — you can choose the right level of complexity for the stage.
- Operating under uncertainty — incomplete specs are the normal condition.
- Product instinct — you argue about the problem, not only the ticket.
We are looking for a builder, not a ticket-taker.
Company stage & compensation
This is an early-stage, pre-funding opportunity. Cash compensation is expected following successful financing and formal company formation, subject to a separately agreed compensation arrangement. Equity terms, if offered, are determined individually based on role, experience, commitment and long-term involvement. Nothing here is a guarantee of compensation, equity or engagement.
Candidate selected
Candidate selected — final validation in progress.