Founding AI Applications Engineer

We are hiring a Founding AI Application Engineer!

As our Founding AI Application Engineer, you’ll be the driving force behind turning cutting-edge AI research into real-world products that transform how our merchants operate. As our first dedicated AI engineer, you’ll own everything from rapid prototyping to production deployment, building scalable systems that power our payments and fintech solutions. This is a rare opportunity to join an early-stage, Sequoia-backed startup and set the technical and cultural standard for AI development as we scale.

What You’ll Do:

• Architect & ship AI agent services - Design Python/TypeScript microservices that orchestrate LLMs (OpenAI, Claude, open-source), vector databases, and payment APIs.
• Automate merchant-specific tuning - Build pipelines that ingest merchant data (e.g. reviews, support transcripts, transaction logs) to fine-tune or RAG-augment models automatically.
• Create self-serve tooling for Ops - Develop chat-based or low-code UIs that let our ops team “teach” and monitor agents — no code required.
• Own the AI / ML lifecycle - Handle model versioning, evaluation (online/offline), monitoring, rollback, and performance/cost optimization.
• Move from zero → one → scale - Stand up lightweight infrastructure today; scale it to serve thousands of merchants tomorrow.
• Set the bar for engineering excellence - Establish high standards for code quality, system design, and team culture. Mentor early team members.

What We’re Looking For:

• Proven 10× builder with 5–10+ years of experience shipping production systems — and a continued love for hands-on coding.
• LLM experience in production, including building or fine-tuning models with OpenAI, Claude, Llama 3, or similar, and shipping at least one LLM-powered feature.
• Strong data intuition, with experience designing labeling strategies, feedback loops, and evaluation harnesses to maintain model quality.
• Service-oriented engineering mindset, writing clean, tested Python (or similar) and building APIs that other engineers enjoy using.
• Bias toward automation, with a focus on building agents and workflow tools that eliminate repetitive tasks.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Experience in payments, risk, or blockchain; infra-as-code tools like Terraform or Pulumi; GPU cost optimization; or TypeScript/React for internal tools is a bonus.

Our Culture:

• Fast-paced and dynamic – We’re a growing startup that moves quickly.
• Tech-driven – We leverage technology to address our users’ biggest challenges.
• Ownership and communication – We value people who take full ownership and communicate well across teams.
• Continuous learning – You’ll have the opportunity to work alongside industry experts and enhance your expertise in risk management.

Why Join Us:

• Competitive salary + equity plan
• 21 days PTO
• Benefits: annual medical allowance, productivity budget, gym membership & wellness subsidy
• Annual team retreat trip
• Be part of a team backed by Sequoia Capital with a healthy runway

Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience in shipping production systems, with a focus on AI/ML applications.
• Proven experience deploying at least one LLM-powered feature to production
• Proficient in Python (or similar) and familiar with modern ML frameworks.
• Experience deploying AI systems in cloud environments.
• Solid understanding of scalable system design and backend development.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• Work visa sponsorship available.