Backend-Leaning Product Engineer

About the role

About the Role We're a small, high-ownership product team building real-world AI and automation products. As a Backend-Leaning Product Engineer , you'll own customer-facing features end-to-end — from design through shipping and iteration. This is a foundational role where you'll make real product and engineering trade-offs, navigate messy integrations, and move fast with strong judgment. You'll work closely with founders and customers in a hybrid San Francisco environment. This role is a great fit if you thrive in ambiguity, love shipping things that matter, and want outsized ownership at an early-stage startup. What You'll Do Own features end-to-end from initial design through launch and iteration. Make product and engineering decisions independently, without heavy PM support. Build and maintain backend systems, APIs, data models, and automation pipelines. Integrate with external tools, legacy systems, and messy third-party services. Design workflows and orchestration layers for AI/automation-driven products. Debug production issues and apply strong engineering judgment under pressure. Balance full-stack work when required, with a clear emphasis on backend ownership. Collaborate closely with founders, customers, and cross-functional stakeholders. What We're Looking For Required: Backend-focused software engineering experience — you can design, implement, and ship customer-facing backend features independently. Proven track record of owning the full lifecycle of customer-facing features: ideation, implementation, and iteration based on feedback. Experience in early-stage startup or high-ambiguity environments (founding engineer, early engineer, or equivalent). Strong cross-functional collaboration and communication skills. Must be legally eligible to work in the US without employer visa sponsorship. Based in San Francisco or willing to relocate — hybrid/in-office required. Nice to Have: Experience integrating with external systems, third-party APIs, or legacy platforms. Applied AI or workflow/orchestration experience: agentic workflows, RAG pipelines, or LLM-enabled features. Python proficiency; modern web/backend stacks are welcome — engineering quality matters more than specific stack. 0-to-1 product building experience. Not a fit if you are: frontend-only, data/internal-tools-only, pure DevOps/SRE without product ownership, or pure research/ML without a shipping track record. Compensation & Benefits Base salary: Up to $275,000 depending on experience Equity: Meaningful early-stage equity package Visa sponsorship: Not available — must be authorized to work in the US Location This role is on-site / hybrid in San Francisco, CA . Candidates must be based in SF or willing to relocate.