Founding Product Engineer — Rapid Prototyping

Join the Founding Product Engineer — Rapid Prototyping role at The Utopia Studio
. You’ll apply AI‑native engineering to ship early prototypes that turn into pilots and expand the studio’s impact across the Global South.

$80,000.00/yr – $/yr

The Studio is an AI‑native venture builder that compresses the path from idea to Series A to under 24 months. Powered by UTOPIA OS, a modular stack tailored to each venture, it builds new ventures and re‑engineers existing ones for AI‑driven growth.

You’ll own the early build cycle: prototype fast, test with real users, and iterate quickly. Building with AI, not just using it, you’ll orchestrate agents, automation, and smart workflows to create real value in days instead of months. As a founding engine, you’ll work directly in venture pods to shape how the studio builds the next generation of AI companies from Doha to the Global South.

• Design, build, and ship end‑to‑end AI prototypes using modern tools (Python, FastAPI, Lang Chain, vector databases, Next.js, etc.)
• Integrate AI systems—LLMs, autonomous agents, workflow automation—to make things faster, smarter, and more useful
• Turn messy real‑world workflows into clean data models and automated processes
• Partner directly with Entrepreneurs‑in‑Residence to turn pain points into working pilots
• Test continuously with users, gather feedback, and improve based on what actually matters
• Collaborate with design, growth, and product teams to build products that are powerful and easy to use
• Share learnings and build reusable components for Utopia OS so future ventures can move even faster
• Pair with the Design Lead for rapid user tests and with the Platform & Infrastructure Engineer to harden prototypes into reusable Utopia OS components
• Contribute to early foundations in AI evaluation, lightweight data pipelines, and experimentation metrics—functions that will later mature into dedicated LLMOps or Data Ops tracks

• 5+ years in software or product engineering (startup, SaaS, or applied AI experience preferred)
• Ship AI‑native products end‑to‑end—backend, frontend, UX, the whole thing
• Build with LLMs, embeddings, agentic frameworks, or autonomous AI systems
• Strong Python skills and comfortable with a modern JS framework (React, Next.js, Svelte Kit, etc.)
• Familiarity with vector databases, semantic search, and data orchestration
• Collaborative mindset—work well with non‑technical founders and industry experts
• Pragmatic and outcome‑oriented—ship fast, adapt quickly, and ship often

• Meaningful impact: build core infrastructure behind new ventures, enabling equitable, AI‑native innovation across the Global South
• Collaborative culture: open, curiosity‑driven, and constructive decision making
• Growth mindset: AI learning budgets, mentorship, and investment in your development
• Competitive rewards: tax‑free compensation, private health, travel insurance, and flexible hybrid setup
• Work‑life integration: office lunches, snacks, and team meetups that keep energy high
• Global exposure: occasional travel across Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East for on‑ground collaboration with venture teams
• Inclusive by design: celebrate diversity and build an environment where everyone belongs

The Studio co‑builds ventures with domain experts using AI‑native infrastructure, compressing the path from concept to product. Utopia OS gives every venture access to the same tools, data systems, and regional networks that would normally take years and millions to build, allowing founders to focus on solving real problems while the studio handles build infrastructure, capital coordination, and cross‑regional expansion.