Founding Principal Software Systems Engineer

Founding Principal Software Systems Engineer

Location: New York, NY (Hybrid)

Employment Type: Full-time

Compensation: Starting at $200,000+

We are looking for a Founding Principal Software Systems Engineer to help architect and build a first‑of‑its‑kind platform operating at the intersection of AI, robotics, hardware, and real‑world automation. This is a highly hands‑on senior individual contributor role for someone who enjoys complex, multidisciplinary systems and thrives in environments where software, intelligence, hardware, and user experience must work together seamlessly. You will serve as a technical anchor across the organization, helping define the systems and architecture that enable advanced AI‑driven products to operate reliably in real‑world environments.

• Own and evolve core product architecture across applications, backend services, device‑connected systems, AI workflows, and real‑time experiences
• Design and build the software systems that connect perception, decision‑making, and action across complex environments
• Make architectural decisions across cloud, edge, and device‑connected systems with a focus on reliability, latency, scalability, observability, and maintainability
• Build and improve real‑time workflows that incorporate multimodal inputs, intelligent decision‑making, and user interactions
• Develop evaluation, monitoring, logging, and debugging infrastructure to improve product performance and reliability over time
• Partner closely with engineering, AI, robotics, hardware, and product teams to deliver cohesive end‑to‑end experiences
• Investigate and resolve challenging issues spanning software, infrastructure, AI outputs, connected devices, and user‑facing systems
• Contribute to technical strategy and help define the long‑term architecture of the platform
• Operate as a senior technical leader and trusted partner across multiple disciplines without direct people management responsibilities

• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including ownership of complex production systems
• Experience architecting and building systems that span multiple layers of the stack, including applications, backend services, infrastructure, data platforms, AI workflows, or connected devices
• Strong systems‑thinking skills and ability to reason through complex technical tradeoffs
• Experience working with real‑world inputs such as sensor data, AI outputs, user behavior, connected hardware, or other dynamic environments
• Strong understanding of distributed systems, reliability, observability, performance, and operational excellence
• Ability to debug problems across multiple layers of a system, from applications and services to devices, networks, and infrastructure
• Experience operating in fast‑moving startup environments with a high degree of ownership and ambiguity
• Strong communication skills and ability to explain technical decisions to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders
• Comfort working across software, AI, hardware, and emerging technologies

• Experience with robotics, automation systems, or device‑connected products
• Experience with consumer hardware, smart devices, IoT products, or edge computing systems
• Exposure to computer vision, multimodal AI systems, voice interfaces, or sensor‑driven products
• Experience taking products from prototype through real‑world deployment
• Experience building internal tooling for monitoring, evaluation, testing, or operational support
• Familiarity with AI‑powered products and modern machine learning workflows
• Base salary starting at $200,000+
• Meaningful founding‐level equity participation
• Hybrid work environment in New York City
• Opportunity to work alongside experienced leaders across technology, AI, product, and consumer innovation
• Significant ownership over technical direction, architecture, and product development
• High‑impact role at the intersection of AI, robotics, software, and real‑world automation
• Opportunity to help build a category‑defining company from an early stage with substantial influence on its future direction