Location: San Francisco Bay Area (flexible, but must be US-based).

Compensation: Competitive salary + equity.

We are a stealth-mode cyber and AI startup in California (name withheld till the interview stage) backed by top-tier VCs and industry-leading angels from the top of the cyber industry. Founded by cybersecurity experts from Microsoft and Tesla, our team is on a mission to redefine the industry with breakthrough products that deliver entirely new capabilities in the cyber realm.

The Role

We are looking for a top-tier technical leader who thrives in startup environments—someone who can architect, build, and ship a highly complex application from zero to launch. This is a founding engineering hire, responsible for selecting the tech stack, leading the development, and turning our vision into reality.

You will be working alongside a highly experienced CTO, who comes from a strong research background and has managed large teams but is not deeply hands-on in development. Your role will be to lead the technical execution, while also hiring and mentoring a second engineer over time.

Many startups are creating beautiful and meaningful products. However, in this role, you will have the opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind product that will literally define a new set of capabilities in the cyber realm.

What you’ll do

• Build from scratch: Architect, develop, and deploy a scalable, secure, and high-performance system.

• Own the tech stack: Make key technical decisions, balancing speed and scalability. You'll need to decide yourself on a tech stack.

• Hands-on development: Be a true builder, not just a manager — this is an execution-heavy role.

• Optimize for speed: Help us launch the MVP in 2-2.5 months while maintaining high-quality standards.

• Grow the team: Hire and mentor a second engineer once the foundation is set.

• Collaborate directly with the founders: Influence the product roadmap and company strategy.

What we’re looking for

• Lead by Example: Architect and build robust, high-complexity web systems from concept to launch.

• Mentor & Grow: Recruit and guide a talented R&D team while setting high technical standards.

• Innovate Processes: Implement efficient practices including CI/CD pipelines and effective Git workflows.

• Cloud Mastery: Manage production environments on AWS (experience with GCP/Azure is a bonus).

• Agentic AI & Scalability: Develop agentic AI workflows with scalable infrastructure, a highly relevant skill as we push the boundaries in cybersecurity.

• Hands-On Leadership: Roll up your sleeves, code, solve real problems, and inspire your team with your cybersecurity expertise

• Strong communication: Not just a genius coder — someone who can clearly communicate, collaborate, and lead.

• US-based: Preferably in Seattle or the Bay Area (we will have an office soon, but remain flexible on remote work).

What we’re looking for:

• 8+ years of experience developing complex web systems.

• Deep expertise in AWS development.

• Experience with building agentic AI workflows and scalable infrastructure is a huge plus.

• A strong believer in teamwork and collaboration.

• Excellent communication skills.

• An unyielding drive to build the next breakthrough in cybersecurity.

• An independent, positive mindset and a willingness to push hard every day.

Why Join Us?

• Huge impact: Your work will define the next era of cybersecurity.

• High equity: Be a founding team member with meaningful ownership.

• Elite backing: Work with top-tier investors and cybersecurity leaders.

• Real customers: Fortune 500 enterprises are already lined up for our product.

This is a high-intensity, high-reward opportunity for someone who wants to be at the core of something groundbreaking. If you’re up for the challenge, let’s talk!