Founding Engineering Lead
- Remote (anywhere)
- Full-time
- Software engineering
- $200K–$400K / year
- Posted recently
You’ll apply on Clera’s own site.
About the Role
Lead engineering for an early-stage SaaS company applying machine learning to enterprise software. You will shape technical architecture and product direction while leading a small engineering pod and remaining hands-on with critical builds.
What You’ll Do
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Build and lead a pod of engineers, supporting their growth, performance, and hiring while personally shipping critical work.
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Own platform architecture and make build-versus-buy and infrastructure decisions.
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Establish engineering standards for AI-assisted development, including review criteria, definition of done, release cadence, and on-call practices.
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Lead technical designs and initial implementations for new initiatives.
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Assess applied machine learning research and determine what is ready for production systems.
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Partner with technical leadership on product roadmap, model strategy, and machine learning direction.
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Initially spend most of your time building, with leadership responsibilities growing over time.
What We’re Looking For
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Typically 5 to 8 years of engineering experience, with 4 to 5 years considered for exceptional candidates.
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Commercial experience training and deploying machine learning models in production, beyond integrating third-party LLM APIs.
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Experience at an AI-native company, with technical leadership or ownership and a record of attracting strong engineering talent.
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End-to-end ownership of technical architecture, including infrastructure and cost decisions.
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Experience setting engineering standards and leading delivery practices for a team.
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Recent hands-on experience shipping production software, strong applied ML judgment, and effective use of AI coding agents.
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Comfort working through ambiguity, inherited code, and hands-on implementation.
Compensation & Benefits
Base salary: $200,000 to $400,000 USD annually. Visa sponsorship is not available.
Location
On-site in New York City, United States.