Founding Engineer
clera · New York · remote
USD 150,000 to 220,000 a year
About the RoleJoin an early-stage team building AI systems that help engineering firms work faster by connecting AI agents with engineering tools and accumulated technical knowledge. As Founding Engineer, you will own technical execution from architecture through production and work directly with engineers to deliver systems they can rely on in real customer programs.
What You'll Do- Design and build systems that integrate AI agents with CAD, CAE, PLM, and other engineering tools while meeting customer security needs.
- Own production delivery, including reliability, observability, evaluations, regression testing, and on-call operations.
- Launch AI workflows in customer programs and improve them using feedback from engineers and real-world outcomes.
- Build evaluation and training loops using simulations, test data, engineer corrections, and field results.
- Work alongside engineers to identify failures and turn lessons into platform capabilities.
- Help shape the roadmap, expand deployments across partner organizations, and mentor a growing engineering team.
What We're Looking For- At least 4 years of experience shipping software to production, including systems that customers depend on regularly.
- Strong Python and backend or ML systems engineering skills.
- Experience shipping production LLM agent workflows that use real tools, handle failures, and are assessed with rigorous evaluation suites.
- Experience with system architecture, agent orchestration, production operations, and AI evaluation or feedback loops.
- Background in applied AI, industrial software, simulation, robotics, physical-world AI, or engineering tools such as CAD, CAE, EDA, or PLM.
- Strong communication skills, a collaborative approach, and willingness to travel to partner engineering organizations.
Compensation & BenefitsAnnual salary: $150,000 to $220,000 USD. Visa sponsorship is not available.
LocationFull-time, on-site in New York, New York, United States.