Founding Engineer (AI-Powered SaaS Platform)
Location
Remote (Asia-friendly timezone)
About Our Client
Our client is building the compliance and data infrastructure behind global cross-border parcel shipping.
As international shipping regulations become increasingly complex, every parcel crossing a border now requires detailed product classification, origin verification, duty calculation, tax assessment, and regulatory compliance checks. What was once a manual process is becoming impossible to manage at scale.
We uses AI and automation to help marketplaces, carriers, brokers, and merchants process shipments accurately, quickly, and cost-effectively.
We are a US company with leadership based in Hong Kong and customers across Japan. Backed by American venture capital investors, we are currently expanding our engineering team and looking for our first engineering hire.
The Opportunity
We're looking for a Founding Engineer who wants to help build both the product and the company from an early stage.
You will work directly with the founder, own critical parts of the platform, influence technical decisions, and help shape the future architecture of the business.
This is not a role for someone looking to execute tickets. We're looking for an engineer who enjoys solving ambiguous problems, making product decisions, and shipping high-quality solutions with a high degree of ownership.
What You'll Build
You will own and develop core components of our platform, including:
- AI-powered product classification and validation workflows
- Data pipelines that process large volumes of product information
- Integrations with shipping carriers, customs intermediaries, and enterprise partners
- Internal and customer-facing applications
- Risk scoring and decision systems built on top of multiple AI models
- APIs and infrastructure supporting high-volume transaction processing
Our engineering challenges sit at the intersection of:
- AI orchestration
- Data infrastructure
- Enterprise integrations
- Product development
- Scalability and reliability
Success means balancing speed, accuracy, and cost at scale.
What We're Looking For
Must Have
- Strong software engineering fundamentals
- Experience building and shipping production products
- Ability to work independently with minimal direction
- Strong problem-solving and product thinking skills
- Fluent English communication
- Comfortable working directly with founders and customers
Preferred Experience
- Full-stack development experience
- TypeScript, Node.js, Next.js
- PostgreSQL or similar relational databases
- API design and third-party integrations
- Experience working with LLMs, AI APIs, agents, RAG, or workflow orchestration
- Startup or early-stage company experience
Nice to Have
- Experience building B2B SaaS products
- Experience with data-intensive systems
- Familiarity with cloud infrastructure and scalable architectures
No prior logistics, customs, or compliance experience is required.
Current Technology Stack
- Frontend: Next.js, TypeScript
- Database: PostgreSQL (Supabase)
- Background Jobs: Inngest
- AI Layer: OpenAI, Anthropic, and other LLM providers
- Deployment: Vercel
The stack is not fixed. As a founding engineer, you'll have significant influence over technical direction and architecture.
Compensation
- Competitive salary
- Meaningful equity participation
- Flexible remote work environment
- Direct exposure to customers, product strategy, and company-building decisions
Hiring Process
We start with a paid project that represents a real piece of our platform.
This allows both sides to evaluate fit, working style, and collaboration before moving into a full-time role with salary and equity.
Who Thrives Here
- Builders who enjoy ownership
- Engineers who think beyond code
- People excited by ambiguity and early-stage environments
- Individuals who want to help create a company, not just join one
If you enjoy solving hard real-world problems and want to build AI-powered infrastructure used across global commerce, we'd love to speak with you.