Founding Product Engineer
clera · San Francisco · $140,000 to $180,000
Open. First seen 15 September 2026.
Description
About the Role
This is a founding product engineering role at an early-stage legal AI startup, where you will build core product features from the ground up alongside attorneys and AI engineers. You will set the engineering culture and standards for the team while owning features that real customers rely on every day. If you want to have outsized impact on a product that is reshaping how legal work gets done, this role is for you.
What You'll Do
Build and own full-stack product features, from data models and backend systems to the interfaces attorneys and clients use daily. Partner with AI engineers and attorneys to translate legal workflows and review playbooks into reliable, production-grade software. Make pragmatic architecture and tooling decisions that balance speed now with maintainability later.
Write clean, reliable code and take complete ownership of what you ship in production. Help define engineering culture, standards, and hiring practices as the team scales. Move work over the finish line when it matters, keeping customer experience as the top priority.
What We're Looking For
1 to 3 years of experience building and shipping production software, ideally at an early-stage company or as a founder. Strong full-stack ability: TypeScript and React on the front end, a modern backend stack, and relational databases. Hands-on experience building with AI or LLMs, whether professionally or in personal projects.
A track record of owning features end-to-end, from conception through production deployment. Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to thrive in fast-moving, high-ownership environments with minimal process. Product instincts and an entrepreneurial, owner-oriented mindset.
Experience making pragmatic engineering trade-offs and architecture decisions under time pressure. Excellent judgment and communication skills, with a high bar for your own work. Experience in legal tech, contract management, document processing, or working directly with domain experts is a plus.
Familiarity with modern DevOps, CI/CD, and production monitoring practices is a plus. Compensation & Benefits Salary: $140,000 to $180,000 per year. Visa sponsorship is not available.
Location This is a full-time, on-site role in San Francisco, California . In-person presence six days per week is required.
ABOUT THE ROLE
This is a founding product engineering role at an early-stage legal AI startup, where you will build core product features from the ground up alongside attorneys and AI engineers. You will set the engineering culture and standards for the team while owning features that real customers rely on every day. If you want to have outsized impact on a product that is reshaping how legal work gets done, this role is for you.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Build and own full-stack product features, from data models and backend systems to the interfaces attorneys and clients use daily.
- Partner with AI engineers and attorneys to translate legal workflows and review playbooks into reliable, production-grade software.
- Make pragmatic architecture and tooling decisions that balance speed now with maintainability later.
- Write clean, reliable code and take complete ownership of what you ship in production.
- Help define engineering culture, standards, and hiring practices as the team scales.
- Move work over the finish line when it matters, keeping customer experience as the top priority.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
- 1 to 3 years of experience building and shipping production software, ideally at an early-stage company or as a founder.
- Strong full-stack ability: TypeScript and React on the front end, a modern backend stack, and relational databases.
- Hands-on experience building with AI or LLMs, whether professionally or in personal projects.
- A track record of owning features end-to-end, from conception through production deployment.
- Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to thrive in fast-moving, high-ownership environments with minimal process.
- Product instincts and an entrepreneurial, owner-oriented mindset.
- Experience making pragmatic engineering trade-offs and architecture decisions under time pressure.
- Excellent judgment and communication skills, with a high bar for your own work.
- Experience in legal tech, contract management, document processing, or working directly with domain experts is a plus.
- Familiarity with modern DevOps, CI/CD, and production monitoring practices is a plus. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS Salary: $140,000 to $180,000 per year. Visa sponsorship is not available. LOCATION This is a full-time, on-site role in San Francisco, California. In-person presence six days per week is required.
Posting history
Reposted 2 times since 9 September 2026: a posting for this role in San Francisco was taken down and the role was posted again.
- 22 September 2026 – open
- 22 September 2026 – open
- 17 September 2026 – open
- 15 September 2026 – open (this posting)
- 15 September 2026 – open
- 10 September 2026 – closed 16 September 2026
- 9 September 2026 – closed 15 September 2026
- 9 September 2026 – closed 15 September 2026
- 9 September 2026 – open
- 9 September 2026 – open
Salary context
7 other open postings titled Founding Product Engineer state a salary: median USD 190,000 to USD 210,000 a year.
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