The Founding Engineer will develop full-stack applications, shape product direction, and work in ambiguous environments from concept to validation.
About the Role
What You’ll Do
How You’ll Operate
You Should Have
What Sets You Apart
This Role Is Not For You If
At UP.Labs, we partner with leading organizations to build entirely new software businesses from the ground up. This is not a traditional engineering role - you won’t be joining a single product or inheriting a defined roadmap. You’ll work across multiple ventures partnering with one of the world's leading industrial manufacturing companies, helping turn early concepts into real, working products that can stand on their own.
As a Staff Engineer (Founding Team), you’ll operate in high-ambiguity environments where both the problem and solution are evolving. You’ll be responsible for taking ideas from initial concept through to working product and real-world validation. Owning decisions across the stack along the way.
This is a hands-on role with meaningful ownership. Your work will directly shape product direction, technical foundations, and whether a venture gains traction.
- Take concepts from zero to a working product and real-world validation
- Own full-stack development: frontend, backend, APIs, and data layers
- Shape product direction alongside venture leads and PMs, not just execute against specs
- Design and build rapid validation loops to test assumptions and de-risk ideas early
- Architect and implement core systems, models, and integrations from scratch
- Use AI as a force multiplier across development and product capabilities
- Make deliberate tradeoffs between speed and durability based on venture stage
- Operate effectively with incomplete, evolving, or imperfect inputs to get to working solutions quickly
- Work directly with stakeholders to validate workflows and refine solutions
- Identify and mitigate technical and product risks early
- Contribute across multiple ventures, applying patterns and learnings to accelerate future builds
- Maintain a high bar for technical quality while moving with urgency
- You move fluidly across the stack and don’t rely on narrowly defined ownership boundaries
- You turn unclear ideas into concrete implementations without waiting for full direction
- You know when to prioritize speed and when to invest in structure
- You bias toward action – building, testing, and iterating to create clarity
- You’re comfortable abandoning approaches that don’t show signal and redirecting quickly
- You think in terms of outcomes and user impact, not just technical output
- You can context switch across multiple problems without losing momentum
- 6+ years of software engineering experience, including time in early-stage 0→1 environments
- Proven ability to build and ship full-stack applications end-to-end
- Strong judgment around speed vs scalability tradeoffs in early-stage systems
- Demonstrated use of AI to accelerate development or product capabilities
- Comfort operating in ambiguous environments where both the problem and solution are evolving
- Ability to work with incomplete or messy inputs to arrive at practical solutions
- Strong communication skills and the ability to influence decisions
- You’ve operated in environments where there was no clear playbook
- You’re comfortable owning entire systems rather than components
- You identify leverage – reusable patterns, shortcuts, and ways to move faster across efforts
- You focus on building things that work in real-world conditions, not just ideal ones
- You take responsibility for outcomes, not just implementation
- You prefer strictly defined ownership (frontend-only, backend-only, etc.)
- You need well-defined requirements and stable roadmaps
- You want to focus on maintaining and scaling existing systems
- You rely on structured environments to do your best work
Location: Flex on remote, with occasional travel to LA. Preference for candidates local to our HQ in Santa Monica
Similar Jobs
Artificial Intelligence • Cloud • HR Tech • Information Technology • Productivity • Software • Automation
Leads ServiceNow’s Americas CRM&I Expert Services practice and manages 10–15 consultants delivering CRM implementations and advisory engagements. Develops business growth plans, supports presales scoping, oversees forecasting and resourcing, drives delivery quality and continuous improvement, and builds relationships with customers, partners, product teams, and internal stakeholders. Responsible for hiring, enablement, mentoring, and performance management while promoting best practices across ServiceNow CRM products, including CSM, FSM, and Sales CRM.
Top Skills:
AgileExcelMS OfficePowerPointScaled AgileServicenow Customer Service ManagementServicenow Field Service ManagementServicenow PlatformServicenow Sales CrmWord
Artificial Intelligence • Fintech • Insurance • Marketing Tech • Software • Analytics
Handles inbound calls and warm leads to assess customers’ insurance needs, recommend appropriate property and casualty coverage, and convert prospects into policyholders. The role includes paid training and licensing support, customer consultation, sales closing, brand representation, and meeting performance goals. Employees work remotely on a fixed schedule that includes weekdays and one weekend day, using company-provided equipment and a wired high-speed internet connection.
Top Skills:
Personal ComputerWired High-Speed Internet
Artificial Intelligence • Big Data • Cloud • Information Technology • Software • Big Data Analytics • Automation
Provides technical support throughout the sales cycle by delivering product demonstrations, leading proof-of-concept evaluations, supporting cloud architecture discussions, completing RFIs and RFPs, and presenting solutions to technical and executive audiences. Partners with sales teams, channel partners, customers, product management, marketing, and services teams. Requires observability expertise, troubleshooting ability, strong communication skills, and travel up to 30%.
Top Skills:
.NetAdvanced ObservabilityAnsibleApplication Performance ManagementAWSAzureCi/CdContainersCSSDevOpsDynatraceGCPGoHTMLJavaJavaScriptKubernetesLinuxNode.jsOpenshiftPHPPuppetServerless FunctionsSite Reliability EngineeringTerraformWindows
What you need to know about the NYC Tech Scene
As the undisputed financial capital of the world, New York City is an epicenter of startup funding activity. The city has a thriving fintech scene and is a major player in verticals ranging from AI to biotech, cybersecurity and digital media. It also has universities like NYU, Columbia and Cornell Tech attracting students and researchers from across the globe, providing the ecosystem with a constant influx of world-class talent. And its East Coast location and three international airports make it a perfect spot for European companies establishing a foothold in the United States.
Key Facts About NYC Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 549,200; 6% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Capgemini, Bloomberg, IBM, Spotify
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, Fintech
- Funding Landscape: $25.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Greycroft, Thrive Capital, Union Square Ventures, FirstMark Capital, Tiger Global Management, Tribeca Venture Partners, Insight Partners, Two Sigma Ventures
- Research Centers and Universities: Columbia University, New York University, Fordham University, CUNY, AI Now Institute, Flatiron Institute, C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, NASA Space Radiation Laboratory
