Software Developer Engineer

San Francisco · On-site$180k – $230k + EquityVisa Sponsorship Available

About this role

We are looking for a Software Developer with 3-4+ years of experience to join a 3-person team building AI-powered CAD software that is creating a foundation model for mechanical engineering. You'll be a curious, ownership-driven engineer who can pull their own weight and ship production code end-to-end. This is a ground-floor opportunity at a YC-backed startup that has answered its fundamental technical questions and is now pouring gasoline on the fire, the team is doubling in the next few months . The founders were early employees (first 10) at Cruise Automation (acquired by GM for $1B+) and are recreating that kind of magic.

Responsibilities:

Own the design, architecture, and delivery of core systems end-to-end: from ambiguous problems to shipped, maintained products.

Partner with founders to turn fuzzy goals into technical roadmaps, and drive them to ship.

Set and raise the engineering bar: code review, testing standards, and architectural direction across the codebase.

Lead the design and productionization of the machine learning systems behind our AI-powered CAD.

Troubleshoot, debug, and resolve defects: from everyday bugs to systemic issues in performance, reliability, and scalability.

Build on and improve our engineering practices (CI/CD, testing, observability) as the team and product grow.

Help shape our engineering culture and team as we grow

Requirements:

3-4+ years building and shipping production software.

Deep proficiency in Python and experience designing backend services that scale (e.g., Django, Flask, SQL).

Hands-on experience building and deploying machine learning models in production.

Track record of owning systems end-to-end and making sound architectural tradeoffs with limited direction.

Comfort with ambiguity and a track record of raising the technical bar of the teams you work with.

Strong communication and teamwork skills.

Strong Computer Science fundamentals

Bonus Skills:

CAD, geometry, or computational-geometry domain experience.

C#/.NET (some add-ins are C#).

Experience packaging and shipping native desktop applications on Windows and macOS, including code signing.

Deep AWS / cloud / infrastructure / DevOps experience at scale.

Early-stage startup or 0→1 product experience.

What We Offer:

Competitive salary and equity options.

Comprehensive health insurance, including medical, dental, and vision coverage.

Catered lunch.

Unlimited time-off.

A collaborative and inclusive work environment.

Opportunities for professional growth and development.

The chance to be part of a passionate team building innovative products.

Company at a glance

Hestus is an AI-powered CAD company founded by experienced hardware engineers that aims to revolutionize the hardware development process through intelligent design tools. Selected for Y Combinator S24, the company leverages its founders' expertise in aerospace, robotics, and autonomous systems.

Team Size1-10
WorkspaceOn-site
StageSeed
IndustrySaaS
Location
San Francisco, CA, USA
Websitehestus.co
LinkedInLinkedIn

What happens next

Skip the application pile. I get you in front of the people who decide.

Confirm the fit

A few questions to make sure this role is the right shape for you. Two minutes.

I pitch you to the company

I write the intro, send it to the founder, and handle the back-and-forth.

A meeting lands on your calendar

When the company wants to meet, I get the call on your calendar. You just show up.

Culture & values

Dynamic startup environment

Fast-paced work environment

Versatile and multi-hat roles

Innovation-focused culture

Passion for technology valued

Fast-growing company with scaling experience from founders

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