Founding Engineer (Full-Stack + AI)

Founding Full-Stack AI Engineer (New Grad)

Location: Remote (New York Metro Area or San Francisco preferred)

Type: Full-time

Compensation: $35K Pre-Seed Stipend + 0.5% - 2.0% Equity

Path: Salary increases to market rate upon Seed funding

About Toozy AI

Toozy.ai is an agent-as-a-service company revolutionizing the $240B restaurant labor market with AI-native technology built specifically for restaurants and catering businesses.

We don't just sell software—we provide AI agents that work 24/7 to handle customer service, sales, operations, and marketing autonomously. From streamlining customer inquiries to generating customized quotes, optimizing pricing, and managing orders, Toozy automates the entire customer journey through multi-channel integrations (chat, email, phone, SMS).

The platform learns and adapts to each business's unique needs over time, delivering enterprise-grade capabilities via a scalable subscription model.

We are a founder-led team with deep domain expertise, currently dog-fooding our product in live pilots and backed by industry advisors.

About The Role

This is a rare opportunity for a recent graduate to bypass the "junior developer" ladder and jump straight into building a high-growth AI startup. You won't be fixing bugs in a corner—you'll be building the world's first Agent-as-a-Service platform for the restaurant industry alongside the founders and industry advisors.

As a Founding Engineer, you'll own and drive core AI agent infrastructure—from designing autonomous workflows to integrating LLMs into real-world restaurant operations. You'll ship AI-powered features to production, contribute across the entire stack (frontend, backend, AI, infrastructure), and collaborate directly with founders to shape the product based on live pilot feedback.

This isn't a traditional first job. You'll learn how a company is built from the ground up—fundraising, customer pilots, product iteration, and scaling. If you're ambitious and ready to grow fast, this role will accelerate your career by years.

What You'll Do🤖 AI/ML Engineering

Develop and deploy AI-powered features including RAG systems and multi-agent workflows.
Build autonomous AI agents using OpenAI GPT-4 with function calling.
Implement conversation memory and context management across channels.
Create evaluation frameworks and continuous improvement pipelines.

💻 Frontend Development

Build responsive UIs with React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS.
Work with modern component libraries (Radix UI, Shadcn).
Implement state management with TanStack Query and React Hook Form.
Create dashboards and data visualizations.

⚙️ Backend Development

Build and deploy APIs with Node.js/Express that orchestrate AI workflows.
Design validation layers with Zod and work with PostgreSQL/Drizzle ORM.
Handle multi-channel communication (SMS, Email, Voice, WebSocket).

☁️ Infrastructure & DevOps

Deploy services on cloud infrastructure (GCP/AWS).
Work with Docker containerization.
Implement CI/CD pipelines and monitoring.

🚀 Startup Operations

Participate in customer pilots and gather real-world feedback.
See how a company is built—from fundraising to product-market fit.
Shape company culture and engineering practices from Day 1.

What We're Looking ForRequired

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (recent graduate or graduating soon).
Strong foundation in React and TypeScript (coursework, projects, or internships).
Experience with backend development (Node.js or Python).
Familiarity with SQL databases (PostgreSQL preferred).
Understanding of REST APIs and web architecture.
Exposure to OpenAI API or other LLM tools (personal projects count!).
Startup mindset: Self-driven, fast learner, comfortable with ambiguity.
Genuine excitement about AI and its real-world applications.

Nice to Have

Personal projects involving AI/LLMs, chatbots, or automation.
Experience with cloud platforms (AWS or GCP).
Familiarity with Docker and CI/CD concepts.
Contributions to open-source projects.
Hackathon experience or side projects you're proud of.

Why This Role?

Accelerated Growth Skip years of "junior" work. Own real systems from Day 1.

Path to Market Salary $35K is a pre-seed stipend; salary jumps to market rate at Seed funding.

Direct Founder Access No layers of management. Work directly with decision-makers.

Real Product, Real Users We have live pilots—you'll see your code used immediately.

Blue Ocean Market Help create a new category in a massive, legacy-dominated industry.

Full-Stack + AI Skills Build the resume that gets you any job you want in 2-3 years.

The Honest Trade-Off

We're a pre-seed startup. The stipend is below market because we're investing in equity and growth potential instead. This role is for someone who:

Wants to learn 10x faster than a traditional job.
Is excited by ownership and impact over immediate salary.
Believes in the AI + restaurant market opportunity.
Is comfortable with startup risk in exchange for startup upside.

If you want stability and a big paycheck right now, this isn't the role. If you want to build something meaningful and grow your skills exponentially, let's talk.

How to Apply

Send your resume and a short note to [email protected] telling us:

Why you're excited about AI agents.
A project you've built that you're proud of (school, hackathon, or personal).
Why startup life appeals to you.

Bonus: Link to your GitHub, portfolio, or any AI projects you've worked on.

Toozy AI is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds.