Founding Lead Engineer (Fullstack/Infra/AI)

Remote

$3,500 - $7,000/month

Founding Lead Engineer (Fullstack/Infra/AI)

About The Client

Novis mission is to expand human knowledge by building the "Cursor for Knowledge" – a fully integrated AI product that combines chat, research, transcription, document drafting, and knowledge bases to support knowledge work end-to-end. Our team is a tight-knit group of passionate builders focused on engineering excellence. As an early-stage startup, this organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on pushing the boundaries of AI-human collaboration in a fast-moving, high-impact environment. We operate with a flat structure where every voice matters. All team members are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to revolutionizing knowledge work. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver exceptional user experiences. Work ethic and strong technical intuition are important. All engineers are expected to have strong communication skills and the ability to architect scalable systems that power complex AI capabilities.

About the role

We're looking for an exceptional Founding Lead Software Engineer (Fullstack/Infra/AI) and technical leader who wants to build the foundational systems that power Novis' AI-powered knowledge work platform and make it the best in the world.

What You'll Do

• Architect and build Novis' core infrastructure, backend systems, and AI integration layer at scale
• Lead the technical vision for our full-stack platform, from database design to AI agent orchestration and LLM optimization
• Design and implement robust, scalable systems that handle complex AI workflows, real-time collaboration, and massive knowledge processing
• Build and optimize our AI pipeline, including AI agents, RAG systems, LLM integrations, and intelligent document processing
• Establish engineering best practices, CI/CD pipelines, and monitoring systems for a rapidly growing AI platform
• Collaborate closely with the design team to ensure seamless integration between powerful backend capabilities and intuitive user experiences

Who You Are

• A builder with multiple personal projects — whether it’s an open-source npm module, contributions to an existing project, or a small side project, anything that shows your ability to take something from 0 to 1
• Expert in full-stack development with deep experience in modern TypeScript/Node.js backend systems and cloud infrastructure
• Proficient in Next.js, React, TypeScript, Node.js, and experienced with the Vercel ecosystem
• Strong experience with AI/ML systems, including AI agents, LLM integration, RAG architectures, and evaluation frameworks (Evals)
• Deep knowledge of cloud platforms and serverless architectures, database optimizations and security
• Experience with real-time systems, background job processing, and database design (Postgres/Neon)
• Track record of building and scaling systems from 0 to 1 at early-stage startups
• Obsessed with system reliability, performance optimization, and engineering excellence
• Experience with authentication systems (e.g., WorkOS), real-time collaboration, and high-throughput data processing

Tech Stack

Next.js, React, TypeScript, Node.js, Vercel Cloud, Vercel AI SDK, Inngest, Ably, Postgres Neon, WorkOS, AI Agents, LLMs, RAG, Evals, etc.

Interview Process

After submitting your application, the team reviews your technical portfolio and statement of exceptional work. If your application passes this stage, you will be invited to a 15-30 minute phone interview, during which a member of our team will discuss your technical philosophy and architectural approach.

If you clear the phone interview, you will proceed to next steps:

• Deep dive system design and coding challenge
• Meet and greet with the wider team

Our goal is to complete the process within one week. All interviews will be conducted remotely.

Application Requirements

Please include:

• Your resume
• GitHub profile
• Your personal projects or open source contributions
• A short note on a fullstack, infrastructure, or AI project you're proud of

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary, bonuses and equity
• Remote work with flexible schedule
• Team off-sites and other perks

Location

• This role is fully remote. We welcome candidates from anywhere who are excited to build the future of knowledge work.