Senior Full-Stack Engineer | AI-Native Startup

Sperton Global AS • Houston, TX

21h • Onsite

About The Position

An ambitious, venture-backed AI-native startup is seeking a Senior Full-Stack Engineer to own and evolve its core software platform. The company is developing proprietary technology at the intersection of artificial intelligence, commerce, and business automation. The role offers substantial autonomy and direct collaboration with the founders, with opportunities to influence product strategy, architecture, and the company's technical direction. The founders envision the position potentially progressing into the CTO role as the organization evolves, though this is not a guaranteed promotion or fixed succession timeline.

The engineer will build production-grade applications across frontend, backend, and database layers; develop APIs, data pipelines, and integrations; and create systems for customer acquisition, workflow automation, sales operations, and order management. The role also involves applying AI-assisted development tools and exploring AI-driven product workflows. It is suited to a hands-on, product-minded engineer who thrives in an early-stage environment and takes ownership of outcomes.

The role is based in Austin, Texas, and is primarily on-site, typically five days per week, with potential flexibility for exceptional candidates. Relocation assistance may be available for qualified candidates. Applicants must already have unrestricted US work authorization; visa sponsorship is not available.

Requirements

• Approximately 3–12 years of professional software engineering experience, with significant ownership and technical maturity preferred.
• Strong hands-on full-stack engineering experience building and shipping production software.
• Demonstrated ownership of an entire product, platform, or substantial customer-facing product area.
• Proficiency with modern frontend technologies such as React, TypeScript, JavaScript, Next.js, or comparable frameworks.
• Strong backend development experience using Python, Node.js, Java, Go, or equivalent technologies.
• Experience with relational databases, SQL, ORMs, database architecture, and data modeling.
• Understanding of API design, integrations, and scalable application architecture.
• Familiarity with Linux command-line environments and modern development workflows.
• Strong product judgment, problem-solving abilities, and technical decision-making skills.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and execute effectively with limited oversight.
• Willingness to work primarily on-site in Austin, Texas, or relocate.
• Unrestricted US work authorization; visa sponsorship is not available.

Nice To Haves

• Engineering experience at a credible, high-growth startup, ideally from Seed through Series B.
• Previous experience as a Founding Engineer, early engineering hire, Senior Product Engineer, or technical founder.
• Experience building customer-facing B2B SaaS products, AI-native platforms, or operational software.
• Exposure to data modeling, ETL pipelines, third-party integrations, and complex real-world business data.
• Experience working directly with founders, product stakeholders, or business users.
• Proven ability to translate ambiguous business requirements into practical software solutions.
• Experience mentoring or guiding other engineers while remaining actively involved in coding.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related technical field, or equivalent demonstrated technical expertise.
• Interest in commerce, retail technology, consumer products, or business automation.
• Prior experience in consumer packaged goods or retail.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture, development, deployment, and evolution of the company's core software platform.
• Build scalable, production-grade applications spanning frontend, backend, and database layers.
• Take ownership of product initiatives from identifying problems through delivering working solutions.
• Make technical decisions that balance speed, maintainability, scalability, and business impact.
• Develop high-performance web applications using modern JavaScript frameworks.
• Build backend services, APIs, data pipelines, and integrations with external platforms.
• Design relational database schemas and model complex, unstructured business data.
• Develop systems for customer acquisition, workflow automation, sales operations, and order management.
• Build integrations with third-party enterprise applications, including ERP and related operational systems.
• Use AI-assisted engineering tools such as Cursor and Devin to accelerate development.
• Explore intelligent automation and AI-driven workflows for the product.
• Improve engineering processes, development velocity, and product quality.
• Work with founders and commercial teams to turn business needs into technical solutions.
• Gather feedback from platform users and turn insights into product improvements.
• Influence the product roadmap, technical priorities, and long-term platform architecture.
• Help establish engineering practices and guide the team's technical direction as the company grows.

Benefits

• Relocation assistance may be available for qualified candidates.
• Meaningful ownership of a core technology platform and influence over product and engineering direction.
• Potential future progression into the CTO role, without a guaranteed promotion or fixed timeline.
• Direct collaboration with the founding team.
• An AI-first engineering culture with modern technologies and AI-assisted development tools.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed