Founding Engineer (Full-Stack/AI)
About the Role
This is an early engineering hire at a seed-stage logistics AI startup, joining a small founding team in Munich to build and scale the core product that makes global freight forwarding operations autonomous. You will have real ownership over architecture, product direction, and technical strategy from day one, combining deep full-stack work with hands-on AI/ML experimentation to deliver measurable impact for users.
What You'll Do
Own the design, build, and maintenance of the most critical parts of the core product.
Build reliable full-stack features that make freight forwarders radically more efficient.
Evaluate, benchmark, and fine-tune AI capabilities to maximize domain accuracy and context.
Continuously experiment with new model releases, frameworks, and agentic techniques in production.
Ship promising approaches quickly and iterate based on data and user feedback.
Navigate and improve large-scale, complex legacy codebases to add structure and scalability.
Engineer infrastructure and automation to support heavy data and AI workloads.
Collaborate closely with founders and teammates as a hands-on, high-ownership contributor.
What We're Looking For
Founder-level drive, extreme ownership, and a results-oriented, autonomous work style.
Around 2 to 3 years of professional experience, though strong projects or a compelling track record can substitute.
Strong full-stack engineering ability with fluency across backend and cloud environments.
Fluent in Python; familiarity with Go is a strong plus.
Practical, hands-on AI/ML experience: benchmarking, fine-tuning, integrating LLMs, and running experiments in production.
Demonstrated experience building robust, real-world production systems at scale.
Comfort working with complex legacy codebases and automating systems for scale.
Background or demonstrated knowledge in logistics or freight forwarding operations is a strong asset.
Prior startup or entrepreneurial experience, and genuine enthusiasm for working on-site in Munich.
Strong CS fundamentals, intellectual humility, and exceptional self-discipline.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary: 60,000 to 90,000 EUR per year.
Equity: Options available, up to approximately 1.5%.
Visa sponsorship: Not available.
Location
On-site in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. This role is not available remotely.