Founding Engineer / Engineering Lead ($180K - $250K + Equity) AI Agents for Government Systems

About the jobThis role is being recruited by CoffeeSpace on behalf of an anonymous, well-capitalized stealth startup building AI agents that navigate government systems on behalf of everyday Americans.We’re identifying a small number of exceptional founding engineers from our network. If there’s a strong fit, we’ll introduce you directly to the founding team.

Location: San Francisco, California, United StatesCompensation: $180K - $250K base + competitive equityEmployment type: Full-timeAbout the companyThis company is focused on creating AI agents that assist users in navigating complex government systems.

Founded in 2018, it operates within the AI, consumer, and government industries and has secured $30 million in funding. The leadership team includes a CEO who previously built a digital health company that went public at a multi-billion-dollar valuation, and a co-founder who scaled teams behind two companies that reached hundreds of millions in revenue.The company's mission is to address the massive untapped market of unclaimed federal benefits, estimated at $140 billion annually, by providing a service that every adult in America could potentially use.About the roleYou will be the first engineer at the company, responsible for shipping the initial version of the product and defining the technical foundation. This involves making all critical technical decisions, including stack, tooling, architecture, and build-vs-buy tradeoffs. As the company scales, you will hire and lead engineers #2–5.What You’ll DoBuild AI agents that navigate government portals, handling logins, MFA, session management, and workflows.Ship the first product, transforming research into working software.Design trust and security infrastructure for managing sensitive government credentials, SSNs, and payment methods.Make critical technical decisions and hire the initial engineering team.Why This Role Is CompellingYou’ll have the opportunity to own everything technical from day one, with full autonomy over technical decisions.The company addresses a massive untapped market with every adult in America as a potential customer.You’ll work with a proven founding team with a track record of scaling successful companies.The Ideal Candidate5+ years of experience in a technical role.Proficient in Python, Browser Automation, AI/LLM Agents, Web Scraping, React, Node.js, Cloud Infrastructure (AWS/GCP), Playwright/Puppeteer, and PostgreSQL.Comfortable making critical technical decisions and leading a growing team.Next steps1. Apply via this LinkedIn job post2. We’ll review and reach out if there’s a strong match3. If aligned, we’ll introduce you directly to the team4. If this role isn’t the right fit, we may suggest and make introductions to other high-signal startup roles we’re recruiting for, always with your permission.A quick note on authenticityThis is a real, active role that CoffeeSpace is recruiting for in close partnership with the hiring team. We don’t post speculative roles and work directly with teams on their actual hiring needs.