Founding Software Engineer (Path to CTO)

Founding Software Engineer (Path to CTO) 📍 Remote (Europe preferred) | ✈️ Regular travel to South America 🏢 Partner Company – AgTech / IoT Startup (Pre-seed) 🧠 This is not a typical engineering role We’re not looking for someone who just wants to write code. We’re looking for a builder — someone excited by ambiguity, ownership, real-world problems, and the opportunity to help build a company from the ground up. You’ll be the sole engineer , working AI-first , shipping a real hardware + software product, and testing it in cattle fields in South America. If you’re looking for a polished corporate environment, a large team, or clearly defined processes from day one, this role is not for you — and that’s completely fine. 🏢 About the Partner Company Our partner is an early-stage AgTech / IoT startup focused on building sustainable, technology-driven solutions with real-world impact. Stage : Pre-seed Focus : Virtual fencing technology for livestock Operations : Europe (founders & HQ) + South America (field operations) Mission : Create sustainable value where progress and responsibility for people and planet go hand in hand Culture : High ownership, AI-first mindset, field-driven problem solving This is a company where one strong engineer + AI is expected to outperform traditional teams. 💼 The Role As Founding Software Engineer , you’ll own and ship the entire technical stack and play a central role in shaping the product, the architecture, and the technical direction of the company. This role offers a clear path to Head of Engineering / CTO , depending on interest and performance. You’ll work directly with the founders and have full technical ownership from day one. 🛠 What You’ll Be Doing Own the entire technical stack : embedded firmware, cloud backend, and iOS app Take over, iterate, and optimise existing STM32-based firmware Design and build cloud infrastructure from scratch (APIs, data, scalability) Build an iOS app designed for low-literacy, non-technical users (UX, visuals, text-to-speech) Collaborate closely with hardware manufacturing partners Use AI coding tools (Cursor, Claude, GitHub Copilot) as core development partners Travel regularly for hands-on field testing and product launches Ship V1 to market in 2025 and continuously improve reliability and usability ✅ What We’re Looking For (Must-Haves) Strong software engineering fundamentals (language-agnostic) Heavy, demonstrated use of AI coding tools in daily development Experience shipping complete products independently iOS development experience ( Swift / SwiftUI ) Systems thinking across firmware, backend, and mobile Comfort working autonomously as the sole engineer At least 5+ years of hands-on engineering experience ➕ Nice to Have Embedded / firmware experience (C, STM32) IoT protocols (e.g. LoRaWAN) Cloud backend development (any modern stack) Experience with hardware products Spanish language skills AgTech, robotics, or physical-world product exposure 🚫 This Role Is NOT for You If… You need a large team to be productive You’re skeptical about AI-assisted development You prefer highly structured corporate environments You’re looking for feature-only work without ownership You’re uncomfortable with ambiguity, iteration, and field conditions 🧠 Who Thrives in This Role Autonomous, resourceful builders Low-ego, high-ownership mindset Comfortable with uncertainty and responsibility Strong product sense and user empathy Excited by real-world, physical impact 💶 Compensation & Benefits Base salary : €40,000 – €120,000 (depending on equity track and seniority) Equity : Significant founding-team level equity with vesting over 3 years Contract : Full-time employment Vacation : 28 days per year Working model : Remote-first (Europe preferred) with regular travel Upside : Clear path to Head of Engineering / CTO 🧩 Why Join? Founding-team level ownership Full technical control across hardware & software Real-world impact on sustainable agriculture Opportunity to prove the power of AI-first development Build something tangible, meaningful, and challenging