Staff or Principal Engineer for AI Startup backed by Anthropic, Stripe and More

Staff Engineer or Principal Engineer – Colorado Stealth Startup About the Opportunity Join an elite, venture-backed, proven team building next-generation, AI-powered collaboration tools for the enterprise. The oversubscribed round was funded by partners include Anthropic, Stripe, Matchstick, Menlo, and Greycroft. We have been retained to lead the search for a rapidly growing startup developing AI systems that improve how large organizations think, communicate, and make decisions. Their product uses cutting-edge AI to identify and resolve coordination gaps automatically — helping teams operate more intelligently and efficiently at scale. The company is expanding its world-class engineering team in Colorado and beyond. What You'll Do • Architect and implement core systems for an AI-powered enterprise collaboration platform, as a core engineer. • Define, design, and deliver innovative solutions in distributed systems, backend logic, and AI integration. • Collaborate closely with product, design, and AI research peers to shape both strategy and implementation. • Ensure infrastructure reliability, scalability, and security through modern cloud and Kubernetes technologies. • Work with other Senior Staff Engineers to foster a culture of technical excellence, autonomy, and curiosity. Ideal Candidate Profile • Top 20% Engineer: Strong analytical ability, judgment, and breadth of experience. You think from first principles and have a track record of solving complex, real-world problems. • Hands-On Builder: You're happiest writing code and shipping production systems in a fast paced startup — not just managing others. • Self-Directed & Autonomous: You thrive in a lightly structured environment, decomposing ambiguous problems and independently driving them to completion. • Backend, Security & Systems Focused: Most work centers on backend and business logic development and integrations. Security-centric SRE experience is preferred. Frontend development is helpful but not central. • Startup & Enterprise Experience: You balance startup agility with enterprise-scale thinking and rigor. • Smart, Not Hard: You work efficiently and sustainably, typically producing exceptional results within a 45–50 hour workweek. • AI & LLM Experience: You're excited by building in an AI-native environment, leveraging Claude Code and other LLM-assisted tools to enhance development velocity and creativity. • Collaborative & Solution-Oriented: No lonewolves. You communicate thoughtfully, contribute positively to discussions, and pair every critique with a constructive solution. How We Work • We value leverage over brute force — working smart, not long hours. Engineers are trusted to define their own work, prioritize high-impact projects, and deliver results with minimal oversight. • The team collaborates through lightweight, peer-driven conversations rather than rigid sprint cycles or daily standups. You'll work alongside senior peers solving challenging systems problems in a small, high-trust team where every hire makes a visible impact. • This is an environment for creative, disciplined problem solvers who thrive in freedom and accountability. Technical Environment and required experience: • AI-native development using Claude Code and LLM-assisted tools. • Work at the bleeding edge of containerization, Agentic platforms, MCP, and distributed systems. • A modern, cloud-first infrastructure built on Knowledge Graph using Neo4J and Terraform and Kubernetes. • High-impact autonomy: engineers research, design, and deliver major systems end-to-end. Interview Process We've designed a focused process that balances technical rigor with respect for candidates' time. • Step 1: Introductory conversation with Technical Integrity. • Step 2: Real-world coding exercise (typically ~4 hours). • This is the main part of our interview process and replaces multiple rounds. • It reflects our AI-native environment and requires use of Claude Code and modern containerization tools. • Candidates often find it a valuable preview of what day-to-day work feels like here. • Step 3: Three collaborative interviews with engineering leadership. This process gives both sides a deep sense of technical fit and working style. Compensation & Benefits • Competitive salary and meaningful equity packages. • Recent offers for comparable roles have ranged from $185,000–$250,000 base, plus meaningful signing bonuses and equity stakes. (Equity is the big story- take time to learn about that story throughout your interviews and you will be glad you did). • Very solid Health benefits (Medical, Dental, and Vision) • 401K match • Flexible work arrangements — Colorado-based 1-2 days per week in Boulder. • Opportunity to collaborate with world-class technical peers on groundbreaking AI systems. Application Process To apply, please apply with your resume and a concise statement of interest.We value transparency, prompt feedback, and a respectful candidate experience throughout.If you're a