Founding Engineer / Engineering Lead
Quick facts
- Pay
- USD 180,000 - 250,000 per year
- Type
- Full-time
- Location
- San Francisco, California
- Skills
- Engineering
- Industry
- Information Technology — 671 open jobs
- Visa in listing
- H-1B
- Apply
- Free to apply — never pay anyone for a job offer or visa sponsorship
Job description
About the company
Our client is an early-stage software company developing AI-assisted consumer workflows. Its first engineering hire will build secure products that interact with complex external systems.
The role
Raydar is recruiting for this opportunity through the Paraform network. The position is with our client. Own technical delivery as a Founding Engineer / Engineering Lead. You will build the initial product yourself and then help hire and lead a small engineering team.
What you'll do
- Build agents that navigate external portals, including login, MFA, and session management.
- Turn product research into working software for users.
- Design secure handling of sensitive identity, payment, and account data.
- Choose the stack, tooling, architecture, and build-versus-buy approach.
- Hire and lead the next engineering team members.
Requirements
What we're looking for
- 5 to 10 years of full-stack engineering experience.
- Ability to ship frontend, backend, and infrastructure independently.
- Founding, early-stage, or zero-to-one product experience.
- Experience building secure systems in regulated or high-stakes domains.
- A degree in computer science, engineering, or a related technical field.
- US work authorization or eligibility for an H-1B transfer.
Bonus points
- Production browser agents or automation experience.
- Experience mentoring, hiring, or leading small engineering teams.
Benefits
Compensation and benefits
- Base salary: USD 180,000 to 250,000 per year.
- Equity: Competitive equity.
- Cash and equity may be balanced based on candidate preferences.
Location and work model
- San Francisco, California, United States.
- Hybrid, with 3 to 4 days per week in the office.
- H-1B transfers are supported.
Visa sponsorship record
No public sponsorship records foundWe didn't find H-1B, H-1B1, E-3 or green card (PERM) filings under the name Raydar in the Department of Labor and USCIS data. That doesn't mean the job can't be sponsored — the company may file under a different legal name, be new to sponsorship, or sponsor a visa that isn't in these datasets (for example H-2B or J-1).
Tip: ask the recruiter early, in writing, which visa they sponsor and whether they cover the legal and filing fees.
Which visas can work for this job
Occupation: Engineers, All Other (SOC 17-2199) — estimated from the job title.
- Mentioned in the listing
H-1B
- H-1B cap-exempt employer
Regular cap-subject employer — a new H-1B needs to win the lottery in March (unless you already hold cap-counted H-1B status).
- TN (citizens of Canada and Mexico)
This kind of role may fit the USMCA profession “Engineer” — it depends on the actual duties. No lottery, no cap; you need the matching degree or license.
- E-3 (Australia) and H-1B1 (Chile, Singapore)
Same degree requirement as H-1B, but no lottery and a separate quota that is rarely filled.
- O-1 (extraordinary ability)
For candidates with awards, publications, press, a high salary or critical roles at distinguished organizations. No cap, no lottery; the employer files a petition.
- STEM OPT extension (F-1 students)
Requires an E-Verify employer. We didn't find this company in the E-Verify list — ask HR.
Salary vs prevailing wage
Engineers, All Other · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Annual prevailing wages set by the Department of Labor (OFLC).
| Level | Prevailing wage | H-1B lottery odds* |
|---|---|---|
| Level I | $98,051 | ~15% |
| Level II | $130,146 | ~31% |
| Level III | $162,261 | ~46% |
| Level IV | $194,355 | ~61% |
The listing has no salary, so we can't place it on a wage level. Ask the employer which wage level they'd file at: Level III–IV registrations get 3–4 entries in the H-1B lottery.
* Odds are DHS projections for the FY2027 wage-weighted lottery (actual results vary by year and employer). Since the FY2027 cap season the H-1B lottery is weighted by wage level: Level I = 1 entry, II = 2, III = 3, IV = 4. The level is set by the offered wage against the prevailing wage for the occupation and worksite. Separately, a $100,000 fee for new H-1B petitions for workers outside the US was announced in 2025; as of September 2026 a federal court ruling keeps it unenforceable while appeals continue — check the current status.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor OFLC disclosure data (H-1B/H-1B1/E-3 LCA, PERM), OFLC prevailing wage data, USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, E-Verify participating employers. Data loaded: LCA FY2024–FY2026, PERM, USCIS Data Hub, OFLC wages; updated 2026-10-03. Employers are matched by name, so records of companies with similar names can occasionally be mixed up. This is general information, not legal advice — talk to an immigration attorney about your case.