Lead Engineer @ AI-powered Personal Growth Startup

Role: Lead EngineerLocation: Venice Beach, CA (Remote friendly for exceptional candidates)Salary/Compensation: $170k – $210k + equity About our client: Our client believes everyone deserves to thrive. They are democratizing what's traditionally been available only to the privileged few: a personal mentor invested in your growth and available whenever you need them. They combine state-of-the-art AI with cognitive science, powered by proprietary memory technology that truly gets to know you. They help people process daily thoughts, recognize patterns, set meaningful goals, and guide personal growth through tailored content—all while supporting users through daily challenges and triumphs. Having just crossed $1.5M ARR, they are at an inflection point ready for exponential growth. They are a passionate team of 11 looking to bring on mission-driven people who value personal growth and excellence in craft. Position Overview: Our client is seeking a Lead Engineer to own technical execution and architectural decisions for their product engineering team. You'll take over the most senior engineering role from their founding CTO, allowing him to focus on high-leverage creative work, AI strategy, and long-term technical vision. This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll be in the trenches coding 70%+ of your time while leading significant architectural decisions for a 4-engineer product team. You'll ensure consistent patterns across the codebase, eliminate redundant code, and make sure they can scale from 250K to millions of users without accumulating crippling tech debt. Key Responsibilities: Technical Architecture Ownership Lead significant architectural decisions with minimal churn and cycling Establish consistent patterns throughout the codebase and eliminate redundant code Own code quality standards and technical debt balance Make critical technology stack decisions on React Native/Expo, state management, and release processes Ensure scalable technical foundation from 250K to millions of users Hands-On Development (70% of time) Personally implement the most complex features and technical challenges Build and optimize React Native mobile apps and React web applications using TypeScript Debug complex issues across the full stack and ensure system reliability Architect scalable systems using Postgres, Firestore, and modern cloud infrastructure Build robust CI/CD pipelines and deployment processes Prototype new technical approaches and validate technical feasibility Technical Leadership (30% of time) Lead 4 product engineers on complex projects and architectural decisions Tap engineers for projects that align with their growth goals and skill development Lead technical design reviews and architecture discussions Foster engineering culture emphasizing both technical excellence and user empathy Make autonomous decisions while involving team at appropriate points for feedback Partner with founding CTO as sounding board on major technical decisions Product & Engineering Bridge Translate product vision into technical implementation plans Break down complex product initiatives into executable engineering tasks Balance technical debt with feature velocity for users needing immediate support Communicate technical trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders Participate in developing AI strategy for the engineering organization Qualifications: Technical Excellence 8+ years software engineering experience with 3+ years in senior/lead roles Expert-level React Native and Expo experience with deep mobile architecture knowledge Strong full-stack development background with React, TypeScript, and Node.js Database experience with both SQL (Postgres) and NoSQL (Firestore) systems Experience with modern deployment platforms (Vercel, CI/CD pipelines) Experience with state management libraries (Zustand, Redux, or similar) Strong opinions (loosely held) about release lifecycle, cross-platform quality, and mobile best practices Leadership Experience Led engineering teams of 2-3+ people while maintaining 60%+ personal coding contributions Experience making sound architectural decisions with minimal churn Ability to balance technical debt, feature development, and system reliability Strong communication skills for collaborating with non-technical stakeholders Track record of leading by example through code quality and technical decisions Hands-On Execution Currently coding complex features in production environments Excited about being in the trenches, not looking for pure management track Bias toward shipping and iterating rather than over-engineering Experience at high-growth startups, post-seed/Series A stage Comfortable with ambiguity and rapidly changing priorities Product Sense Experience building consumer-facing products with high engagement requirements Understanding of how technical architecture impacts user experience Ability to make pragmatic technical decisions that balance speed, quality, and scalability Experience managing release lifecycle across Android and iOS platforms Decision-Making Patterns Outline problems, identify solutions, provide recommendations with clear reasoning Plan before coding - don't dive into implementation without discussion Involve team for feedback at appropriate points Hit deliverable timelines consistently and communicate proactively about blockers Bonus Points Experience with AI/ML applications or LLM integration in consumer products Background in mental health, wellness tech, or mission-driven consumer applications Previous experience as an early technical hire at a scaling startup Open source contributions or technical blog writing Interest in psychology, personal development, or cognitive science What they offer: Leadership & Impact Own technical execution for a fast-growing AI product used by 250K+ people (nearly 1 billion words journaled) Work directly with founders in shaping the future of AI-powered personal growth Lead a team that consistently says "this is the best team I've ever worked on" High autonomy and ownership over architectural decisions Compensation & Benefits Competitive salary: $170k – $210k based on experience Equity package (up to 0.8%) with high upside potential Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage Latest equipment and home office setup Professional development budget and conference attendance Culture & Growth Culture that thrives on self-discovery, introspection, and personal growth Work with a kind, humble, collaborative team that genuinely listens Opportunity to shape engineering culture and practices from early stage Direct mentorship from founding CTO (Y Combinator alum, ex-Google, co-founder of Secret) Team members are invested in each other's growth and success Location Venice Beach office with flexible remote options Strong preference for LA-based candidates (in-person collaboration with local team) Open to exceptional remote candidates in US time zones Why Join Now: Proven Traction 250,000+ downloads, nearly 1 billion words journaled Growing 15% month-over-month $1.5M ARR with 75% of users reporting mental health improvements within 30 days Strong press coverage (Mashable, KTLA) and backed by Tim Ferriss, Alexis Ohanian (Reddit co-founder) Mission Impact Transform lives through AI-powered personal growth Every day the team receives testimonials about lives being changed Working at the forefront of AI and mental health intersection Building technology that makes comprehensive emotional support accessible to everyone Technical Challenges Scale architecture from 250K to millions of users Lead AI strategy for product engineering team Build world-class mobile experience with React Native/Expo Solve complex problems in real-time AI interactions and personalized content delivery #J-18808-Ljbffr