Founding Software Engineer

Job Description

Founding Software Engineer

Location: Berlin, Germany (On-site Strongly Preferred) | Remote possible from New York, NY or San Francisco, CA

Salary Range: €80,000 – €130,000 per year ($80,000 – $130,000 annually)

Equity: 0.75% – 1.50%

Job Overview

We are a rapidly growing AI video production startup on a mission to revolutionize how animations are created. We are seeking a talented and driven Founding Software Engineer to lead the technical development of our innovative platform. In this pivotal role, you will work hand-in-hand with the founders, transforming initial concepts into robust, user-centric solutions ready for full-scale production. You will have end-to-end ownership of full-stack product features, with a critical focus on designing scalable architectures that not only support rapid iteration but also ensure long-term growth to potentially millions of users.

Your expertise will be crucial in optimizing our agentic LLM systems, specifically in areas like tool-calling, multi-step reasoning, and MCP protocols, with the goal of achieving minimal latency and cost across diverse model architectures. A significant part of your contribution will involve developing a high-performance motion graphics engine and making strategic architectural decisions that will scale our platform effectively. This is a unique opportunity to shape both the technical foundation and the future engineering culture of our team. If you thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments, are motivated by ownership, and aspire to create a lasting impact, this role is for you. Join us to transform creative tools through the power of AI.

Responsibilities

• Partner closely with the founders to deliver user-centric product solutions, guiding them from initial concept through to full production.
• Take end-to-end ownership of the development lifecycle for full-stack product features.
• Design and implement scalable architectures that facilitate rapid product iteration and support long-term growth.
• Build and optimize cutting-edge agentic LLM systems, leveraging tool-calling, multi-step reasoning, and MCP protocols.
• Focus on optimizing LLM inference performance, minimizing latency, and reducing cost across a variety of model architectures.
• Develop a high-performance motion graphics engine crucial for the platform’s core functionality.
• Make critical architectural decisions that will enable the platform to scale robustly to millions of users.

Qualifications

• Strong experience with full-stack development, including technologies such as TypeScript, React.js, Next.js, PostgreSQL, and cloud platforms like GCP/AWS.
• Proven track record of working with or within a top high-growth startup or an elite technology company (e.g., top YC startups, Palantir, Stripe, Ramp, Notion, Figma, Scale AI, Anduril).
• At least 1 year of hands-on experience building and shipping production software.
• Extensive experience building or working with modern web applications.
• Exceptional programming and system design skills.
• Demonstrated ability to efficiently ship high-quality products in fast-moving environments.

Interview Process

1. Intro call with the founders
2. Technical discussion and system design conversation
3. Practical technical exercise or ML discussion
4. Final founder interview

About Hera

We are building the world’s first AI motion designer, designed to create professional animations in seconds. The traditional animation workflow is incredibly time-consuming, with video teams often spending countless hours on mere seconds of content, and tools like After Effects demanding mastery of complex interfaces that stifle creativity.

Hera addresses these challenges head-on by enabling users to generate and refine animations through intuitive conversational AI. Instead of manually animating every frame, users can simply use prompts to generate sophisticated animations and then fine-tune every parameter directly via on-canvas editing. Our mission is to empower creators by removing technical barriers and accelerating the creative process.

Benefits

• Retirement/401k
• Health Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Significant Equity: 0.75% – 1.50%