Founding Engineer

About the role

The role builds marketing's future by taking full ownership of high-impact, zero-to-one projects. Founders accelerate careers by directing product definition and execution under leadership. You will be instrumental in shaping how marketing technology evolves within the organization by owning the full lifecycle of ambitious initiatives. This position is designed for individuals who thrive in undefined spaces and enjoy turning abstract ideas into concrete value. You will work closely with leadership to translate strategic vision into executable product bets. The environment demands comfort with ambiguity and a bias for rapid, yet thoughtful, execution. Your work will directly influence the direction and impact of marketing capabilities for years to come.

Key facts

What you'll do

Core product features move from initial idea to production through end-to-end implementation, ensuring seamless user value and technical integrity. Critical initiatives such as SDK, network, and new product bets are tackled and unblocked to deliver measurable progress and unlock new opportunities. High-quality, testable code ships at high speed using disciplined practices and continuous improvement methodologies. Projects are owned fully by defining scope, designing architecture, implementing robust solutions, and managing rollout and adoption. Collaboration with necessary stakeholders shapes the next set of products and aligns execution with overarching business goals and market needs. AI tools such as Claude, Cursor, and Copilot are integrated into the everyday toolkit to accelerate development and enhance creative problem-solving. You will break down complex problems into actionable steps while maintaining a clear understanding of dependencies and trade-offs. The role requires proactive identification of risks and opportunities to keep projects moving forward efficiently. You will contribute to the establishment of engineering standards and best practices that define the long-term quality of the product. Regular communication of progress, challenges, and successes ensures transparency with leadership and stakeholders.

Requirements

Strong experience as a senior or staff-level engineer in product teams underpins your ability to handle complex delivery and navigate evolving requirements. Deep hands-on skills in at least one area of backend (for example, TypeScript with Node), mobile, or frontend are required for this role to ensure architectural soundness. Proven zero-to-one experience in an early-stage startup, as a founding engineer, or in a comparable capacity demonstrates your ability to build from scratch with limited resources. A track record of owning complex projects and successfully delivering them to production shows reliability in high-stakes environments where mistakes are costly. Comfort with messy, ambiguous problems and the ability to make fast decisions with incomplete information are essential traits. Excellent written and verbal English communication skills support collaboration across teams and stakeholders on a global scale. The ability to explain technical decisions in plain words separates strong engineers from the rest and facilitates alignment. A commitment to writing clean, maintainable code and sharing knowledge with peers fosters a healthy engineering culture. Willingness to work onsite in a central Berlin office with access to transport subsidies, breakfasts, lunches, language learning, and the Urban Sports Club is mandatory.

Practical notes

You work onsite in a central Berlin office with access to transport subsidies, breakfasts, lunches, language learning, and the Urban Sports Club. Employment is full-time with an on-site workplace arrangement. Typical interview steps

Hiring for engineering roles usually starts with a recruiter screen, followed by one or two technical rounds. Candidates often solve a coding problem, discuss past projects, and answer system design questions. Some loops include a take-home task. Final rounds typically cover team fit and give candidates a chance to ask questions. Interviewers look for how you break down an unfamiliar problem, not just whether you reach the answer. Practicing a few problems aloud and reviewing your own past projects are the best preparation.

Good to know

This role focuses on product building with tools such as Claude, Cursor, and Copilot used in everyday workflows. Ownership mindset, comfort with ambiguity, and fast decision-making define day-to-day work. Clear English communication supports collaboration across teams and stakeholders.

Questions to ask

Good questions to ask the employer in the interview: what does success look like in the first six months, how is the team structured, what is the current biggest challenge, and how are decisions made. Asking about growth paths and the review process is also well received. Employers expect questions, and good ones show preparation.

Career growth

Engineering careers usually progress from individual contributor to senior, staff, and principal levels. Some engineers move into management and lead teams of five to twenty people. Others stay on the technical track. Growth follows demonstrated impact, not tenure alone. A typical engineering ladder has clear levels with defined expectations for scope, quality, and mentorship. Moving up usually requires owning outcomes end to end rather than completing assigned tickets.