Founding Engineer

Founding Engineer (Remote, U.S. based)

We are an investor-backed early-stage startup looking for a Senior Software Engineer as the final member of our founding team.

We are former academics and tech enthusiasts who won't shut up about a good book. Our mission is to transform digital books and long-form writing into a dynamic space for conversation using the tools of social media. By anchoring conversations in the margins of digital books, our iOS mobile app lets readers and experts come together in virtual salons to build community and exchange ideas.

We are looking for a Founding Engineer to manage and direct Threadable’s engineering initiatives from planning and development through delivery. This includes our current iOS mobile app and its web components. You are a strategic builder who embraces complex problems, feels comfortable with ambiguity, thrives on autonomy, and cares about outcomes. You will work closely with our founding team of three and an array of contractors.

Since our inception, we have worked closely with an excellent product design studio that has helped us bring the current iteration of Threadable to market. We continue to work with them for ongoing design and development and are ready to bring technical expertise in-house. You will be Threadable's first full-time engineering hire with an opportunity to lead our technical team as we grow.

Responsibilities:

• Lead product development. Lead the development of Threadable, from UX/product design and technical architecture to code implementation and deployment.
• Collaborate with other product leaders. Collaborate with the founding team and external partners on product management, design, and QA, to deliver high-quality, user-centric mobile app experiences.
• Establish our engineering culture. Set the tone for how engineering shows up internally and externally, from code style and PR etiquette to end-user interactions. Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies and apply learnings judiciously to improve our product and processes.
• Grow the team. Lead the expansion of our engineering team as we scale, including shaping the internal hiring and onboarding process and managing contractors as needed to ensure Threadable is best suited for success.

Requirements:

• 5 years of experience in software development, with a proven track record of mobile app development.
• Strong proficiency in React Native and Ruby on Rails.
• Ability to triage and debug errors in production, affecting end users.
• Ability to translate technical information to stakeholders. You will often be the most technically knowledgeable person in the room — advanced communication and listening skills are essential.
• Love of reading and desire to learn new things.

Bonus Points:

• Familiarity with digital books and their various file formats, especially EPUB and PDF.
• Familiarity with data warehousing and mobile app analytics, including BigQuery, dbt, and Google Analytics.
• Experience building products with social features and an interest in the challenges and opportunities of existing social media platforms.

Why Work At Threadable?

• Base compensation of $150-200k (dependent on location and commensurate with experience) plus early-stage founder equity stake.
• Flexible time-off policy.
• Autonomy over how you work.
• Ownership over the product.
• Coolest “water cooler” chat: as former academics, we enjoy having ongoing open and respectful conversations about a wide range of topics, including technology, A.I., finance, political economy, and history. We love to hear what each of us is currently reading, watching, and nerding out on.
• You will be able to work remotely from anywhere in the U.S. Our founding team is spread out across the country. We are in Boston, Chicago, and L.A. Occasional in-person meet-ups may be planned as needed.
• Work-from-home budget for you to set up your space as needed.

What to expect while interviewing

We're planning to interview candidates over February and March for a target start date of April. All interviews will happen over Zoom.

Hiring Process

• Phone screen (30 minutes)
• Second round interview with founding team to learn about previous projects and validate mutual fit (90 minutes)
• Technical interview with our design studio partners (no whiteboard exercises or irrelevant tech trivia, we promise!) (90 minutes)
• Final interview with investor and founding team (30 minutes)

Not sure if you check all the boxes? Job descriptions are tough! We're looking for smart, motivated, and talented individuals who love a good book; if that's you, please apply, and we can help figure it out together.

We value a multitude of talents, backgrounds, and perspectives that a truly diverse workforce brings. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.