Founding AI Engineer at River
- Location
- New York, United States
- Compensation
- $160k-$220k + Equity
Join River as a Founding AI Engineer to build the future of autonomous sales. Backed by the founders of Ramp, Kalshi, and JumpCloud, River creates AI voice agents that conduct live B2B sales calls and drive browser demos simultaneously.
You’ll own the agent's reasoning and memory, shipping code to real calls every week. With $160K-$220K base and up to 2% equity, this is a high-impact, in-person role in New York for senior engineers who have built production AI products and are ready to lead at the ground floor of a scaling startup.
What's the next step?
Jack finds you jobs at companies like River. Talk to Jack to get considered for roles that fit what you're great at.
Role overview
As a Founding AI Engineer at River, you will own the agent’s core reasoning, memory, and browser automation capabilities. You’ll build systems that listen, decide, and act during live conversations, handling complex interruptions and off-script buyers. Working directly with the founders in New York, you’ll ship code that impacts real customer calls every week.
About River
AI Sales
River builds AI voice agents that sell. Backed the founders of Ramp and Kalshi.
What you will do
- Architect and optimize the agent’s reasoning loop, focusing on how it listens, calls tools, and manages memory during high-stakes sales conversations.
- Develop robust browser automation systems that allow the AI to reliably drive complex SaaS applications while maintaining a natural vocal dialogue.
- Collaborate directly with the founders to ship full-stack features using TypeScript, Node, and Redis, iterating rapidly based on real-world performance metrics.
Who this is a fit for
- Senior hands-on IC who has successfully shipped a production-grade AI product that real people rely on (this is a mandatory requirement).
- AI-native engineer who leverages coding agents daily and has experience with real-time systems, voice AI, or advanced browser automation.
- Entrepreneurial mindset with prior founder experience, background at top-tier voice AI companies, and current US work authorization.
Why this role is remarkable
- True founding seat with 1% to 2% equity at a seed-stage startup backed by elite founders from Ramp, Kalshi, and JumpCloud.
- Unrivaled technical challenge building real-time voice agents that must simultaneously navigate complex browser applications to perform live product demonstrations.
- High-velocity iteration cycle where your work is battle-tested on live calls with real buyers every week, directly impacting revenue and product direction.
How Jack & Jill work together
What happens next?
Jack’s an AI agent for job searching and career coaching. He works for you.
Jill is the AI recruiter working for the company. She recruits from Jack’s network.
If your profile’s a match and River wants to meet, Jill will make the intro. In the meantime, Jack will send you excellent alternatives.