As a Founding Engineer at Arzana, you will build agentic pipelines that automate critical manufacturing workflows. You’ll develop multi-step VLM and RAG systems to process terabytes of customer data, working directly with the founders to transform legacy industrial processes into high-efficiency software systems in an intense, high-growth, 75% MoM growth environment.
Founding Engineer at Arzana
Are you ready to build the future of American manufacturing? Arzana (YC P26) is seeking a Founding Engineer to help build the first autonomous operating system for the industry. This is a high-intensity, high-reward role where you'll develop multi-step AI agent pipelines, VLMs, and RAG systems on a Python/Supabase/GCP stack. We're growing 75% month-over-month and looking for builders who thrive in a 70-80 hour work week environment. If you want true ownership, direct impact on a massive market, and the chance to work alongside the founders in San Francisco, this is your opportunity. US citizenship (ITAR) required.
Want to apply for this role?
Jack finds you jobs at companies like Arzana. Talk to Jack to get considered for roles that fit what you're great at.
Location
San Francisco, United States
Compensation
$130k-$170k + Equity
Company
Arzana
Role overview
Arzana is a software company that provides an AI-powered platform to automate front- and back-office work for manufacturing companies, with a particular focus on automating routine, repetitive processes such as order entry, quoting, customer updates, and other office workflows that depend on data from ERP and CRM systems.[1][2][4][6] Its flagship product, Arzana ERP, is a fully customizable enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), and manufacturing execution system (MES) built specifically for manufacturers and delivered with a suite of pre-installed Arzana AI agents.[1] These AI agents handle tasks including quoting, estimating, order entry, purchasing, vendor management, prospecting, outreach, CRM, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and customer service, allowing manufacturers to scale operations, respond to customers faster, and grow without adding equivalent headcount.[1][4] Arzana integrates with existing email, ERP, and other systems to provide AI office automation from locations in San Francisco, California, Okoboji, Iowa, and Appleton, Wisconsin, serving both large enterprise and fast-growing manufacturing firms.[2][4][6]
What you will do
- Architect and deploy multi-step agentic pipelines using Python, Supabase, and GCP to automate complex back-office manufacturing tasks and external integrations.
- Develop RAG systems and VLM extraction tools to process TB-scale data, including CAD files, PDFs, and ERP exports for autonomous onboarding.
- Collaborate directly with the CEO to define the product roadmap and translate human business workflows into reliable chains of extraction and action.
Who this is a fit for
- Strong engineering fundamentals with experience (or strong interest) in taking agent-based products or LLM workflows from prototype to production.
- Resilient, high-ownership mindset comfortable with a 70-80 hour work week and an intense 6-day in-person schedule in San Francisco.
- US Citizenship is strictly required due to ITAR compliance, ideally with a background in manufacturing environments or complex system integrations.
Why this role is remarkable
- Join a YC P26 company growing 75% month-over-month, tackling the massive technical challenge of automating US manufacturing at scale.
- Work on a cutting-edge stack involving VLM extraction from CAD files, gradient-walk prompt optimization, and complex multi-agent reasoning systems.
- Experience true founding-level ownership with the ability to influence product direction, architecture, and team culture from day one alongside the CEO.
How Jack & Jill work together
I get to know what you’re great at, then find roles you’d never find yourself.Ok, I'll go first. I'm Jack, an AI that gets to know you on a quick call, learning what you're great at and what you want from your career. Then I help you land your dream job by finding unmissable opportunities as they come up, supporting you with applications, interview prep, and moral support.
I recruit from Jack’s network and make the intro when I spot a great match.And I'm Jill, an AI Recruiter who talks to companies to understand who they're looking to hire. Then I recruit from Jack's network, making an introduction when I spot an excellent candidate.
Jack gets to know what you're great at and what you want next, then searches 15 million jobs daily and helps you discover roles at companies like this.
Meet Jack
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 Arzana wants to meet, Jill will make the intro. In the meantime, Jack will send you excellent alternatives.