You will build the operational backbone for the world’s most influential startup accelerator. From the admissions pipeline to Demo Day events, you will turn high-stakes complexity into clean, full-stack software. Working without PMs or designers, you’ll own the entire product experience while deploying AI-powered tools and integrations that scale global innovation.
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Learn about Jack
Product Engineer at Y Combinator
Join an elite 18-person engineering team building the operational backbone for the world’s most influential startup accelerator. This isn’t your typical engineering role—there are no PMs or designers, giving you total ownership of the products that power the admissions and growth of companies like Stripe and OpenAI. With a compensation package reaching $500K plus profit-sharing, you'll build AI-native systems, automate high-stakes workflows, and work alongside the partners who have launched a $600B+ portfolio. If you are a former founder or product-minded engineer who loves shipping end-to-end, this is the most high-leverage seat in the startup ecosystem.
About this role
Role overview
About the company
Finance
Y Combinator is a startup accelerator founded in 2005 that provides seed funding of $500k to early-stage startups four times a year. Participants relocate to San Francisco for a three-month intensive program where they receive guidance from partners, all former YC founders, to refine their ideas, achieve product-market fit, and prepare for Demo Day to pitch to investors. It has funded over 5,000 companies with a combined valuation exceeding $600 billion, including Airbnb, Stripe, and OpenAI.
What you'll do
What you will do
- Architect and ship full-stack applications for the admissions pipeline, processing thousands of applications and automating complex interview workflows.
- Develop AI-enabled internal tools, including semantic search across massive datasets and LLM-driven email classification to eliminate manual operational bottlenecks.
- Build the technical infrastructure for global events like Demo Day, integrating Slack, Google Calendar, and complex data pipelines into seamless user experiences.
Who you are
Who this is a fit for
- Proven experience shipping complete full-stack web applications, ideally with a stack like Ruby on Rails, React, and Postgres.
- AI-native builder who has integrated LLMs or agent-based systems into production products and uses AI-enabled tools to accelerate their own development.
- Low-ego, high-judgment engineer with a background as a former founder or early-stage startup employee who thrives in ambiguous, fast-moving environments.
Why this role
Why this role is remarkable
- Absolute product ownership: As one of only 18 engineers, you work without PMs or designers, owning everything from initial problem discovery to UI design and final deployment.
- Unrivaled market position: You are building the mission-critical software used by the next generation of industry-defining companies like Stripe, Airbnb, and OpenAI.
- Top-tier compensation: Earn a base salary between $250K–$500K plus profit-sharing designed to be comparable to venture carry or high-growth startup equity.
Jack & Jill
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.
Meet Jack
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.
How does this work?
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 it’s a match and the company wants to meet you, they’ll make the intro. In the meantime, if you’d like, Jack will send you excellent alternatives.