Former Technical Founders
Encord
IT
San Francisco, CA, USA
Posted on Feb 5, 2026
About us
Encord is the universal data layer for AI that helps 300+ AI teams train and run models on the right data. Our platform indexes, curates, annotates, and evaluates data across the full AI lifecycle, from development through production.
Trusted by Woven by Toyota, AXA, UiPath, Zipline, and more. We're an ambitious team of 100+ working at the frontier of AI and have raised $60M in Series C funding from Wellington Management, CRV, Next47 and Y Combinator.
The role
We're looking for former technical founders who want to get back to building. If you've experienced the thrill of 0 to 1 — the chaos, the ownership, the outsized impact — and you're hungry to do it again inside a rocketship, this is the role for you.
At Encord, you won't be a cog in a machine. You'll work directly with the founding team, take on high-stakes problems, and help shape the trajectory of the company. We don't care which box you fit into — we care about what you're capable of building.
What you'll do
- Work closely with the cofounders to identify and drive some of the highest-leverage opportunities across product, engineering, GTM, or operations
- Take ownership of ambitious, ambiguous problems and drive them from zero to shipped
- Bring an entrepreneurial mindset to everything — spotting gaps, moving fast, and making things happen with limited resources
- Build internal tools, processes, and systems that help Encord scale
- Act as a force multiplier across teams, bringing founder-level energy and judgment to whatever you tackle
Who we're looking for
- A former founder — ideally technical — who has built and scaled a product or company, and is eager to get back to the early days of 0 to 1
- You may have started and exited your business and are ready to experience the journey again in a new context
- You may not have AI or B2B experience, but you will have excelled at something incredibly challenging that demonstrates your grit and ability to overachieve
- Deeply comfortable with ambiguity — you don't need a job spec to know what needs doing
- A builder at heart who thinks from first principles and moves fast without sacrificing quality
- Someone who takes extreme ownership and thrives without a safety net
Experience requirements
- Proven experience founding or co-founding a technology company
- Strong technical background — you've written production code and understand engineering trade-offs
- Track record of building and shipping products that users love
- Experience hiring, leading, and inspiring small, high-performing teams
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
Why Encord
- Competitive salary, commission, and meaningful equity in a high-growth startup
- Clear, accelerated growth opportunities as the company scales rapidly
- Strong in-person culture: 4–5 days/week in our newly launched North Beach loft office
- Flexible PTO to fully recharge
- 18 paid vacation days in the U.S. plus federal holidays
- Annual learning & development budget
- Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
- Frequent travel opportunities across the U.S., London, and Europe
- Bi-annual company offsites, twice-weekly team lunches, and monthly socials