Founding Application Engineer (Agentic AI)

ABOUT VOX VOX is an Agentic Market Research platform that is Introducing a new model in Market Research. We're turning Buyer-Sourced Insights into Real-Time Revenue, directly tackling the critical need for precise, timely, and relevant buyer data. Our solution moves beyond traditional methods by utilizing human-led research powered by AI to provide real-time, human-validated insights. ABOUT THE ROLE You will own and scale VOX's engineering organization as we enter our next phase of growth. As a founding engineer, you'll define the technical vision, architect the core product, and partner closely with leadership to build an AI-native platform—leveraging agentic AI systems to scale subject-matter expertise. This role is ideal for someone excited to build from zero to one, operate with high ownership, and shape both the product and the engineering culture from the ground up. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Architect and Build Design and implement VOX's initial product architecture and tech stack from scratch. Build and iterate on MVPs with a strong bias toward speed, learning, and scalability. Architect AI-first systems, including agent-based workflows that reason, plan, and act autonomously. Agentic AI Development Design, build, and deploy agentic AI systems (e.g., LLM-powered agents, tool-using agents, multi-agent workflows). Integrate AI agents with product features such as expert reasoning, decision support, orchestration, and automation. Evaluate and optimize models, prompts, tools, and feedback loops for reliability, performance, and cost. Full-Stack Development Work across the full stack—frontend, backend, data, and infrastructure. Build APIs, services, and data pipelines that support AI-driven workflows and real-time interactions. Product & Technical Strategy Collaborate closely with founders and early customers to define product requirements and roadmap. Translate ambiguous problems into shipped features, iterating rapidly based on real-world feedback. Make pragmatic trade-offs between speed, quality, and scalability in an early-stage environment. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS Technical Expertise Strong software engineering background with proficiency in languages such as Python and JavaScript. Experience with databases (SQL/NoSQL), APIs, and cloud platforms (AWS or equivalent). Familiarity with modern AI/ML tooling (e.g., LLM APIs, vector databases, orchestration frameworks). Agentic AI & Systems Thinking Hands-on experience building or experimenting with agentic AI systems, autonomous workflows, or LLM-powered applications. Strong understanding of system design, reliability, and failure modes in AI-driven products. Ability to reason about trade-offs in model selection, latency, cost, and accuracy. Problem-Solving & Product Mindset Exceptional problem-solving skills and comfort operating in ambiguity. Strong product intuition with a deep focus on user experience and business impact. Communication & Ownership Excellent communication skills, able to bridge technical and non-technical stakeholders. High degree of ownership, autonomy, and adaptability in a fast-moving startup environment. * Competitive base salary plus meaningful equity.