Build a founding software engineer job description in the structure I use on real searches. Fill in each section, with the notes in blue showing what good looks like for an early-stage engineering hire, then download a clean, branded PDF ready to send to candidates. Free, and yours to keep.
Step 3 of 3. Not sure what you need yet? Start with the Engineering Role Brief to get clear first.
Headline
TIP The first thing a candidate reads. Be concrete. A hidden salary is the fastest way to lose a strong engineer.
About the company
TIP Tell the truth, not marketing copy. What you build, who for, your stage, funding and traction. A founding engineer is pricing the risk, so give them something real.
The opportunity
TIP A founding engineer is buying ownership, not a task list. What makes this role unusual? The autonomy, the impact, what is theirs to own. Be honest about who it suits and who it does not.
How we build
TIP Be honest about how mature things are. Greenfield or legacy, your tooling, your standards, how decisions get made. Strong engineers would rather know they are joining a blank canvas than discover it later.
Role details
TIP The facts at a glance. Naming the interviewing team, with seniority and a LinkedIn link, signals a serious, transparent process and lets a candidate look you up.
The role
TIP What this person will actually do. Five to eight real things, in the second person. One per line.
Your experience
TIP Hire for the stage you are at, not for a logo. Keep the must-haves to the few that genuinely matter. One per line.
What the first 90 days look like
TIP Define success before they start. For each stage, list a few things they will do, then one line on what good looks like by the end of it.
Interview process
TIP Share the full process up front: stages, people and what each one covers. Keep it tight. Every silent week is an invitation for a competitor. One stage per line.
Closing
TIP End on the single most compelling line. A short, honest invitation beats a hard sell.
