Founding AI Engineer
Clera · San Francisco
Data & AIEngineeringFullTime
Clera is hiring a Founding AI Engineer in San Francisco, California (full-time). Posted 13 September 2026. Apply directly on Clera's own careers site — no account needed.
About the Role
This is a founding engineering role at an early-stage construction technology startup building the AI intelligence layer that transforms messy blueprints, permits, and construction documents into actionable cost estimates and permit workflows. You will work at the intersection of computer vision, multimodal AI, and real-world document understanding, with direct impact on housing, hospitals, and schools. You will be one of the earliest technical hires, shaping both the product and the engineering culture.
What You'll Do
Apply state-of-the-art computer vision, LLM, and multimodal AI techniques to real-world construction documents.
Rapidly prototype models and iterate based on user feedback and real-world data.
Build and deploy production AI systems that operate on noisy, heterogeneous inputs.
Own the intelligence layer, including modeling, data pipelines, and inference, rather than application UI.
Collaborate closely with product and users to surface and solve high-impact problems.
Handle pragmatic engineering work including data labeling, ETL, and deployment tasks as part of a small team.
Communicate progress and tradeoffs with transparency and empathy across the team.
What We're Looking For
Hands-on experience applying computer vision, multimodal AI, and LLM techniques in production on real-world or document-based data.
A 0-to-1 builder mindset: experience shipping AI systems or core product features into production.
Comfort iterating quickly on prototypes based on user feedback in a startup or early-stage environment.
Experience with end-to-end AI systems focused on the intelligence layer, not just the application layer.
Willingness to take on practical, unglamorous engineering work as needed on a small team.
Strong communication skills, a growth mindset, and an honest, empathetic approach to collaboration.
Genuine motivation to make housing and infrastructure more affordable, not just to maximize compensation.
US work authorization required; no visa sponsorship available.
Construction domain knowledge is a plus but not required.
New graduates and early-career engineers are welcome to apply.
Compensation & Benefits
Base salary: $120,000 to $180,000 USD annually. Equity offered as part of a founding-team package. No visa sponsorship available.
Location
On-site in San Francisco, CA. Candidates must be based in San Francisco or willing to relocate. US work authorization is required.
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