What Artisan IsWe're building AI employees. Not chatbots. Not copilots. Autonomous digital workers that do real jobs.Our first, Ava, is an AI BDR used by hundreds of companies. She researches leads, writes and sends emails in a customer's voice, runs multi-step outbound sequences, manages her own deliverability infrastructure, self-optimizes over time, and handles objections and meeting booking. She's not a tool someone uses. She's a teammate.We're a YC W24 company, have raised $35M+ from investors including Y Combinator, and are at $8M+ ARR. Right now we're building Ava 2.0, a step change in what an AI employee can do. The engineering problems are hard and the surface area is enormous.The RoleYou’ll build the backend that makes AI employees possible. This is a foundational engineering role.We process millions of signals — lead data, email engagement, deliverability metrics, behavioral patterns — to make autonomous decisions. The backend is core to everything we do: it powers the AI, runs the platform, and determines how well Ava performs for every customer. You’ll own major parts of it.What that looks like concretely:High-throughput AI orchestration.Design and build the services and pipelines that allow Ava to process massive volumes of signals and make fast, reliable decisions.Platform infrastructure.Artisan replaces an entire sales stack: email infrastructure, CRM, lead database, campaign engine, inbox management, and AI coordination — all in one product. You’ll own real pieces of this platform.High ownership, end to end.Design it, build it, deploy it, monitor it. We don’t separate architecture from implementation. You own outcomes, not tickets.Moving and iterating very fast.You’ll ship constantly. We run a flat engineering org with minimal process and no red tape.Our stack: TypeScript/Node, PostgreSQL, Redis, Kubernetes, Mastra, Temporal, Langfuse, ECS, EC2, deployed on AWS. We release continuously.Who You Are6+ years of backend experience, ideally at a high-growth startup where you owned systems end to endA 5x engineer who knows how to leverage Claude Code effectivelyStrong experience building and operating data-intensive services at scaleDeep understanding of distributed systems, database performance, and API designComfortable with cloud-native infrastructure: containers, orchestration, CI/CD, and monitoringStrong opinions on reliability, observability, and testing — with good judgment on when to move fastClear communicator who can explain systems to engineers and product leaders alikeTypeScript/Node preferred; Python, Go, or similar is fine if fundamentals are strongWhy This RoleThe problem is genuinely interesting. Autonomous AI agents interacting with real people, managing real infrastructure, and making real decisions creates backend complexity that is non-trivial and growing fast.You’ll have real ownership. Small team, large scope. The systems you build directly power what customers use — no layers between you and impact.The pace is high and the bar is higher. We ship weekly, iterate constantly, and expect engineers to drive outcomes.Competitive salary and meaningful equity in a company with real revenue, real traction, and a clear path to a major outcome.DetailsLocation: San Francisco, New York, or Remote (US)Team: EngineeringReports to: Sam Stallings, CPTOInterview ProcessIntroductory chat with our recruiter60-minute technical interview with an engineerSecond 60-minute technical interview with an engineer30-minute interview with Sam, our CPTO30-minute culture and values interview with Jaspar, our CEOOur Culture and ValuesFounder mindset. Everyone acts like an owner: take initiative, think big, challenge ideas, and push for 10× outcomes.Obsessed with impact. We apply the 80/20 rule, kill sunk costs quickly, and focus on what actually moves the needle.Customer-first, always. Every decision starts with the customer experience.High standards, every detail. Quality matters in everything we ship, from product and code to copy and design.Clear, direct communication. We value candor, fast responses, and real feedback.Winning team energy. Positive vibes, low ego, zero drama. We genuinely enjoy building together.