Founding Systems Engineer (International)
Free to start · No card · 5 credits the moment you sign up
Job description
Background
Substrate builds financial infrastructure to grow industrial GDP.
We're hiring a systems software engineer who has tackled hard technical problems help us build core 0→1 systems at the intersection of software, hardware, and finance. You'll help architect and ship systems that power machine shops, farms, factories, construction contractors, and more.
Why consider Substrate amidst your sea of options:
You believe in objective good and beauty, and you want to bring them to an antiquated, predatory industry.
You believe not all technology is created equal. You don’t care about building another enterprise SaaS tool, you want to build tools that advance civilization.
You want to work with people who treat their work as craft, who violently reject “just good enough,” and you want to help build that culture.
What you’ll do:
Wrap beautiful and simple abstractions around gnarly complexity, lots of data, and legacy systems
Own full product lifecycle—from customer pain → full-stack design → 0-to-1 full-stack engineering → ship product
Design and deploy production-grade LLM systems that automate core loan operations (e.g., underwriting, compliance, document processing)
Help build a product culture that harmonizes speed, taste, and customer obsession
You’ll be a great fit if...
You've solved hard technical problems most of your peers haven't encountered — and you can explain exactly how your solution works to extreme depth
You gravitate toward thinking in systems, infrastructure, and architectural tradeoffs
You have strong opinions about what good abstractions look like
You have deep experience with Node.js, TypeScript, Postgres, and AWS
You prefer hard backend problems, but are comfortable building frontends and have UI design taste
You can overlap at least 6 hours with PST working hours (8am-5pm PST)
You resonate with our engineering philosophy
Compensation
$120-$170K base + $35,000-70,000 equity
Best-in-class medical, dental, vision
401K
Unlimited vacation
Next Steps
If you are interested, please apply via Dover AND email with the following (your app won't be considered without these). Keep answers to less than 3 sentences each:
If you could have one person's career arc, who would it be and why?
What's an unpopular truth you believe in?
What's the most technically challenging system you've ever built? Include the tech stack you chose, why you chose them other alternatives, key technical challenges and how you solved them, and any architectural tradeoffs you had to make.
Your current time zone and confirmation you can have 6 hours of overlap with PST working hours
Availability for a 30min call
Originally posted on Himalayas
Prepare your application
Use the description above to assess your fit for Substrate. This checklist is guidance from Resumize, rather than additional requirements from the employer. Imported listings can be shortened or change after collection, so confirm the complete description and current availability before sending an application.
Match requirements to evidence
Identify the responsibilities and skills the employer explicitly names. For each important requirement, choose one example from your work, education, training, or projects. Explain what you did, how you did it, and what changed as a result. Include a measurable outcome when you can support it. If you lack a requirement, describe related experience accurately instead of adding an unfamiliar skill to your resume.
Put the most relevant examples near the top of your resume. Keep job titles, dates, qualifications, and contact details consistent across your application materials. Use the employer’s terminology when it describes your experience accurately; a copied list of keywords does not explain your contribution. A short, specific bullet is easier to review than a paragraph that mixes several unrelated duties.
Check the working arrangement
Confirm the location, schedule, employment type, and any eligibility requirements on the employer’s site. A remote label does not establish worldwide eligibility or flexible hours. If compensation, benefits, equipment, travel, or contract duration are missing from this listing, write down your questions for the recruiter. Do not assume details from another opening at the same company apply to this role.
Review before submitting
Follow the employer’s requested file format and application instructions. Open your exported resume and check that its text is selectable, its sections read in order, and its links work. Proofread names, dates, and contact information. Share confidential work samples only when you have permission, and use an anonymized example when necessary.
Submit through a trusted employer or recruiting destination. If the original listing has disappeared, search the employer’s careers page for the title rather than assuming the vacancy remains open. Save the application date, job reference, and the version of your resume you sent. Those details help you prepare for a later conversation and avoid submitting conflicting information through several job boards.
Review your resume for writing and readability feedback, or browse other openings if this opportunity is unavailable.