Founding Design Engineer ($140k-$180k + Equity) at Nero

This is a job that Jill, our AI Recruiter, is recruiting for on behalf of one of our customers.

She will pick the best candidates from Jack's network.

The next step is to speak to Jack.

Job Title

Founding Design Engineer

Salary

$140k-$180k + Equity

Company Description

Nero is a $1.5M Seed-funded startup backed by Yamaha Music Innovation Fund and Antler, building monetization infrastructure for creators on platforms like Twitch and TikTok. Already profitable with 600k monthly users and over $500k in monthly GMV, Nero is reshaping how artists earn through live, interactive engagement.

Job Description

As Nero's first engineering hire, you will bridge the gap between high-end visual design and robust full-stack engineering. Working directly with the CTO, you’ll own the entire product lifecycle—from database architecture to real-time fan queues—creating features that help creators monetize audiences across the world’s largest livestreaming platforms.

Location

San Francisco, USA

Why this role is remarkable

Join a profitable, seed-stage company already generating $500k+ in monthly GMV and supporting over 100,000 artists and fans every month.

Work directly with the founding team in San Francisco with significant equity (up to 1%) and the autonomy to shape the product's visual identity.

Scale monetization rails backed by industry heavyweights like Yamaha Music Innovation Fund, impacting the creator economy across music, gaming, and sports.

What You Will Do

Lead the end-to-end design and implementation of new features, ensuring the product's look and feel matches its high-stakes functional requirements.

Architect and build full-stack systems using TypeScript, React, and Node.js, including real-time state management for high-concurrency livestreaming queues.

Collaborate on technical and visual strategy, leveraging AI-assisted development tools to move from concept to shipped product with extreme velocity.

The ideal candidate

Possesses at least 1 year of professional experience with a strong portfolio showcasing high-fidelity frontend work and solid full-stack logic.

Expert-level proficiency in TypeScript, React, and Node.js, combined with a "design-first" mindset and experience with AI tools like Cursor or Windsurf.

Demonstrates a high-ownership mentality, a passion for the creator economy, and a willingness to work in-person in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Who are Jack & Jill?

Ok, I'll go first. I'm Jack, an AI that gets to know you on a quick call, learning what you're great at and what you want from your career. Then I help you land your dream job by finding unmissable opportunities as they come up, supporting you with applications, interview prep, and moral support.

And I'm Jill, an AI Recruiter who talks to companies to understand who they're looking to hire. Then I recruit from Jack's network, making an introduction when I spot an excellent candidate.

How does this work?

Jill is the AI recruiter working for the company. She recruits from Jack's network.

If it's a match and the company wants to meet you, they'll make the intro. In the meantime, if you'd like, Jack will send you excellent alternatives.

We never post fake jobs

This isn't a trick. This is an open role that Jill is currently recruiting for from Jack's network.

Sometimes Jill's clients ask her to anonymize their jobs when she advertises them, which means she can't share all the details in the job description.

We appreciate this can make them look a bit suspect, but there isn't much we can do about it.