Founding Software Engineer

As a Founding Software Engineer at Olive, your responsibilities include rapidly shipping features by utilizing AI and LLMs, building end-to-end functionalities across our tech stack, and contributing to the development of our engineering culture. You will be involved in creating agentic workflows for code generation and deployment, ensuring our products not only work well but also offer delightful user experiences.

To succeed as a Founding Software Engineer at Olive, candidates should be extremely technical with a track record of impressive projects, whether from startup experiences, open source contributions, or side projects. Additionally, candidates should be comfortable with ambiguity, own product decisions, and have a genuine passion for startups and building high-quality products. Having experience in code generation and ML/AI is a great plus.

The Founding Software Engineer can greatly influence Olive's engineering culture by promoting values like curiosity, quality, and speed. You will help cultivate an environment where team members feel encouraged to share their thoughts, take ownership of their work, and collaborate closely to create efficient and innovative solutions. Your involvement will be crucial in shaping a fun and productive workplace.

At Olive, the Founding Software Engineer will work with a modern tech stack that includes React (utilizing Vite and Tanstack) for the frontend, Node.js (using tRPC) for the backend, and Postgres as our database. Familiarity with code generation tools and AI technologies will also be beneficial as our platform continually evolves.

You'll find a fast-paced, innovative work environment at Olive, where collaboration and creativity are at the forefront. As a small team, we share a strong sense of purpose, aiming to build substantial internal tools that make a real difference. Expect to engage in meaningful discussions and drive the projects you care about with support from like-minded colleagues who are equally passionate.

When answering this question, highlight your passion for creating impactful products and your excitement about working with cutting-edge technologies. Discuss how the opportunity to shape a startup aligns with your professional goals and how you believe your skills can contribute to Olive's vision.

Provide specific examples of your full-stack development experience, emphasizing the technologies you have used. Illustrate how you've built applications from the ground up, detailing your role in both frontend and backend tasks, including any experience with database management.

Demonstrate your adaptability and problem-solving mindset during this question. Discuss how you thrive in fast-paced settings and how you handle uncertainty, including your ability to make quick decisions while also prioritizing important tasks.

Share your methods for maintaining high code quality, such as writing unit tests, conducting code reviews, and using best practices in coding standards. Explain how you balance speed and quality in a startup environment.

Discuss your approach to prioritization, such as using agile methodologies or specific tools that help you manage your workload. Highlight any experience with working under tight deadlines and how you ensure deliverables are met efficiently.

Choose a specific project that showcases your technical prowess and problem-solving skills. Detail the challenges you faced, your thought process in overcoming them, and the positive outcomes of your efforts.

Talk about the importance of communication, support, and shared values among team members in building an effective engineering culture. Provide examples of practices you feel contribute to a healthy work environment, emphasizing collaboration and growth.

Discuss any direct experience you have with AI technologies, including how you've implemented code generation in previous projects. If your experience is limited, express your willingness to learn and adapt quickly.

Highlight your commitment to user-centric design and the importance of iterative processes in product development. Share your belief in leveraging customer feedback to improve product features continuously.

Provide insights into your collaborative work style, your ability to communicate effectively with team members, and how you value different inputs when approaching a project. Share past experiences that showcase successful teamwork.