Founding Engineer; Product

We're seeking a Founding Engineer (Product) to architect and build the next generation of Koala - the social network for creators.

Koala is the social network for creators. The platform where creators can discover their community, build their next project and unlock new opportunities.

We're building for the 250B+ creator economy, where the future of content creation is collaborative - yet no platform has truly given creators the tools to build together. Koala changes that 🐨

As a Founding Engineer (Product) on the Koala Engineering team, you'll play a key role in architecting and scaling the next generation of our platform. You'll build critical systems, infrastructure, and drive development of V2 of our mobile app and services. Join us in connecting the world of creators.

The Gist

• Own and build Koala's core platform end-to-end
• AI Interest? We're building AI features too - based on your interests, experience and our needs, let us know if you're interested in growing into ML/AI engineering
• This is a Hybrid role, 3 days in our Santa Monica, CA office

What You Bring

• 4+ years of solid full-stack engineering experience
• Proficiency in modern programming languages like Golang and Type Script with React Native/Expo experience
• Experience building and scaling distributed systems and mobile apps
• Working knowledge of SQL, AWS, and modern cloud infrastructure (Kubernetes, Kafka, Redis)
• 0-to-1 builder who's brought systems and services from conception to production (startup experience a plus)
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced startup environments and have a high ownership mentality
• The usual traits - adaptable, driven, and biased toward action!

What You'll Do

• Architect and build the next generation of our creator social network from the ground up
• Own end-to-end product experiences across mobile and backend systems
• Build intuitive user interfaces and seamless user experiences
• Develop robust backend APIs and infrastructure
• Shape technical direction and mentor future engineering hires
• Scale platform infrastructure to support the growing creator economy

What We Offer

• Competitive salary +
  meaningful early-stage equity (4yr vest, 1yr cliff) - we believe in rewarding early team members with real ownership in Koala
• Shape the future of Koala as an early team member and grow as we scale
• Full health benefits! Medical (up to Platinum level), dental, vision coverage
• 4 weeks Flexible PTO plus a generous holiday calendar
• Wellness and Professional development stipend

Where You'll Work

• This is a Hybrid role. You'll work out of our Santa Monica, CA office 3 days a week

Work Authorization

• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. (no visa sponsorship available)