Staff Engineer (Founding Team)

About the RoleAt Vantora (formerly UP.Labs), we partner with leading organizations to build entirely new software businesses from the ground up. This is not a traditional engineering role - you won’t be joining a single product or inheriting a defined roadmap. You’ll work across multiple ventures partnering with one of the world's leading industrial manufacturing companies, helping turn early concepts into real, working products that can stand on their own. As a Staff Engineer (Founding Team), you’ll operate in high-ambiguity environments where both the problem and solution are evolving. You’ll be responsible for taking ideas from initial concept through to working product and real-world validation. Owning decisions across the stack along the way. This is a hands-on role with meaningful ownership. Your work will directly shape product direction, technical foundations, and whether a venture gains traction. What You’ll DoTake concepts from zero to a working product and real-world validationOwn full-stack development: frontend, backend, APIs, and data layersShape product direction alongside venture leads and PMs, not just execute against specsDesign and build rapid validation loops to test assumptions and de-risk ideas earlyArchitect and implement core systems, models, and integrations from scratchUse AI as a force multiplier across development and product capabilitiesMake deliberate tradeoffs between speed and durability based on venture stageOperate effectively with incomplete, evolving, or imperfect inputs to get to working solutions quicklyWork directly with stakeholders to validate workflows and refine solutionsIdentify and mitigate technical and product risks earlyContribute across multiple ventures, applying patterns and learnings to accelerate future buildsMaintain a high bar for technical quality while moving with urgency How You’ll OperateYou move fluidly across the stack and don’t rely on narrowly defined ownership boundariesYou turn unclear ideas into concrete implementations without waiting for full directionYou know when to prioritize speed and when to invest in structureYou bias toward action – building, testing, and iterating to create clarityYou’re comfortable abandoning approaches that don’t show signal and redirecting quicklyYou think in terms of outcomes and user impact, not just technical outputYou can context switch across multiple problems without losing momentum You Should Have6+ years of software engineering experience, including time in early-stage 0→1 environmentsProven ability to build and ship full-stack applications end-to-endStrong judgment around speed vs scalability tradeoffs in early-stage systemsDemonstrated use of AI to accelerate development or product capabilitiesComfort operating in ambiguous environments where both the problem and solution are evolvingAbility to work with incomplete or messy inputs to arrive at practical solutionsStrong communication skills and the ability to influence decisions What Sets You ApartYou’ve operated in environments where there was no clear playbookYou’re comfortable owning entire systems rather than componentsYou identify leverage – reusable patterns, shortcuts, and ways to move faster across effortsYou focus on building things that work in real-world conditions, not just ideal onesYou take responsibility for outcomes, not just implementation This Role Is Not For You IfYou prefer strictly defined ownership (frontend-only, backend-only, etc.)You need well-defined requirements and stable roadmapsYou want to focus on maintaining and scaling existing systemsYou rely on structured environments to do your best work Location: Flex on remote, with occasional travel to LA. Preference for candidates local to our HQ in Santa Monica