Principal Engineer (San Francisco)

Hover is making the homeowner journey easy, transparent and fun. Starting with the home improvement industry, were answering age-old questions like, What is it going to look like? and What is it going to cost?, by helping homeowners and pros visualize whats possible with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and interactive 3D property models. Homeowners, contractors, and insurance professionals all use Hover to get fully measured, accurate, and interactive models of any propertyin a matter of minutes, and with just a few snaps of a smartphone camera.

Join a team that is rooted in challenging the status quo, persistence, and dedicated to serving our employees, customers, and communities. With key investors, including Google Ventures and Menlo Ventures and leading insurance carriers such as Travelers, State Farm, and Nationwide, Hover is committed to changing the world, one home at a time. At Hover, we believe there is strength in diversity and are fostering an inclusive and diverse culture by hiring qualified, talented people from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Why Hover wants you

Hover is at a pivotal momenttransforming how homeowners experience and manage their spaces through structured 3D data and GenAI. Were searching for a Principal Engineer with a product mindset, architectural depth, and a bias for action to lead one of the companys most ambitious bets: building and scaling a consumer-grade GenAI product from the ground up.

This role isnt about managing a team or tuning an existing machine; its about technical vision, rapid experimentation, and laying foundations for something entirely new. Youll work alongside the CEO, VP of Product, and Engineering Managers as a hands-on technical thought partner, shaping the product, system architecture, and execution roadmap. If youre energized by 0-1 challenges, cutting-edge GenAI, and building in the open with high strategic visibility, this role is for you.

The Team

Youll be embedded in a team of ~15 exceptional engineers across three podsVisualization, Growth/Funnel, and GenAI Engine. Youll lead by example as a force multiplier, steering both the technical architecture and product direction, especially where the complexity of 3D, LLMs, and interactive frontends converge. Hovers GenAI stack sits at the intersection of novel user experiences, machine learning, and platform scale. Your fingerprints will be on everythingfrom system design to go-to-market impact.

You will contribute by

• Acting as technical co-founder of our GenAI productowning system architecture and scaling strategy across the full stack (AI/LLMs, 3D rasterization, real-time APIs, and frontend delivery)
• Driving early-stage product discovery and experimentation with Product and Design counterparts, applying an engineering lens to feasibility and iteration speed
• Setting and documenting the technical direction: identifying bets, breaking down ambiguous challenges, and enabling others to execute faster and smarter
• Partnering with cross-functional leaders to continuously refine how we test, ship, and learnpushing toward faster feedback cycles and sharper product-market fit
• Staying ahead of GenAI advancements, and evolving our technical strategy to incorporate them where they matter most

Your background includes

• 10+ years of engineering experience, with significant time as a Principal/Staff+ IC
• Full-stack engineering expertise, with the ability to tackle challenges across the frontend, backend, and infrastructure layers
• Demonstrated success building zero-to-one products, ideally in GenAI, 3D, consumer software, or highly interactive applications
• Strong understanding of GenAI and large language model behavioryou know how to build around their strengths and limitations and leverage that to create products
• A track record of setting architectural direction, evaluating tradeoffs, and leading engineering strategy across teams
• High fluency collaborating with Product, Design, and GTM to align on customer impact, not just technical excellence
• Self-driven, fast-moving, and comfortable getting hands-on with code, prototypes, and performance bottlenecks

Bonus Points

• Experience with 3D data pipelines, visualization frameworks, or WebGL/Three.js
• Depth in machine learning, computer vision, or LLM-based architectures
• Background as a startup founder or Staff+/Principal engineer in high-growth environments
• Experience designing or scaling DTC marketplaces, onboarding flows, or growth systems
• Strong written communicatorable to synthesize complex ideas into crisp technical docs, vision statements, or architectural proposals

Benefits

• Compensation - Competitive salary and meaningful equity in a fast-growing company
• Healthcare - Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and dependents
• Paid Time Off - Unlimited and flexible vacation policy
• Paid Family Leave - We support work/life balance and offer generous paid parental and new child bonding leave
• Mandatory Self-Care Days - A day set aside each month to allow employees to recharge
• Remote Wellbeing Resources - We provide recurring fitness classes, meditation/ mindfulness tools, virtual therapy, and family planning assistance
• Learning - We encourage continued education and will help cover the cost of management training, conferences, workshops, or certifications

Hybrid roles at Hover

Hover has Hubs in San Francisco and New York City, where we expect that all employees living within a 50-mile radius of our offices will come into their local Hover office at least three times a week to build rapport and foster organic connection. At this time, Hover is not considering fully remote roles.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $268,000 - $306,000 annually. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all applicable US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

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