RAG AI Engineering Lead (San Francisco)

You could be an engineer anywhere, why us?

• Join a well-funded, high-growth startup on the path to IPO ($50M raised, 700% revenue growth in 2 years, targeting a $11T market)
• Work directly with our Head of Platform Engineering,Aren Patel (ex-Google)
• Help transform a massive industry and scale us toward a $10 B+ business

About the opportunity:

Given recent economic shifts, logistics providers and shippers want to capitalize on generative AI to drive business efficiency. As a result, many of them are turning to CoPallet, the first end-to-end service of AI agents and logistics experts, to automate their back-office operations. If we can capture this momentum effectively, were on track to build the next $10 billion tech company in logistics.

We're hiring Platform Engineers for our founding team. These engineers will create the infrastructure and backbone for our AI agents, build efficient data pipelines, and develop scalable systems that can grow our platform from a few hundred to millions of users. They'll work directly with Aren (ex-Google),Nilkanth (ex-founder, ex-DoorDash), andVidhur (lead engineer on Document AI at Scale) to develop on top of OpenAI and LangChain frameworks.

About the Role
Youll lead the architecture and development of our Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) platform, powering AI agents that learn and operate in challenging real-world logistics environments. This isnt about being a RAG expert day one, but owning backend architecture and navigating tradeoffs in LLM workflows.

Youll build tooling for transparency and debugging of AI tool calls, develop discovery mechanisms for agents to find and use tools effectively, and create memory systems that retain context across weeks. Youll also manage a small technical team (1-3 engineers) and influence Pallets technical roadmap.

What Youll Do

Design and maintain core infrastructure for AI agents on our RAG platform

Build scalable, efficient data pipelines supporting millions of events

Create debugging and inspection tooling for LLM-based workflows

Develop memory systems that surface relevant context dynamically

Lead 1-3 engineers technically, mentoring and driving execution

Collaborate across product and engineering teams on architecture and design decisions

Backend: Node.js + TypeScript, Encore framework

Frontend: React + TypeScript

Preferred Experience

Backend-focused engineer with 01 platform and scaling experience

Skilled in building APIs, data pipelines, and scalable infrastructure

Comfortable with complex enterprise data and growing user bases

Experience in fast-paced startup environments and team leadership

Bonus: Node.js, TypeScript, GraphQL

Who you are:

You own the outcome: taking full responsibility to deliver impact end to end, no excuses.

You move fast but with quality: shipping quickly while maintaining sustainable craftsmanship.

You experiment relentlessly: embrace a growth mindset, learn from failures, and iterate faster.

You push beyond limits: no coasting; you raise the bar for yourself and the team.

You thrive in collaboration: value face-to-face teamwork and contribute actively in our in-office culture.

Interview Process

• Intro Chat with Head of Talent (30 mins)
• Technical Screen + Meet and Greet with Hiring Manager (60 mins)
• Executive Chat - Sushanth, CEO and Founder (30-45 mins)
• Final Interview, visit our Fidi office, and deep dive into technical and behavioral interviews (~3.5 hours)

Location:

Since we're a small team building 0-1 products, we prefer for candidates to be comfortable working in an in office environment in San Francisco. We typically come into the office 4 days a week. Relocation assistance can be provided for interested candidates.

Compensation:

The estimated salary range for this role is $195,000 $265,000, depending on experience and skill set. In addition to base salary, we offer competitive equity, benefits, and opportunities for growth. Final compensation will be determined based on a combination of factors, including experience, qualifications, and location.

???? Health, Vision, and Dental benefits

Life Insurance and Accidental Insurance

Generous salary and equity for all staff

???? 401k option; helping you save for the future

Yearly learning and development stipend

Commuter benefits for Bay Area employees

Uber ride stipend if you ever have to work late in the office

Remote office home stipend to get you comfy in your space

Daily catered lunches provided by Sharebite (every meal you order, one meal gets donated)

Onboarding trip to San Francisco HQ if you work remotely

Annual Company Offsites; our last one was in Napa Wine Country

Pallet is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

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