Go-To-Market Engineer, Founding US Team

Agents need a new retrieval engine.

For decades, retrieval infrastructure was tuned for a single type of user: a human. Today, a new user is running search, creating a fundamentally different workload: Agents. That is why we at HORNET are building the next generation retrieval engine to meet the demands of agents.

We are obsessed with winning this market and establishing a strong presence in the US is on top of our minds.

You will be our first hire on the ground in SF. This is a unique opportunity to build our SF/SV operations from the ground up and define our company's future in the world's largest AI market.

As our first GTM Engineer in the US, you are the pillar of our expansion. You will be the technical heart of our US presence, responsible for operationalizing our technical go-to-market strategy, winning with clients, networking with AI-builders, and building the operational backbone for the team that will follow.

This role demands a rare blend of technical expertise, entrepreneurial grit, and a bias for action. You must be a builder at heart. Someone who thrives in a "0 to 1" environment, is comfortable with ambiguity, and has an unstoppable "get things done" attitude. You will not only architect solutions for customers but will also be instrumental in scaling our office and culture.

Build from Zero: Establish and own the entire technical GTM function for the North American market.

Win with Customers: Lead the technical execution for our US clients. From initial discovery and proof-of-concept architecture to hands-on deployment of our retrieval engine.

Shape the Product: Serve as the primary voice of the US market to our Product and Engineering teams in Europe, ensuring our roadmap aligns with customer needs.

Found the Team: Act as the cornerstone of our San Francisco office. You will be instrumental in shaping our US culture, processes, and future hiring.

Be a "Doer": Take on whatever is necessary to succeed. In an early-stage expansion, this means everything from high-level technical strategy to getting an office up and running.

"0 to 1" Experience: You have a proven track record of thriving in an early-stage startup. You have built processes, teams, or products from scratch and are comfortable with the beautiful chaos of the initial scaling phase.

Engineering Excellence: A software engineering background, with a degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.

Agentic AI Expertise: Demonstrable, hands-on experience building agentic AI systems. You can speak in-depth about the architecture, challenges, and trade-offs of agents you have personally developed.

AI-First Mentality: You are a power user of modern AI tools and naturally leverage them to accelerate your thinking and coding. You are fluent with tools like Claude Code, Amp, and vibing platforms for shipping demos.

Bias for Action: You are a self-starting problem-solver who excels at getting things done without a large support structure.

Experience from deploying AI-powered automation or agentic workflows within a large-scale enterprise environment.

Prior experience in a customer-facing technical role such as a Solutions Engineer, Sales Engineer, or Forward Deployed Engineer.

Foundational Impact: You'll play a pivotal role in scaling the next generation retrieval engine into the most important market in the world.

Unmatched Ownership: Enjoy an unprecedented level of autonomy and ownership. You will be the architect of our US technical GTM strategy from day one.

Founding Equity: Receive a generous, founding-level equity package and be a true owner in our success.

The Ultimate Challenge: Solve novel technical and business problems daily with a world-class team.

This role includes a competitive salary, a significant equity stake, and comprehensive benefits.

Pay Scale: The reasonably expected salary range for this role is $180.000 – $260.000 annually.

Equity: Significant equity stake from our ESOP in an early-stage, venture-backed company.

Health: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your dependents.

Retirement: 401(k) retirement savings plan [with company match, if applicable].

Time Off: Generous paid time off (PTO) policy and paid company holidays.

Leave: Paid sick leave in accordance with San Francisco and California law.