As the first engineer at Catalon, you will build the AI-native infrastructure automating manual workflows for the $6 trillion chemical industry. Working directly with founders from Tesla and Oxford Physics, you will own the entire stack—from agentic orchestration to production deployment—transforming how global manufacturers handle complex operations in a high-trust, zero-bureaucracy environment.
This job is no longer actively hiring. Open Roles to see active jobs.
Founding Engineer at Catalon - AI engine for the $6T chemical industry
Catalon is hiring its first engineer to build the AI engine for the $6 trillion chemical industry. Founded by a Tesla alum and an Oxford physicist, this EF-backed startup is replacing manual email and Excel workflows with sophisticated agentic AI. If you are a 'cracked' engineer with 1-4 years of experience who loves shipping fast and owning the entire stack—from Pydantic AI to React—this is your chance to shape a company from the ground up. Enjoy a $150K-$220K salary, meaningful equity, and the chance to transform a massive global industry from San Francisco or anywhere in the world.
Overview
Role overview
Company
Catalon
Catalon - SF-based AI startup backed by Entrepreneur First
Responsibilities
What you will do
- Architect and build agentic AI systems using Pydantic AI, MCP servers, and tool-use orchestration to automate complex chemical industry workflows.
- Design and implement end-to-end features across the full stack, including React/Next.js frontends, Postgres databases, and robust API integrations with ERPs like SAP and Oracle.
- Shape the foundational engineering culture and technical roadmap while iterating directly with customers to turn ambiguous problems into shipped products.
Candidate profile
Who this is a fit for
- Has 1-4 years of post-grad experience and a proven track record of shipping production-grade AI products or complex B2B SaaS systems end-to-end.
- Demonstrates deep technical expertise in agentic orchestration (chain-of-thought, evals, RAG) and is comfortable managing the ambiguity of a pre-seed startup.
- Possesses an "obsessed" problem-solving mindset, likely evidenced by building ambitious side projects just for fun and a desire to own the entire product lifecycle.
What makes it remarkable
Why this role is remarkable
- Join as employee #1 at an Entrepreneur First S25 company already deployed with chemical companies, offering massive ownership and 0.5-1% equity.
- Solve high-stakes problems in a massive, $6 trillion traditional market that still relies on manual processes, email, and legacy spreadsheets.
- Work in a high-velocity environment with founders from top-tier backgrounds (Tesla, Berkeley, Oxford Physics) using a cutting-edge, AI-native technical stack.
Jack & Jill
How Jack & Jill work together
Meet Jack
Jack gets to know what you're great at and what you want next, then searches 14 million jobs daily and introduces you directly to hiring managers.
How does this work?
Jack's an AI agent for job searching and career coaching. He works for you.
Jill is the AI recruiter working for the company. She recruits from Jack's network.
If it's a match and the company wants to meet you, they'll make the intro. In the meantime, if you'd like, Jack will send you excellent alternatives.