EngineeringOn-site

Founding Software Engineer

Navi AI · On-site

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Last seen by MeritLog September 8, 2026Source: AshbySource version: ashby-public-job-posting-v1

MeritLog read this listing from Navi AI's Ashby job board and last checked it on September 8, 2026.

Source: the employer's Ashby job board. Open the original listing for current details.

Job details

Work model: On-site
Salary: Not listed by source
Location: San Francisco

Hiring context

How this role compares at Navi AI

Navi AI has 9 live roles in MeritLog’s catalog across 5 job families, and 4 of them are in engineering. 0 of those listings publish a pay range, a disclosure rate of 0%.

Counted across the job boards MeritLog tracks, at the time this page was served. Pay comparisons use only listings that publish a complete range in the same currency and period.

What the role asks for

What you'd do

Build and scale the backend and data infrastructure that powers Navi's AI platform
Work directly with pilots, instructors, and military operators to build tools that work in the cockpit and the classroom
Integrate flight dynamics, telemetry, and cockpit audio into intelligent debrief and training systems
Make the architecture calls that define how Navi scales - the frameworks, the infrastructure, the technical bets
Ship code that goes live in aircraft - then iterate on real operator feedback, not hypotheticals
Interface with engineers across the entire stack from hardware integration to AI/ML to frontend.

What they're asking for

5+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a track record of designing, building, and operating complex systems in productionExperience
Demonstrated ability to lead projects end to end - from scoping and technical design through implementation, launch, and iteration - with minimal directionSkill
Deep expertise in at least one core area (backend systems, distributed infrastructure, data engineering, or full-stack development) and working fluency across othersSkill
Experience designing systems for scale, reliability, and performance - you've made meaningful architectural decisions and lived with the consequencesSkill
Strong engineering judgment: you know when to build, when to buy, and when to cut scope. You make pragmatic tradeoffs under real constraintsSkill
History of raising the bar for teams around you - through code reviews, technical mentorship, establishing best practices, or driving engineering cultureSkill
Comfortable operating in ambiguity and moving fast without sacrificing quality. You've shipped in environments where the roadmap wasn't fully definedSkill
Experience with modern data pipelines, real-time systems, or AI/ML integrationSkill
You've built something from zero - a product, a startup, a system that people actually usedSkill
Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS), CI/CD, containerization, and modern deployment toolingSkill
Comfortable working directly with non-technical users and translating operator needs into engineering decisionsSkill
Familiarity with aviation systems, avionics data formats, or defense technology environmentsSkillPreferred

Parsed by MeritLog from the employer’s own posting. The full description follows below.

Job description

Navi captures everything a pilot sees and hears and turns it into automated debrief intelligence - sortie-level awareness that has never existed before. You're building the platform that makes that happen. ABOUT THE ROLE This is a founding engineering role. You'll own entire systems end to end - the backend and data pipelines that power Navi's AI, the interfaces instructors and squadron commanders depend on daily, the architecture decisions that take this company from startup to aviation standard. Your code ships to university flight schools and military squadrons. Nothing here is theoretical. Navi is live at Embry-Riddle, Purdue, UND, Sling Pilot Academy, and the United States Air Force. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Build and scale the backend and data infrastructure that powers Navi's AI platform - Work directly with pilots, instructors, and military operators to build tools that work in the cockpit and the classroom - Integrate flight dynamics, telemetry, and cockpit audio into intelligent debrief and training systems - Make the architecture calls that define how Navi scales - the frameworks, the infrastructure, the technical bets - Ship code that goes live in aircraft - then iterate on real operator feedback, not hypotheticals - Interface with engineers across the entire stack from hardware integration to AI/ML to frontend. ABOUT YOU - 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a track record of designing, building, and operating complex systems in production - Demonstrated ability to lead projects end to end - from scoping and technical design through implementation, launch, and iteration - with minimal direction - Deep expertise in at least one core area (backend systems, distributed infrastructure, data engineering, or full-stack development) and working fluency across others - Experience designing systems for scale, reliability, and performance - you've made meaningful architectural decisions and lived with the consequences - Strong engineering judgment: you know when to build, when to buy, and when to cut scope. You make pragmatic tradeoffs under real constraints - History of raising the bar for teams around you - through code reviews, technical mentorship, establishing best practices, or driving engineering culture - Comfortable operating in ambiguity and moving fast without sacrificing quality. You've shipped in environments where the roadmap wasn't fully defined - Experience with modern data pipelines, real-time systems, or AI/ML integration - You've built something from zero - a product, a startup, a system that people actually used - Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS), CI/CD, containerization, and modern deployment tooling - Comfortable working directly with non-technical users and translating operator needs into engineering decisions NICE TO HAVE - Familiarity with aviation systems, avionics data formats, or defense technology environments WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS Pilots trust their lives to the systems in front of them. The intelligence platform we're building has to meet that same bar. As a founding engineer, your fingerprints will be on the architecture, the product, and the engineering culture at Navi. WHAT YOU'LL GET - Early-stage equity - real ownership in a category-defining company - Flight training - earn your pilot's license and build with true domain expertise - Impact you can see - your work will be used by pilots, flight schools, airlines, and the U.S. Air Force - A role that scales into technical leadership as we grow HOW WE WORK - Find a way. We don't wait for permission or perfect information. Ideas come from anywhere regardless of title. Figure it out, ship it, iterate. - Creativity over control. First principles over process. We'd rather have a creative solution that's 80% right today than a perfect one next quarter. - Update fast. Come in with a hypothesis, throw it away when the data says otherwise. Ego has no place here. - Intensity with focus. We work hard because the mission demands it. Clarity on what matters is how we make that sustainable.

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