Job Specification: Frontend Engineer – Waterloo, Canada Company Overview: We are working with an elite, stealth-mode AI startup on a mission to empower humanity to shape the AI era. This company is building cutting-edge consumer-grade AI applications for daily information needs, defining a new category in AI technology. Unlike enterprise AI solutions, their products are designed for everyday users, making AI more accessible and intuitive. Backed by A16z with tens of millions in seed funding, this company boasts a world-class founding team from Google, Twitter, and Coinbase. The team has a strong track record of scaling consumer tech products. Previous ventures include Twitter (scaling from thousands to hundreds of millions of users) and Google Pay (growing from pre-product to 100M users). With a team of just 12 people and rapid expansion plans, this is an opportunity to join early, make a significant impact, and shape the AI landscape. Role: Frontend Engineer Location: Waterloo, Canada Start Date: By May latest Work Type: In-office (Waterloo hub) Salary: Highly competitive (adjusted for the Waterloo market, significantly above average) Equity Why Join?Be one of the first engineers at the new Waterloo hub, working alongside Professor Jimmy Lin, a leading AI expert and the company’s Chief Scientist.Join a team of ex-Google, ex-Twitter, and ex-Coinbase engineers who have successfully built and scaled global consumer products.Work in deep stealth mode on a mission-critical AI product backed by A16z.Gain exposure to cutting-edge AI applications in a consumer-focused environment.Directly impact product development in a high-growth startup with an ambitious vision.Key Responsibilities:Build and optimize high-performance frontend applications using React and Node.js.Collaborate closely with designers, backend engineers, and AI researchers to create intuitive and scalable user interfaces.Contribute to the product roadmap and help define the engineering culture at the new Waterloo hub.Ensure seamless deployment and production readiness for consumer AI applications.Work in a fast-paced, agile environment with an emphasis on rapid iteration and experimentation.Key Requirements:3-5 years of frontend engineering experience, ideally in consumer-focused tech companies.Strong proficiency in React and Node.js (Python knowledge is a plus but not required).Preference for University of Waterloo graduates due to their co-op experience and ability to navigate the local tech ecosystem.Ability to thrive in a startup environment and work autonomously as an individual contributor (IC)—no teams to lead, just hands-on coding and problem-solving.Experience with agile development, sprint planning, and deploying production-ready applications.Strong product sense—engineers who understand consumer needs and build with a user-first mindset.Interview Process:Initial Screening – Conversation with the hiring manager.Technical Coding Round – Assessment of frontend development skills.Potential 1-Day Paid On-Site Work Trial – To assess real-world problem-solving and team fit (to be discussed).Compensation & Perks:Highly competitive salary (above market for Waterloo, equivalent to Bay Area rates adjusted for location).Equity in a well-funded AI startup with significant growth potential.Work directly with some of the most accomplished engineers and AI experts in the industry.Be part of a company that is redefining the AI space for consumers.This is a rare opportunity to join an elite AI startup at its foundational stage, working on a product with mass-market potential and learning from some of the best minds in the industry. If you are a highly skilled frontend engineer with a consumer-first mindset and a passion for AI, we’d love to hear from you!
Joe Dukes
