Founding AI Engineer

About the Role This is a founding engineering opportunity at a Y Combinator–backed (S25) AI startup operating at the intersection of generative AI and professional motion design. The team is small (fewer than 10 people), Berlin-based, and building AI systems that produce high-quality animations in seconds — compressing what used to take hours of manual motion design work into a matter of minutes. As a Founding AI Engineer , you'll take end-to-end ownership of the AI stack, work directly alongside motion designers and marketers, and have an outsized impact on both the product and the company's trajectory. The product has already demonstrated strong early commercial traction, reaching six-figure ARR shortly after launch. What You'll Do Build and optimize AI systems that generate high-quality animations grounded in core motion design principles — easing, non-linear movement, and visual hierarchy. Develop comprehensive evaluation frameworks for animation quality, combining automated metrics with expert validation from professional motion designers. Partner with motion designers and marketers to translate domain knowledge into AI training data and evaluation criteria. Design and implement fine-tuning pipelines that encode domain-specific animation styles and brand guidelines into the model. Create feedback loops connecting user preferences, expert input, and model performance to drive continuous quality improvements. Research and prototype state-of-the-art approaches for controllable, style-consistent motion graphics generation. What We're Looking For Must-haves (dealbreakers): 3+ years of hands-on experience as an AI/ML Engineer shipping production systems. Demonstrated experience building and optimizing AI systems for generative tasks — specifically in motion graphics or animation. Practical application of core motion design principles (easing, non-linear movement, visual hierarchy) within AI system development. Required experience: Developing evaluation frameworks for generative AI model quality, including automated metrics and expert-in-the-loop validation. Designing and implementing fine-tuning pipelines for AI/ML models. Collaborating with designers or domain experts to convert specialist knowledge into training data and evaluation criteria. Building feedback loops between user preferences, expert input, and model performance for continuous improvement. Researching and prototyping controllable and style-consistent generative AI approaches. Proficiency with TypeScript, React.js, Next.js, PostgreSQL , and cloud platforms ( GCP and/or AWS ). Experience working with proprietary motion graphics engines. Nice to have: Familiarity with professional motion design tools (e.g., After Effects). Experience with video editing or content creation platforms. Strong CS fundamentals (algorithms, data structures, systems). Important: This role requires working on-site in Berlin, Germany . Candidates must be willing to relocate if not already based there. Visa sponsorship is not available. Compensation & Benefits Salary: €80,000 – €130,000 per year, depending on experience. Founding-team equity opportunity at an early-stage, high-growth startup. Direct influence over product direction and technical architecture. Location This is a fully on-site role based in Berlin, Germany . The team works together in person; remote or hybrid arrangements are not available for this position.