Founder Engineering Architect

POSITION:Founder Engineering Architect (Intelligent Agent Exchange / AAX Platform)LOCATION:Remote First (San Francisco Bay Area Candidates Only)EMPLOYMENT TYPE:Fractional (8–10 hours/week) → Full-time upon Seed FundingCOMPENSATION:Equity-first (Pre-Seed) → Full salary + equity + bonus upon fundingREPORTS TO:CEO / FounderEQUITY RANGE:1.75%–3.0% (4-year vest, milestone top-ups)SENIORITY:Senior / Founding-Level (0→1 Platform Leadership with path to Chief Product Officer; possibility of increased equity)STAGE: Pre-Seed → Seed═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ABOUT NIVALTONivalto (currently in stealth mode) is buildingAURA, a luxury AI operating system designed for high-net-worth (HNW) and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) families and their advisors. Built on privacy-first AI orchestration and trust-based design, AURA helps Principals, Spouses, Heirs, and Advisors manage assets, relationships, and decisions across generations.Beyond wealth, Nivalto is developing thecritical infrastructure powering the emerging AI agent economy— a $400B+ market opportunity by 2030. We're solving the hardest challenges enterprises face when deploying AI agents at scale in regulated environments.Our platform unifiessecurity, governance, and compliancethrough a three-layer architecture:•Open Protocol:Industry-standard protocol for AI agent infrastructure (positioned for standardization)•Cloud Platform:SaaS control plane for enterprise deployment and management•Trusted Runtime & Edge Architecture:Secure, high-performance execution environments for governed agent workflowsMARKET OPPORTUNITYTotal Addressable Market:$413B by 2030• AI Infrastructure Platforms: $118B• Enterprise AI Services: $117B• Enterprise Network Infrastructure: $138B• Specialized Verticals: $40BTarget Customers:Enterprises deploying AI agents in regulated industries• Financial Services: Banks, wealth managers, insurance• Healthcare: Hospitals, payers, life sciences• Government: Federal agencies, defense contractors• Technology: Cloud providers and enterprise software vendorsWhy Now:• AI agent adoption accelerating rapidly• Increasing enterprise and regulatory requirements• Growing demand for enterprise-grade AI infrastructure• Market opportunity with limited incumbent solutionsWe have patent applications in progress, comprehensive technical specifications, and a roadmap═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════THE OPPORTUNITYWe're hiring aFounding Engineering Architectto lead technical architecture for our protocol and platform systems.This is a once-in-a-career opportunity to:• Define architecture for an open protocol positioned for industry standardization• Design enterprise-grade infrastructure and distributed software systems• Build next-generation platforms for a $400B+ market with minimal competition• Own substantial equity in a company targeting multi-billion-dollar scale• Shape the patent portfolio as a co-inventor on foundational IPThis isNOTan implementation role. This is architecture, specification, and technical leadership. You'll own the complete technical vision for our infrastructure.═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════WHAT YOU'LL OWNPrimary Responsibilities (Fractional Phase: 10–15 hours/week)1. PROTOCOL ARCHITECTURE• Refine protocol specification for standards submission• Design core technical mechanisms and data structures• Define protocol semantics and behavior• Architect end-to-end system flows• Create conformance test suites• Contribute to patent applications on key innovations2. CLOUD PLATFORM ARCHITECTURE• Design SaaS platform control plane architecture• Architect distributed services and data stores• Define API contracts and integration patterns• Design multi-tenant architecture and isolation• Create operational modes and deployment patterns• Design backend services and business logic• Define integration with major cloud platforms3. TRUSTED RUNTIME & EDGE ARCHITECTURE• Design high-performance runtime and edge environments• Architect optimized compute–software execution systems• Define data plane processing architectures• Specify system performance and resource management• Design operational modes and failure handling• Create fleet management and automation4. INTEGRATION & ECOSYSTEM• Collaborate with other architects on system integration• Define APIs and integration contracts• Coordinate with engineering leadership on roadmap• Engage with standards organizations5. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY• Co-invent on patent applications• Document novel technical approaches• Support patent prosecution with technical expertise• Named inventor on granted patents (standard assignment)Expansion Upon Seed Funding (Full-time: 40 hours/week)6. TEAM LEADERSHIP• Build and lead infrastructure engineering team• Hire VP of Software Engineering• Establish technical advisory board• Mentor architects and senior engineers7. PRODUCT ROADMAP• Drive products to production• Plan next-generation architectures• Roadmap 3–5 years of technology evolution8. ECOSYSTEM & PARTNERSHIPS• Partner with vendors• Engage with cloud providers on integration• Work with enterprise vendors on partnerships• Evangelize technology at industry conferences═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONSTechnical Expertise (Non-Negotiable)• 10+ years in large-scale systems and infrastructure architecture (Linux, Kubernetes, microservices)• Deep expertise in networking, distributed, and edge systems (gRPC, Envoy, NATS, Kafka, QUIC)• Strong foundation in security and systems engineering (PKI, mTLS, OAuth2/OIDC, Zero Trust, SPIFFE/SPIRE)• Experience designing runtime and policy frameworks (OPA, Rego, WASM, policy-as-code systems)• Proven record building scalable, high-performance platforms (Go, Rust, C++, observability, SLO tuning)• Proficient in systems and low-level languages for platform control (Go, Rust, C/C++, Python automation)Highly Valued Experience• Designed identity, routing, or policy enforcement systems (service mesh, SDN, BGP, Zero Trust networks)• Contributed to open standards or foundations (IETF, CNCF, W3C, OpenTelemetry, SPIFFE/SPIRE)• Built enterprise-grade control planes or distributed runtimes (AWS, GCP, Azure, OCI)• Experience at infrastructure, security, or AI orchestration companies (NVIDIA, HashiCorp, Databricks, Palo Alto Networks)• Deep background in distributed consensus and event systems (Raft, Paxos, Kafka Streams, etc.)• Filed patents or published work in secure networking, agent orchestration, or AI infrastructure• Led architecture for advanced cloud, AI, or security platforms at scalePreferred Former EmployersCandidates who have held senior architecture or engineering roles at leading infrastructure and AI platform companies such as:NVIDIA, Intel, AMD, ARMGoogle DeepMind, Google Cloud, Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Meta AIOpenAI, Anthropic, Cohere, Databricks, Snowflake, Scale AICisco, Juniper, Palo Alto Networks, Arista, FortinetVMware, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Red Hat, HashiCorpTesla AI, Apple AI/ML, IBM Research, Hewlett Packard EnterpriseTop-tier FinTech or WealthTech firms (Square, Stripe, Plaid, Addepar)Educational Background• MS or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field (preferred)• BS in relevant engineering discipline or equivalent experience (minimum)What We're NOT Looking For• Pure software architects without deep systems or infrastructure experience• Implementation-focused engineers (this is architecture, not coding)• Managers without deep technical background• Candidates requiring >20 hours/week during fractional phase• Non-US based candidates (time zone alignment critical)═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════COMPENSATION & EQUITYFractional Phase (Pre-Seed, 10–15 hours/week)Equity Only• Vesting: 4 years, cliff after 12 months• Founder-level allocation: 1–3%Patent Inventorship• Named as co-inventor on patent applications• Standard employee-invention assignment agreement• Patent bonuses upon key filings (upon funding)Full-time Conversion (Upon Seed Funding)Base Salary:$225,000 – $275,000Cash Bonus:20–30% of base (tied to milestones)Benefits Package:• Platinum-tier health, dental, vision (100% employee, 75% family)Upon Series A (12–18 months)• Base salary: $275,000 – $325,000• Promotion to Chief Architect or CTO track• Equity refresh: 1.5–2.5% ownership═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════HOW TO APPLYSend to• Resume/CV (PDF)• Cover letter (why excited, relevant experience, availability)• Technical writing sample (architecture doc or paper)We respond within 5 business days.═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERNivalto is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive environment. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status, age, or any other legally protected characteristic.We particularly encourage applications from underrepresented groups in technology.═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════FINAL THOUGHTSThis is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to define foundational infrastructure, design enterprise systems, build substantial wealth, and shape the future of AI infrastructure.If you've been waiting for the right founding team opportunity — technically sophisticated, well-funded, huge market, no legacy constraints —this is it.We're building something extraordinary. Join us.═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════Nivalto, Inc.