Staff Software Engineer, AI - Elite Squad Team at Ironcladhq

Ironclad is the leading AI contracting platform that transforms agreements into assets. Contracts move faster, insights surface instantly, and agents push work forward, all with you in control. Whether you’re buying or selling, Ironclad unifies the entire process on one intelligent platform, providing leaders with the visibility they need to stay one step ahead. That’s why the world’s most transformative organizations, from Rivian to the World Health Organization and the Associated Press, trust Ironclad to accelerate their business. We’re consistently recognized as a leader in the industry: a Leader in the Forrester Wave and Gartner Magic Quadrant for Contract Lifecycle Management, a Fortune Great Place to Work, and one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Workplaces. Ironclad has also been named to Forbes’ AI 50 and Business Insider’s list of Companies to Bet Your Career On. We’re backed by leading investors including Accel, Y Combinator, Sequoia, BOND, and Franklin Templeton. For more information, visit www.ironcladapp.com [Upgrade to PRO to see link] or follow us on LinkedIn. ABOUT THE ROLE We are building a new elite Squad Team: a small, high-leverage engineering group focused on fast-moving, high-priority AI initiatives across Ironclad. This is not a traditional team tied to one surface area for years. Instead, the Squad Team is designed to move quickly across product and platform boundaries: incubating new AI capabilities, accelerating strategic bets, unblocking critical delivery gaps, and helping bring promising ideas from concept to production. As a Staff Software Engineer on the Squad Team, you will be one of the technical anchors for this effort, and report to VP Engineering of AI. You will work across multiple codebases (including starting new ones) and domains, partner closely with product and engineering leaders, and help us execute some of the company’s most important AI initiatives. You should be excited about ambiguity, energized by fast context switching, and motivated by building real products that deliver customer value quickly. This role is ideal for a high-agency builder who combines strong technical depth with product sense, urgency, and excellent judgment. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Lead the design and delivery of high-priority AI initiatives across Ironclad, from early prototype through production launch. - Rapidly ramp into new systems, codebases, and problem areas, and drive execution with minimal hand-holding. - Incubate new product ideas in areas such as contract AI, agentic workflows, intelligent extraction, search, and automation. - Partner closely with product, design, legal domain experts, and go-to-market teams to turn customer needs into shipped product. - Raise the engineering bar through strong technical judgment, crisp execution, and pragmatic use of AI-assisted development tools. - Identify organizational or technical bottlenecks and help close them, whether by building, debugging, simplifying, or unblocking teams. - Mentor other engineers through hands-on leadership, code reviews, technical direction, and example-setting. - Help shape how Ironclad builds with modern AI systems, including evals, orchestration, prompting, retrieval, and production quality standards. WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR LEADERSHIP AND EXECUTION - Significant experience building and shipping production software in fast-paced environments. - A strong track record of leading ambiguous, cross-functional efforts and turning them into concrete outcomes. - High agency and ownership: you see gaps, form a point of view, and drive things forward. - Strong bias to action, with the ability to balance speed and quality. - Excellent collaboration skills and low ego; you work well by influence, not just authority. TECHNICAL STRENGTH - Strong software engineering fundamentals, especially in backend systems and distributed systems. - Ability to learn unfamiliar systems quickly and be productive in codebases you did not originally build. - Experience building AI-powered product features, platforms, or internal developer systems. - Familiarity with modern LLM application patterns such as agentic workflows, retrieval, evals, tool use, and quality/error analysis. - Comfort using AI coding tools to accelerate development, while maintaining engineering rigor and sound judgment. PRODUCT MINDSET - Strong product instinct and customer empathy. - You care not just about whether a system works, but whether it solves an important user problem. - Excitement about iterating quickly, learning from real usage, and improving product quality over time. WHY THIS ROLE IS DIFFERENT The Squad Team is meant to be a force multiplier for the organization. You won’t be limited to one narrow lane. You’ll help us: - incubate new AI product bets - accelerate critical initiatives - fill execution gaps where speed and technical depth matter most - bring strong engineering craftsmanship to the company’s most strategic work This role is a great fit for someone who loves operating like a founder inside a company: moving quickly, solving hard problems, and creating leverage wherever it matters most. HOW WE WORK We believe in technical leaders who stay close to the work. This role is highly hands-on. You will spend most of your time building, designing, debugging, and driving execution, while also mentoring others and helping shape technical direction. You’ll join a team that values: - urgency with good judgment - high ownership - product thinking - strong engineering craft - practical, fast learning - low ego and high collaboration TECH STACK Our stack includes TypeScript, React, Node.js, and cloud-native infrastructure. Experience with the exact stack is less important than your ability to learn quickly, operate across systems, and ship high-quality work. WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE In this role, success means you: - help launch meaningful new AI capabilities faster - unblock important initiatives across teams - elevate execution quality wherever you engage - become a trusted technical leader for high-priority, cross-cutting work - help Ironclad build durable advantage in contract AI BASE SALARY RANGES: - Staff: $210,000 - $260,000 The base salary range represents the minimum and maximum of the salary range for this position based at our San Francisco headquarters. The actual base salary offered for this position will depend on numerous factors, including individual proficiency, anticipated performance, and the location of the selected candidate. Our base salary is just one component of Ironclad’s competitive total rewards package, which also includes equity awards (a new hire grant, along with opportunities for additional awards throughout your tenure), competitive health and wellness benefits, and a commitment to career growth and development. US Full-Time Employee Benefits at Ironclad: - 100% health coverage for employees (medical, dental, and vision), and 75% coverage for dependents with buy-up plan options available - Market-leading leave policies, including gender-neutral parental leave and compassionate leave - Family forming support through Maven for you and your partner - Paid time off - take the time you need, when you need it - Monthly stipends for wellbeing, hybrid work, and (if applicable) cell phone use - Mental health support through Modern Health, including therapy, coaching, and digital tools - Pre-tax commuter benefits (US Employees) - 401(k) plan with Fidelity with employer match (US Employees) - Regular team events to connect, recharge, and have fun - And most importantly: the opportunity to help build the company you want to work at **UK Employee-specific benefits are included on our UK job postings Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.