Software Engineer

C1.ai is building a horizontal identity platform

Identity is becoming the control plane for modern companies. Every organization runs on dozens - sometimes hundreds - of systems that need to answer the same basic question: who can do what, when, and why?

The old approach doesn’t hold up. It’s either IT teams duct-taping systems together, or rigid IGA tools that only work across a narrow set of HR and SSO integrations. That’s not going to cut it for the next decade.

We’re building something more foundational: a horizontal identity platform that any company - and increasingly, any AI agent - can plug into to understand and manage access. SaaS apps, infrastructure, internal tools, AI agents - if it has a concept of “who,” it should connect to us.

We’re still small, and we move fast. If you want to help build this from the ground up, you’ll have real ownership here.

How engineering works here

We don’t hire into narrow roles - we hire strong engineers.

Most work comes from a shared pool of high-impact projects, and we assign it based on where it matters most. Some teams own specific areas where deep expertise pays off, but we don’t optimize for rigid ownership. We optimize for shipping.

By default, engineers here are generalists. You’re expected to take things end-to-end: design the data model, build the API, ship the UI, roll it out, and talk to customers. The lines between frontend, backend, and infra aren’t where the real work happens.

That said, we do hire specialists. If you’ve gone deep in areas like connectors, performance, security, or distributed systems - and you’ve shipped meaningful work there - we want to talk. Just know that even specialists here step outside their lane when needed.

We hire across levels, but the baseline is consistent: you can operate independently and deliver in a modern engineering environment. That usually maps to a strong senior level or above. We hold a high bar, and every new hire is expected to raise it.

What you’ll do

- Take on projects that matter and see them through to production.
- Build features end-to-end, from data model to UI, and own them after launch.
- Make decisions about architecture, scope, and tradeoffs without waiting around for direction.
- Work closely with customers, design, and product to figure out what’s actually worth building.
- Contribute to a high standard of code quality, system design, and operational reliability.

What we look for

You likely:

- Have built and operated real production systems.
- Are comfortable moving across the stack, and know when to go deep.
- Prefer getting things done over debating ownership or process.
- Communicate clearly, especially in writing.
- Use AI tools because they make you more effective.

You might also:

- Have deep experience in identity, security, distributed systems, or large-scale data systems.
- Have worked at a fast-growing startup and know what that environment demands.
- Have built products or platforms for other developers.

How we work

- Impact matters more than ownership.
- We’d rather ship something real than talk about it.
- People here are trusted to operate independently.
- If something isn’t working, we fix it properly - we don’t paper over it.
- Using AI effectively is expected, not optional.

Compensation & benefits

Salary range: $180k - $250k

- Meaningful equity
- Full medical, dental, and vision coverage
- In-office in Portland, San Francisco, or New York
- Solid benefits across the board

Hiring philosophy

We care about both excellence and grit. You don’t need to check every single box to apply - if this feels like the kind of place you want to build, we’d like to hear from you.

c1.ai is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.