Founding Software Engineer (Equity-first)

## About the role Auckland-based preferred. Some overlap with NZ time zones is important. ## About KiBi Parents don't struggle to find options. They struggle to know what will actually work for their family. Every day, parents make decisions around activities, outings, holidays, and experiences using fragmented information, generic recommendations, and guesswork. We're building KiBi to change that. KiBi is building the decision intelligence layer for families: helping parents move from uncertainty to confident decisions. Travel is our entry point. The bigger opportunity is becoming the trusted system families rely on when decisions matter. We're early, focused, and building for the long term. ## The Opportunity We're looking for a Founding Technical Partner to help build the technical foundations of KiBi. Initially: - 15–25 hours per week - Equity-first - Hands-on - High autonomy As we raise capital or reach agreed milestones, the intention is to transition into a full-time salaried role with long-term technical leadership responsibility. This is not a contract role. This is not a "build tickets and disappear" role. You'll help shape how the company is built from the ground up. ## What You'll Do - Build and improve core product systems - Help define architecture and technical standards - Work across frontend, backend, APIs, and data flows - Review and coordinate contributions from the team - Make smart trade-offs between speed, quality, and future scalability - Keep systems clean, simple, and maintainable - Occasionally stop us from doing something unnecessarily complicated ## Who We're Looking For You probably: - Think in systems, not just features - Have startup or zero-to-one experience - Care about clean data and clean architecture - Work well without perfect instructions - Are comfortable making decisions under uncertainty - Know when not to use AI - Know when not to introduce Kafka, Kubernetes, or seventeen microservices Bonus points if you: - Have built products from scratch - Have experience with AI, RAG, or recommendation systems - Enjoy simplifying messy systems - Can explain technical decisions like a normal human ## You Probably Won't Enjoy This If - You need highly structured environments - You prefer meetings over shipping - You optimise for titles over ownership - You want someone else to make every decision - You think every problem needs another framework ## What You'll Get - Meaningful equity - Real ownership - Fast learning and growth - A pathway into long-term technical leadership - The chance to help build something families may genuinely rely on one day ## What's Next Visit our website and spend a few minutes understanding what we're building and why. Read through our manifesto and decide whether our mission, stage, and way of working genuinely resonate with you. If this excites you and you'd like to explore the opportunity further, please complete the application form here. We'll review all applications carefully and contact shortlisted candidates regarding the next stage. We wish you all the best, and if KiBi feels like the right fit, we're excited to hear your story.