Job Details

About Retell AI

At Retell AI, we're not just automating calls-we're transforming how the world communicates. Our AI voice agents are reshaping sales, support, and customer engagement for leading brands. Backed by Alt Capital, Y Combinator, and top-tier investors, we've raised $4.7M in seed funding and hit $14M ARR with just 12 people.

We're one of the fastest-growing Voice AI startups and we're on a mission to become the standard for voice automation at scale. We're also one of the top ranking startups at

About the Role

As a Founding Senior Forward Deployed Engineer, you'll deliver Retell's voice AI solutions to enterprise clients, embedding with their teams to build production-ready systems. You'll bridge technical and non-technical stakeholders with exceptional communication, driving adoption and shaping our platform through customer insights.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of projects using Retell's voice agent platform - from prototyping to production, communicating progress and risks clearly.
• Become go-to experts on building voice AI solutions, especially LLM prompting tips & tricks.
• Build full-stack integrations (Python, JavaScript) with enterprise tools (e.g. CRMs, ERPs, scheduling tools)
• Partner with sales to engage clients to gather requirements, prototype demos, and present system designs.
• Scope projects, resolve blockers, and align teams with concise updates.
• Codify reusable patterns into tools or platform components.
• Translate field feedback into actionable product and GTM recommendations.

You Might Thrive If You

• Have 2+ years in customer-facing technical roles (e.g., Solutions Engineer, Technical PM, Customer Success/Support engineer, Ex-founder).
• Excel at communication & explaining complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Have delivered systems in fast-paced, ambiguous settings.
• Write production-grade code (Python, JavaScript, or similar).
• Understand LLM-powered systems and their impact on user experience.
• Proactively manage risks and maintain momentum under pressure.

Job Details

• Job Type: Full-time, 70 hr/week (50 hr/week onsite with flexible hours + 20 hr/week work from home)
• Cash: 215k - 290k
• Equity: 0.15 - 0.35%
• Location: Redwood City, CA, US
• US Visas: Sponsors Visa & Green Card

Other Benefits

• 100% medical, dental, vision insurance coverage
• Unlimited breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks
• Gym and daily commute fee reimbursement
• Internet and phone bills covered

Compensation Philosophy

• Best Offer Upfront: Choose from three cash-equity balance options; no negotiation needed.
• Top 1% Talent: Above-market pay (top 5 percentile) to attract exceptional builders.
• High Ownership: Small teams, >$1M revenue/employee, and significant equity.
• Performance-Based: Offers tied to interview performance, not experience or past salaries.

Interview Process

1. Online Assessment (30 min): 2 CoderPad coding questions on practical problem-solving (7 days to complete).
2. Technical Phone Interview (30 min): Live coding on CoderPad, explaining your approach.
3. Customer-Focused Interview (30 min): Virtual discussion on solving a customer scenario.
4. Onsite/Virtual Interviews (2-3 hrs): Hosted in our office if located in the Bay Area or virtual, with three rounds:
   
   1. Communication: Persuade and align stakeholders.
   2. Architecture Case: Design a production-ready system.
   3. Problem-Solving: Build a full-stack solution under constraints in any basic environment setup like python, java, node.js, etc.

Learn More

Retell AI - API That Turns Your LLM Into A Human-Like Voice Agent

Retell AI Basics: Everything You Need to Start Building Voice Agents

Join Retell AI to shape the future of voice automation with your technical expertise and communication skills.