Founding Engineer / MLE / Neurotech / Chicago

A stealth-stage neurotechnology startup based in Chicago is hiring a Founding Engineer to help build a first-of-its-kind wearable system focused on real-time brainwave monitoring and predictive health insights. This is a ground-floor opportunity to shape both the core technology and the long-term technical direction of a mission-driven company developing next-generation medical hardware and intelligent software.

In this role, you’ll work across hardware, embedded systems, and data-driven software to bring a cutting-edge biosensing device from prototype through real-world deployment. You’ll collaborate closely with research, product, and clinical stakeholders while helping establish engineering best practices, architecture decisions, and early technical culture. This is a full-time, on-site position in Chicago with significant ownership and impact. Required Skills & Experience

• Strong experience developing production-grade software in Python, C++, or similar languages.
• Proven ability to design and train computer vision or deep learning models from scratch (e.g., CNNs, transformers), including data preparation, training workflows, and evaluation.
• Hands-on experience working with hardware-integrated systems, embedded devices, or IoT products.
• Solid understanding of signal processing, time-series data, or other sensor-driven data systems.
• Experience building and testing systems that combine firmware, software, and physical devices.
• Ability to troubleshoot complex cross-disciplinary technical issues.
• Comfortable working in early-stage environments with evolving requirements.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.

Desired Skills & Experience

• Experience applying computer vision or deep learning techniques to biomedical or sensor-based data.
• Familiarity with EEG, biosignals, or other physiological data streams.
• Knowledge of FDA or other medical device regulatory frameworks.
• Experience developing data pipelines, analytics tools, or ML-enabled systems for sensor data.
• Prior experience as an early or founding engineer at a startup.
• Exposure to low-power system design or wearable technology development.

What You Will Be Doing Tech Breakdown:

• 35% Embedded and device-level software development
• 30% Machine learning model development (including training deep learning models from scratch)
• 20% Signal/data processing and algorithm implementation
• 15% System integration, testing, and performance optimization

Daily Responsibilities:

• Design and implement software that interfaces directly with wearable sensing hardware.
• Develop and train deep learning models (such as CNNs or transformer-based architectures) to extract meaningful patterns from complex physiological and sensor data.
• Build systems for collecting, processing, and analyzing real-time biosignal data.
• Collaborate with hardware engineers to ensure tight integration between firmware and device components.
• Build internal tools and infrastructure for model training, validation, and performance monitoring.
• Contribute to technical roadmap decisions, architecture design, and engineering standards.
• Support product iteration cycles by rapidly prototyping, testing, and refining system components.
• Work cross-functionally with research and clinical partners to translate scientific insights into reliable product features.

The Offer You will receive the following benefits:

• Competitive salary and meaningful early-stage equity.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage.
• Opportunity to be a foundational member of a mission-driven Chicago startup.
• Direct influence on product direction, technical architecture, and team growth.
• Fast-paced environment with real-world impact in advanced health technology.

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