Senior Full-Stack Engineer
Starlight is hiring a founding-level Senior Full-Stack Engineer to help build the infrastructure that connects households to government benefits, in a high-ownership role as part of building out an "AI-first" engineering org. The company is a B2B2C fintech serving financial institutions (credit unions) whose members access $100B+ in unclaimed government benefits annually, lost to fragmented, hard-to-navigate systems. You'll work across the stack — backend API, TypeScript/React frontend, cloud infrastructure — with significant influence over architecture and engineering culture. The role explicitly involves experimenting with AI coding/agent tools to figure out where they genuinely improve the team's output. This is a build-and-shape role at an early-stage startup: expect loosely-scoped, high-autonomy projects, direct exposure to company strategy, and responsibility for foundational systems (eligibility engines, partner integrations, AI-native agents, and communication infrastructure) from the ground up. Remote US, NYC preferred (remote hires travel to NYC quarterly).
Responsibilities
- - Build the eligibility/application engine tracking benefit eligibility for hundreds of thousands of households
- - Develop secure partner integrations (data exchange, SSO, versioned APIs) connecting financial institutions to the platform
- - Help build AI-native, autonomous agents that navigate complex benefits systems
- - Design messaging/communication systems (email, SMS, in-app) guiding households through applications
- - Establish evidence-based, experimentation-driven product development practices and infrastructure
- - Shape technical direction and engineering culture as a founding-level engineer
Benefits & Perks
Requirements
- - 5-7+ years building and shipping production systems
- - Full-stack capability, with strength in TypeScript/React or cloud infrastructure preferred
- - Track record of autonomous ownership on loosely-scoped, ambiguous projects
- - Product-focused engineering mindset; comfortable shipping quickly without sacrificing quality
- - Curiosity about and experience with AI agents / applied ML
- - Willingness to be NYC-based or travel to NYC quarterly if remote
About Starlight
Starlight is a fintech/GovTech startup, founded by CEO Catherine Xu, that partners with credit unions and other financial institutions to connect households with unclaimed government benefits (SNAP, housing, Medicaid/ACA, LIHEAP, childcare subsidies, tax credits, and more) — addressing the $100B+ left unclaimed annually due to fragmented eligibility systems. Its embedded platform uses income and spending data plus an AI-powered coach to check eligibility and guide members through applications.
Company Size
11-50 employees employees
Industry
FinTech / GovTech / AI
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