Founding Engineer, Unit 26

Description

The company is a global product design and technology business with a portfolio of lifestyle products sold in homes around the world under the Shark and Ninja brands. It has more than 4,100 associates, is headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts, and sells through major retailers online and in stores, plus distributors worldwide. It aims to launch 25 new products a year.

The company is building an AI-native way of working and expects people to test new tools and push what can be done for consumers. Unit 26 is the team that builds what the company itself needs.

Unit 26 is a small group of builders that works on problems no one clearly owns and no existing tool solves. The team reports to the CEO's Chief of Staff, has executive sponsorship, and has access to the C-suite from the start. Once a build ships, it goes to the business unit that needs it, and the team moves on to the next problem.

The team starts with eight builders drawn from inside and outside the company.

Responsibilities

• Work with teams across the company to find what needs to change and what a successful solution must do.
• Own the build. The output depends on the problem and could be an app, an algorithm, an AI agent that removes thousands of hours of manual work, or a system that does not yet exist.
• Some work will change how the company operates, some will go into its products, and some will be new ideas.
• Find and define unowned problems that span several functions, where one solution can remove constraints for multiple teams.
• Work with business leaders to set the problem, its constraints, and what success looks like.
• Design and build production-grade software and systems, including applications, algorithms, data platforms, integrations, and AI agents.
• Measure results in hours saved, dollars unlocked, and speed gained.
• Make quick, practical calls on architecture and whether to build or buy, favoring the fastest route to proven impact.
• Ship the work, then hand it over with documentation, training, and support so the business unit can run and scale it.
• Move on to the next challenge and repeat the cycle.

Requirements

• Strong hands-on software and systems architect with commercial judgment and a strong sense of urgency.
• 5+ years designing, building, and shipping complex software and systems in production, with deep skill in at least one modern language such as Python, TypeScript, or C.
• A track record of taking unclear, high-stakes problems from nothing to a shipped result, owning the outcome end to end.
• Solid systems thinking across cloud architecture, APIs, data engineering, and integration with enterprise systems.
• Hands-on experience building with LLMs, AI agents, or machine learning is a strong plus.
• Business sense: you can size an opportunity, build the case for it, and measure its return.
• The credibility to earn trust from executives and frontline staff and turn business needs into working solutions.
• Bias to action, comfort with ambiguity, and ownership of results rather than just output.
• Bachelor's degree required.

Conditions

Salary range: $115,000 - $200,000 USD per year.

Starting pay within the range depends on geography or market, skills, education, experience, and other qualifications.

This is a pipeline opening and is not tied to a specific open role.

The company is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and encourages all associates to bring their full selves to work.

Culture: the company expects people to go beyond what is expected and to step outside their usual scope.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, and an HSA with company contribution.
• 401(k) with company match, an employee stock purchase program, and life and AD&D insurance.
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance, generous paid time off, company holidays, and parental leave.
• Identity theft protection, pet insurance, pre-paid legal insurance, and back-up child and eldercare days.
• Product discounts, a referral bonus program, and learning programs for personal and career growth.
• Benefits are subject to applicable eligibility requirements, and more are available.