Founding Engineer (Data, Fullstack, Platform)

About In The Loop (ITL)

In The Loop (ITL) is a vertical software platform transforming the massive, overlooked world of secondhand retail. Thrift stores move billions of items every year, yet many still rely on handwritten tags, guess-based pricing, and fragmented systems. We’re changing that.

Over the past year, we’ve partnered with some of the largest thrift operations in the country and have helped process 85,000+ garments per month. With demand surging and new product modules shipping, we’re officially in scaling mode.

We’re backed by leaders across resale and e-commerce, including eBay, the former CTO of Depop, and the former CTO of Hepsiburada.

What We Build

Our system plugs directly into the workflows of thrift processors, POS systems, and e-commerce marketplaces. We help stores move from:

• Handwritten tags → automated listings
• Guess-based pricing → dynamic, data-driven pricing
• Lost revenue → recovered value
• Static, messy dashboards → dynamic, daily operational views

Why This Space Matters

• Massive, broken industry: The $211B re-commerce market is growing fast, but infrastructure is decades behind.
• Complex workflows: Every store and warehouse looks different, making this a perfect playground for problem-solvers.
• First movers: No one else is building a purpose-built production system for thrift.
• Clear ROI: Customers see velocity increases and revenue lift in months, not years.

We’re a small, product-obsessed team with deep experience in AI, resale, and reverse logistics. We’ve built and scaled startup products from 0 → 1, and at ITL everyone wears multiple hats and is deeply invested in customer success.

The Role: Founding Engineer (Data, Full Stack & Platform)

We’re hiring a Founding Engineer to work directly with the founder and core team across data systems, platform infrastructure, experimentation, and full stack development.

This is a true early-stage role. You’ll have real ownership over production systems, experimental workflows (including wearable device integrations), and the infrastructure that enables rapid iteration — not just tickets or isolated features.

This role is ideal for a high-agency early-career engineer who wants responsibility, mentorship, and the opportunity to grow into a senior technical leader.

What You’ll OwnData & Experimentation

• Implement and run experiments across pricing, attributes, and capture workflows
• Build and maintain data pipelines and analysis tooling
• Translate hypotheses into runnable experiments with measurable outcomes
• Work closely with the founder on experiment design and interpretation

Platform & Systems

• Own core backend services and APIs (Python)
• Implement guardrails, validation, and fallbacks so experimentation doesn’t break production
• Support and unblock other engineers working on the product
• Turn prototypes into reliable, reusable services

Full Stack Development

• Contribute meaningfully to our React + TypeScript frontend
• Build internal tools, dashboards, and admin views
• Integrate new data streams and workflows into the web app

Experimental R&D (Core)

• Own the software-side integration of wearable capture devices
• Prototype streaming, session management, and ingestion pipelines
• Iterate quickly with real hardware in the loop
• Decide what is demo-ready vs production-ready, with guidance

Who You Are

• Early-career engineer or new graduate with strong fundamentals and an ambitious portfolio
• Comfortable working across React, Python, and JavaScript/TypeScript
• Excited by ambiguity and real-world systems
• Interested in data, experimentation, and product impact
• Curious about hardware × software problems
• Comfortable asking questions and iterating quickly

Backgrounds We’re Excited About

• CS, Data Science, or Economics + CS
• Undergraduate research, startups, hackathons, or side projects
• People who want to build real systems, not just optimize resumes

Why This Role Is Special

• True founding-level ownership
• Direct mentorship from the founder
• Exposure to customers, data, and real business decisions
• Hardware + software + data in one role
• Equity that actually matters
• Clear growth path into senior or lead engineering roles

Compensation & Growth

We’re operating with an early-stage budget, but we optimize for:

• Scope and ownership
• Learning and mentorship
• Equity upside
• Rapid growth in responsibility

Compensation: Approximately $80k base + meaningful equity, with room to grow as the company scales.

How to Apply

Send a short intro and your resume or LinkedIn profile to

zahra@intheloopai.com

Please also include:

• GitHub + projects (especially systems you built end-to-end)
• Any hardware-adjacent, data, or experimental work