Software Engineer - MeritFirst

Department: MeritFirst

Location: Austin, TX

Employment Type: FullTime

About MeritFirst

At MeritFirst, we’re on a mission to revolutionize how companies identify and evaluate talent, regardless of background. By rejecting outdated, unreliable proxies for capability and embracing objective, merit-based assessments, we are rebuilding the meritocratic infrastructure of opportunity from the ground up.

Role Overview

As a Software Engineer at MeritFirst, you’ll be responsible for developing, testing, and deploying software solutions that meet the needs of our users. You’ll take features from initial idea to live product. Your work will power real‑time assessments, AI workflows, and tools that hiring managers rely on to build excellent teams. You will help transform the way organizations discover and empower talent across industries, setting a new standard for merit-based hiring.

What You’ll Do

• Own features end‑to‑end: work with our CEO, company partners, and candidate users to define scope and sketch UX.

• Build with Next.js + TypeScript, wire up data in Postgres / Drizzle, ship on Vercel, and iterate.

• Shape product direction: propose experiments, cut scope intelligently, and use data and feedback to guide future decisions.

• Keep things fast and reliable: instrument analytics / telemetry, write tests, review PRs, and improve performance and developer ergonomics.

Qualifications

Must-Haves

• Meaningful experience building production web apps withTypeScript / React / Next.js and Postgres (impact > exact years).

• Ability to design clean DB schemas, write performant queries, and reason about cost.

• Product mindset: enjoy clarifying the core problem and delighting users through UX polish.

• Crisp communication: written and async, and a bias toward action and ownership over waiting for direction.

Nice‑to‑Haves

• Experience with real‑time video or proctoring technology, AI/LLM pipelines, or large‑scale assessment platforms.

• Passion for meritocracy and building products that broaden access to opportunity.

Why Join Us?

• Autonomy: rapid growth with outsized ownership and scope.

• Modern stack: TypeScript, Next.js, Postgres, Drizzle, Vercel, LLMs.

• Meritocracy: We focus on real capabilities, not credentials. You’ll be assessed based on your skills and ability to execute, not the name of your school or employer.

• Innovation: Work on cutting-edge projects that challenge the status quo and empower people to succeed.

• Backed by the best: We’re funded by 8VC and Slow Ventures, with support from world-class builders like Joe Lonsdale and Sam Lessin who’ve helped scale some of the most influential tech companies of the last decade.

Our Process

We practice what we preach. Core to our thesis is that resumes, school names, and pedigree are poor proxies for capability. We want to see what you can actually do.

We have designed a hiring process that gives everyone a fair shot to showcase their skills through objective work samples.

The Steps:

1. Assessment 1 (The Gateway): Linked here. Want to jump the line? You can start this right now. We prioritize candidates who have data on the board.

2. Team Screen: A conversation with a member of our team to discuss your background, our company, and the results of your first assessment.

3. Assessment 2 (The Deep Dive).

4. Work Sample Debrief: A deep-dive interview where we discuss your approach to Assessment 2.

5. Final Sync: A final conversation with one or more members of our team.

Important Note on Location:

We are an in-person team based in Austin, TX. We believe the speed of iteration required at this stage happens best when we are in the same room.

The "No Dead Ends" Guarantee:

Even if this specific role isn't the right fit - or if the location doesn't work out - your effort won't be wasted. By completing our assessments, you will create a verified profile in the MeritFirst Talent Network. This allows you to showcase your validated skills to other world-class companies in our ecosystem without having to apply from scratch.