Ship products by orchestrating intelligence
Engineering roles are shifting. The day-to-day is now orchestrating AI agents, writing precise specifications, and validating what they produce — but that only works on a solid engineering foundation. You still need to reason about code, debug production issues, and make sound architectural decisions.
1QLabs is a venture studio that creates AI-powered businesses on enterprise-grade cell-based infrastructure, where security, compliance, portability and transparency are baked in from day one. Agentic workflows have changed how we deliver: POCs that used to take sprints now take hours — throwaway by design, built to validate assumptions and define what the MVP needs. MVPs are then purpose-built from the ground up for production. This rapid POC-to-MVP cycle is the rhythm you'll work in every day.
What you'll do
- Use agentic coding tools (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex) as your primary mode of building — designing specifications, directing agents, and reviewing their output. Manual coding still matters, but agentic workflows drive the day-to-day rhythm
- Write detailed task specifications, tickets and contractual prompts that translate product requirements into precise agent instructions. Build and maintain agent harnesses — the scaffolding, guardrails and feedback loops that keep agents productive
- Review and debug AI-generated code with the same rigour you'd apply to human-written code, and implement testing and validation pipelines that catch agent errors before production
- Build responsive web apps (React/Next.js/TypeScript) and server-side systems (Node.js), design API contracts (REST, tRPC, gRPC), and create AI-assisted workflows and multi-agent networks
- Build within cell-based architectures where security, compliance, data isolation, portability and transparency are structural requirements
- Partner with technical co-founders and UX leads across multiple ventures, context-switching effectively while documenting decisions and agent configurations for the team
What you'll bring
Engineering skills
- TypeScript and React/Next.js — you can build, debug and reason about modern frontend and full-stack applications
- System design and API contracts — experience designing scalable systems and typed API contracts (REST, tRPC, gRPC), with an understanding of enterprise requirements like data isolation, audit trails and compliance-by-design
The agentic layer
- Agent orchestration fluency — demonstrated experience using AI coding agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Codex or similar) as core productivity tools, not just autocomplete
- Specification and prompt design — you can write detailed, purpose-driven tickets and contractual prompts that reliably produce correct agent output
- Code review and quality ownership — you can read, review and debug code you didn't write, whether produced by an agent or a teammate, and maintain quality across AI-augmented codebases
Nice to have
- Python for backend services, data pipelines, AI/ML integration or scripting
- AI orchestration frameworks (LangChain, LangGraph, CrewAI, AutoGen, MCP) or multi-agent system design
- Familiarity with cell-based infrastructure, zero-trust networking or compliance-by-design patterns
- Flutter or React Native for mobile, used selectively across some ventures
- Experience in regulated industries or venture studio / multi-product environments
Technologies you'll work with
- Agentic: Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Codex, MCP, Agent Skills
- Frontend: React, Next.js, TypeScript
- Backend: Node.js, tRPC, gRPC, Python, PostgreSQL, Firestore, LangChain/LangGraph
- Infrastructure: GCP, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, cell-based architecture
- AI/ML: Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, Vertex AI
Your first six months
- 30 days: get up to speed on our infrastructure, enterprise patterns and agentic workflows, and ship your first POC using agent-first methods
- 90 days: contribute across multiple ventures, take ownership of features end-to-end, and start establishing your agent harness patterns
- 6 months: own complex features, contribute to architecture decisions, and help shape how the team works with agentic workflows
Why this role is different
- Multiplied impact — your engineering and orchestration skills launch multiple startups, not just ship one feature
- Enterprise-grade environment — infrastructure where security, compliance, portability and transparency are structural
- Cutting-edge practice — the latest agent frameworks, MCP integrations and Agent Skills, shaping products from concept to launch
- Define the role — help establish what "agentic engineer" means in practice
What we offer
Base salary of $80,000–$120,000 AUD depending on experience, plus bonus. Flexible PTO, a professional development budget, and a remote-first culture. The role is remote-first but Sydney-based, with overlap expected on Sydney hours.
Our interview process
Our process reflects the role — we evaluate both your engineering skills and how you work with AI agents.
- Portfolio review (async) — projects demonstrating strong engineering, agentic workflows, AI integration or multi-product work
- Intro call (30 minutes) — get to know each other and explore fit
- Agentic challenge (take-home) — build a small React and API integration using AI agents. We assess your engineering decisions, orchestration approach, code review process and final output quality
- Technical interviews (1–2 rounds) — architecture discussion, system design, agent workflow walkthrough and a code review exercise
- Reference checks — 2–3 professional references
How to apply
Apply through this ad with your resume and a portfolio, especially projects showing engineering depth and agentic workflows. In your cover note (max 300 words), tell us how you use AI agents in your development workflow today and how that complements your engineering skills. Include your timezone and your Sydney availability hours.
We review applications weekly and respond within 5 business days. 1QLabs welcomes diverse perspectives — we're building a team of engineers who combine deep technical skill with agentic fluency.
Pay: $80,000.00 – $120,000.00 per year
Work Location: Remote
