How to apply for Founding Software Engineer

About tocco.earth

tocco.earth is an AI-driven platform that connects sustainable materials innovators with brands, directly tackling the climate crisis by accelerating the adoption of eco-friendly materials. As a founding engineer, you'll join at the ground floor of a mission-driven startup where your work has immediate environmental impact and shapes the company's technical direction.

About the role

As the Founding Software Engineer, you'll design and build the core technology platform, from user interface to backend systems, while making critical technical decisions and building a development team. You'll work directly with the founding team to create a seamless B2B SaaS experience that enables companies to discover and integrate sustainable materials, leveraging climate datasets and carbon computing models.

A typical day

Your day might start with a stand-up with the founding team to align on priorities, followed by coding new features for the platform's user interface or backend APIs. You'll spend time reviewing code, mentoring junior developers, and experimenting with climate datasets to improve matching algorithms. In the afternoon, you might meet with material innovators or brand representatives to gather feedback, then make architectural decisions to scale the platform, all while keeping the mission to combat climate change at the forefront.

Who tocco.earth is looking for

• 4+ years of full-stack software engineering experience, ideally in a startup or B2B SaaS environment, with a proven track record of building scalable web applications.
• Proficiency in JavaScript and the PERN stack (PostgreSQL, Express.js, React, Node.js) or similar technologies, with the ability to architect and implement end-to-end solutions.
• Experience or strong interest in climate tech, sustainable materials, or carbon accounting, and comfort working with climate-related datasets and algorithms.
• Demonstrated leadership potential, with the ability to mentor developers, make strategic technical decisions, and thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous startup setting.
• Fluent in English with excellent communication skills, capable of collaborating effectively with a global team and translating business needs into technical requirements.

Tips for this application

• Highlight any previous experience in early-stage startups or building products from scratch, emphasizing your ability to wear multiple hats and drive technical vision.
• Showcase projects where you worked with climate data, sustainability metrics, or carbon computing—even if personal projects—to demonstrate alignment with tocco.earth's mission.
• In your resume or cover letter, specifically mention the PERN stack and give examples of how you've used PostgreSQL, Express.js, React, and Node.js together in production.
• Demonstrate leadership by describing instances where you mentored developers, led a team, or made key architectural decisions that impacted a product's success.
• Research tocco.earth's current product and suggest specific technical improvements or features you could implement, showing initiative and genuine interest in their mission.

What to cover in your cover letter

1. Your passion for climate tech and how your technical skills can accelerate the adoption of sustainable materials. 2. Concrete examples of full-stack projects using the PERN stack or similar, highlighting scalability and user experience. 3. Your experience in startup environments and ability to make strategic technical decisions under uncertainty. 4. Your approach to leadership and mentoring, with examples of how you've helped teams grow and succeed.

Research before applying

• Explore tocco.earth's website and product to understand their current features, target audience (brands and material innovators), and how they use AI to match materials.
• Research the sustainable materials landscape and common challenges brands face in adopting eco-friendly materials, to speak knowledgeably about the problem space.
• Look into the founders' backgrounds and any interviews or articles they've published to understand their vision and technical priorities.
• Investigate common carbon computing models and climate datasets (e.g., LCA databases) to familiarize yourself with the data the platform might handle.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Technical architecture decisions: How would you design a scalable platform to match sustainable materials innovators with brands, considering data processing and user experience?
• Climate data handling: Describe your experience with climate datasets or carbon computing models, and how you would integrate them into the platform.
• Startup challenges: How have you navigated technical debt, rapid iteration, and shifting priorities in a startup environment?
• Team leadership: How would you build and mentor a growing engineering team while maintaining code quality and meeting sprint goals?
• PERN stack deep dive: Walk us through a complex feature you built using PostgreSQL, Express.js, React, and Node.js, including challenges and solutions.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying with a generic resume that doesn't highlight startup experience, full-stack proficiency, or climate interest—tocco.earth needs someone who can hit the ground running in a mission-driven environment.
• Focusing only on technical skills without demonstrating leadership potential or alignment with the company's sustainability mission, as the role requires both.
• Neglecting to research the company's product and market, leading to vague answers about why you want to work there and how you can contribute specifically.