Lead Software Engineer

About Foray

Foray builds new ways of collaborating with plants to ensure lasting access to plant products we need and the ecosystems that provide them at the intersection of biotechnology, software, and climate impact. Today, nearly 40% of plant species are threatened with extinction, and conventional methods of plant sourcing exacerbate declines in acreage and biodiversity. Foray’s platform serves as a new operating system for plants. Leveraging natural hardware, we rapidly discover cultivation “programs” that enable plant cells to grow in emergent and productive new ways. Our software tools are accelerating the pace of this process discovery with AI-assisted analytics, predictive modeling tools, and design-of-experiment systems. We partner across industries to design and implement plant-powered advances in bioproduction, propagation, regeneration, and conservation.

About the Role

As our Lead Software Engineer, you’ll help define and grow user-facing software as a core discipline at Foray. You’ll build on strong internal foundations to deliver production-grade tools that bring our software platform to life for external users. This is a rare opportunity to shape a function from the ground up. You'll be deeply hands-on in the near term, writing code and driving architecture decisions, while also preparing to grow and lead a dedicated software team that stands alongside biology at the heart of our work. You will be instrumental in scaling our platform as we move from internal development and private beta to a customer-facing app. This role may be especially exciting for engineers seeking greater ownership, looking to pivot into climate tech or biotech, or ready to apply their experience from big tech companies to a mission-driven, early-stage environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage and mentor a small, high-impact team of software contributors

• Lead early full-stack development while laying the groundwork for a high-performing software team that remains closely integrated with biology and engineering functions

• Lead the translation of internal tools to public-facing application features

• Maintain and scale infrastructure as user base grows

• Ensure system reliability by implementing robust testing practices

• Collaborate with machine learning scientists, engineers, biologists, and other technical team members

• Collaborate cross-functionally to drive product and technical roadmaps

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in a Software Engineering role

• Proven ability to lead technical projects with recent, hands-on software development experience (actively building and shipping features)

• Experience with testing and maintaining production systems

• Strong grasp of software architecture, system design, and infrastructure fundamentals

• Commitment to code quality, maintainability, and performance

• Ability to collaborate effectively with scientists, engineers, company leadership, and other technical team members

• Experience building user-facing applications with attention to usability and user experience

• Preferred: Practical experience with machine learning, data science, or computational biology; experience with predictive modeling, optimization, or inference is a plus.

Skills & Attributes

• Strong experience with Python backend development, such as FastAPI and modern Python tooling

• Expertise in frontend development with React/TypeScript and modern frameworks like Vite

• Experience with GCP infrastructure, particularly Cloud Run, Spanner DB, and CI/CD pipelines

Additional Details

• Work authorization: Must be authorized to work in the United States

• Compensation Range: $130,000 - $160,000, plus equity

• Location: Hybrid

• How to apply: We take the time to read each application closely. Thoughtful, clear responses help us get to know you. Please apply via the Polymer form.

Foray deeply values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We are an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants equally for employment. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, protected veteran status, religion, physical or mental disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation.