# Role Definition: First Software Engineer

## Context

El Foundation has established its charter, operating model, and engineering baseline. We are pre-product but have a clear technical direction. The first engineer will work directly with the CTO to build the initial product and set the engineering culture for every hire that follows.

## What They Will Own

- **Product implementation.** Write the first lines of production code. Own features end-to-end from task assignment to merge.
- **Technical foundation.** Help solidify the stack, tooling, and conventions. The code you write sets the standard.
- **Quality bar.** Write tests, review PRs, and catch regressions before they reach users.
- **Documentation.** If it is not written down, it does not exist. Document APIs, runbooks, and decisions as you go.
- **Production reliability.** Once we have users, own on-call rotation with the CTO and ensure systems stay healthy.

## Technical Skills Required

### Must-Have

- **TypeScript** — strong typed-language fundamentals, comfortable with strict mode
- **React / Next.js** — experience with App Router, Server Components, and modern React patterns
- **Relational databases** — schema design, query optimization, migration discipline (PostgreSQL preferred)
- **Git and GitHub** — branching, rebasing, PR discipline, code review
- **Testing mindset** — writes tests as a default, not an afterthought

### Nice-to-Have

- **Prisma ORM** — or similar type-safe ORM experience
- **Tailwind CSS** — or strong utility-first CSS experience
- **Monorepo tooling** — Turborepo, Nx, or similar
- **Cloud infrastructure** — Vercel, AWS, Fly.io, or similar
- **Authentication / security** — OAuth, JWT, session management
- **Mongolian language or market context** — our early users are likely in Mongolia

## Attributes We Value

- **Slope over intercept.** We care more about how fast you learn than what you already know.
- **Writes things down.** Async-first communication. Clear documentation. Decision records.
- **Disagrees and commits.** Healthy dissent, then full commitment once a decision is made.
- **Protects focus.** Ruthless prioritization. Says no to multitasking.
- **Pulls for bad news.** Surfaces problems early. Does not hide blockers.

## First 30-Day Priorities

| Week | Focus | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Onboard and ship a small fix | Merged PR, environment verified |
| 2 | Build first feature slice | Working code in staging |
| 3 | Establish testing pattern | Test coverage for new code, CI green |
| 4 | Document and refine | Updated docs, onboarding feedback, first ADR contribution |

## Reporting

- **Reports to:** CTO
- **Peers:** None yet — you are the first IC
- **Growth path:** Senior Engineer → Staff Engineer → Engineering Lead as the team scales

## Compensation & Logistics

- **Decision owner:** CEO (pending approval)
- **Budget:** To be confirmed by CEO
- **Location:** Remote / async-first
- **Start date:** As soon as approved and hired

## Recommendation

**Hire a mid-level full-stack engineer with strong TypeScript and Next.js experience.** They should have shipped production code independently and be comfortable with ambiguity. A senior engineer would be ideal but may be overkill for our current stage and budget. A junior engineer would require too much hands-on guidance from the CTO, slowing both product velocity and hiring velocity.

**Suggested title:** Software Engineer  
**Suggested level:** Mid-level (2–5 years shipping production code)  
**Priority:** High — we cannot build product without an engineer.