Founding Engineer, US Business

The role

Hotelzify is hiring its first engineer for the US business: one person who builds the product US hotels will use, talks to those hotels directly, and grows into the head of technology for the US.

Hotelzify is a profitable AI and direct-booking platform serving 15,000+ hotels across 12 countries, and the US is our fastest-growing market. We sell an AI concierge, a booking engine and revenue-management tools that help independent hotels earn more from direct bookings and depend less on OTAs.

You will start with a blank page, not a ticket queue. You decide what to build first, how to build it, and what to leave alone. You will report directly to the co-founder and CEO.

What you will do

You will use AI as a force multiplier and ship what a team of ten would normally ship.

• Talk to US hoteliers and front-desk teams directly, understand the real problem, and turn it into working software within days, not quarters.
• Build and own the US-facing product end to end: AI concierge, direct booking flows, integrations with PMS and channel managers, and the data behind them.
• Use AI coding tools, agents and automation daily, and set the standard for how engineering works in the US business.
• Make the calls on architecture, reliability and security, because US hotels trust us with guest and payment data.
• Work with the sales and customer success teams to turn what customers say into what we ship next.
• Over time, recruit and lead the first engineers in the US team.

First 90 days: ship a customer-visible improvement in your first month, own one US integration or product area by day 60, and present a technical roadmap for the US business by day 90.

Who you are

You are a strong builder who is just as good in a customer conversation as in a code editor.

• High agency. You see a problem, decide, and move without waiting to be told. You have shipped something real on your own, even if small.
• Clear communicator. You can explain a technical trade-off to a hotel owner in plain English and write a precise message to a colleague. Written English is strong.
• Customer-minded. You get curious about why a hotelier does something, and you build for that problem, not for the spec.
• AI-native. You use AI tools every day to design, code, test and automate, and you can show how that makes you several times faster.
• Full-stack and pragmatic. You are comfortable with backend, APIs, data and a usable front end, and you choose simple solutions that ship.
• Ambitious. You want to run technology for a business, not only write code in it.

Not required: a particular degree, hospitality experience or years of experience. Evidence of what you have built and how you think matters most. Experience with hotel systems (PMS, channel managers, booking engines) is a plus.

What we look for

We judge what you have built and how you think, not your degree or years of experience.

• Things you built that nobody asked you to build, especially ones with real users.
• How you decide what to build and what to leave out when a problem is vague.
• How well you listen to a customer and explain your work in plain English.
• How you use AI to move faster, and how honestly you tell us where it went wrong.

Where this role goes

This is a founding position with a clear path: first engineer, then technical lead of the US team, then head of technology for the US business as it grows.

We are not hiring for a fixed ladder. The scope you earn depends on what you ship and how well you lead. If you prove you can run technology and the customer relationship, you will be given the ownership that goes with it, and the equity is designed to grow with that ownership.

You will work closely with the co-founders and see how the whole business is run, from sales to support to strategy.

Compensation

There are two ways into this role, and pay differs for each. Both include equity in Hotelzify.

Experienced engineer. You may be earning ₹60 lakh or more today. We ask you to take a cash haircut and make up the difference in equity, so your upside rises with the US business. The cash and equity split is agreed openly in the interview.

Early-career builder. If you are a fresher or have just a year or two behind you, but your work shows real ability and ambition, we will pay a salary suited to your stage and give you equity that reflects the scope you earn. Vesting and other terms are shared in the interview.

Where and when you work

This is an in-office role at our Indiranagar office on 100 Feet Road, Bengaluru, working about 1 PM to midnight IST so you overlap with the US business day.

Our US customers and teammates are working while India winds down, so you will be online when they are. Some flexibility around the edges is fine, but please apply only if this schedule works for you long term. Relocation to Bengaluru is fine if you are willing to move.

How we hire

We move quickly and keep the process short.

1. Apply with a link to something you built and a few lines on why this role.
2. Complete a 48-hour challenge (about 6 to 8 hours of work): pick a real hotel problem, build a working prototype with AI tools, and explain your choices in a short note and a 2-minute voice note.
3. Conversation with the co-founder and CEO about your work, how you think and what you want.
4. Meet the team and discuss the offer, including the cash and equity mix.

To apply, send your GitHub or portfolio link and a short note on the project you are proudest of.