VolkanaDEV Autonomous Systems, Inc.

Careers

We're building a programming language where programs are alive. If that's the kind of problem you want to work on, we want to talk.

VolkanaDEV is pre-funding. No managers, no fixed schedule, no clock. You do the work, we handle the rest.

We hire W-2. Flat structure. Self-directed. Remote when you have the time.

How We Work

Weekly check-ins

Once a week you check in and log hours every time you work, and your progress on a project, even if it's just notes. Clock in and out at will, but you cannot work off company time.

Monthly one-on-ones

At the end of every month, we sit down with you one on one and go over everything together. We work with you individually to make sure you have what you need to succeed at your own pace.

Pay that reflects effort

When it's time to pay you, we factor in things like contributions and major time spent on projects, while also respecting the people who have been here longer.

W-2 employment

Everyone is a W-2 employee. Payroll taxes handled, workers' comp, and more. The flat employment agreement gives you flexibility with the protections of employment.

Set your own requirements

You set the requirements, your schedule follows. More time and effort means faster upwards opportunities.

Work from anywhere

Work from an office, at home, or remotely when you have the time. In-person sessions are voluntary, for collaboration, training, and anything you'd want to do yourself.

What We Offer

Equity for early hires

Meaningful stake from day one. Your shares vest as the company grows. Pre-funding means equity is the compensation.

W-2 employment

Payroll taxes handled, workers' comp, and more. Flat employment agreement, not contractor paperwork.

Set your own requirements

You set the requirements, your schedule follows. More time and effort means faster upwards opportunities.

Work from anywhere

Work from an office, at home, or remotely when you have the time. In-person is voluntary.

Monthly one-on-ones

End of every month, we go over everything with you individually. Make sure you have what you need to succeed at your own pace.

Reward for effort

Feel safe with what you earn, feel rewarded with bonuses for peer supported effort, friendly reviews, and teams you trust to support your project, from the people you work with.

Ship real things

Working code beats slides. Every person changes the product. We hire slow and keep the team small.

Open Roles

Systems Engineer - Compiler & Runtime

Remote · C / Systems

Work on the Sanguis compiler and VANA runtime. The long-term goal is replacing the C runtime scaffold with self-hosted Sanguis code.

  • Experience building compilers, linkers, or language runtimes
  • Strong C and systems programming background
  • Comfortable working without a roadmap - you'll help write it
Apply

Neural Systems Engineer

Remote · CUDA / GPU / Neural

Scale the VANA Cortex to GPU hardware. You'll work on GPU dispatch for large-scale neural simulations and help build out the cortex architecture.

  • CUDA or GPU compute dispatch experience
  • Understanding of neural architecture and connectomics
  • Ability to work with simulations at million-node scale
Apply

Security & Cryptography Engineer

Remote · Crypto / Systems Security

Work on the security layer. Maintain, test, and extend the integrity verification system. You'll help protect VANA from tampering and unauthorized modification.

  • Production crypto implementation experience
  • Deep understanding of authenticated encryption and KDFs
  • Side-channel attack mitigation knowledge
Apply

Hardware / FPGA Engineer

Remote (travel for prototyping) · FPGA / PCB / SoC

The end goal is VANA on custom silicon. Design and prototype the hardware pathway - FPGA boards, custom PCBs, eventually SoC.

  • Custom PCB design from schematic to fabrication
  • FPGA development (Verilog, VHDL, or HLS)
  • Hardware/software co-design experience
Apply

Deployment Consultant

Remote · Consulting

Recommend VANA and Sanguis implementations for client projects. Assess needs, propose architectures, and advise on deployment. This is a per-engagement consulting role, earning based on each project you take on.

  • Experience in technical consulting or solutions architecture
  • Ability to assess client needs and propose practical implementations
  • Comfortable working independently and managing client relationships
Apply

Software Tester

Remote · QA / Testing

Break things on purpose. Write test cases, run them, find edge cases, and report what breaks. You'll work directly with the compiler and runtime to catch regressions before they ship.

  • Experience writing and running automated tests
  • Eye for edge cases and failure modes
  • Comfortable reading code to understand what to test
Apply

Programmer

Remote · Generalist

Write Sanguis code. Build tools, scripts, and internal infrastructure. If you can pick up new languages fast and ship working code, you'll fit here.

  • Solid programming fundamentals in any language
  • Willingness to learn Sanguis from scratch
  • Can work independently with minimal direction
Apply

App Developer (Sanguis)

Remote · Experimental

Build real apps in Sanguis. Experiment with the language, push it to its limits, and tell us what works and what doesn't. Your feedback directly shapes the language.

  • Experience building and shipping applications
  • Interest in experimental and early-stage tooling
  • Willingness to give honest, direct feedback on the language
Apply

HR Coordinator

Remote · People Operations

Build the people side of the company. Handle onboarding, employment agreements, and help us scale hiring as we grow. Early-stage means you'll shape the culture from the ground up.

  • Experience in HR or people operations at a startup or small team
  • Knowledge of most Federal and state level labor basics
  • Strong organizational and communication skills
Apply

PR & Communications

Remote · Public Relations

Tell the story of Sanguis and VANA to the world. Manage external communications, press relationships, and public-facing messaging. You'll help people understand why programs being alive matters.

  • Experience in PR, communications, or tech marketing
  • Ability to translate technical concepts into clear messaging
  • Existing media contacts a plus
Apply

QA Lead

Remote · Quality Assurance

Own the quality pipeline. Design the test strategy, build the CI test infrastructure, and make sure nothing ships broken. You'll define what "done" means.

  • Experience leading QA or test engineering at a software company
  • CI/CD pipeline and test automation experience
  • Ability to define and enforce quality standards
Apply

Researcher

Remote · Research

Explore the frontiers. Whether it's neural architectures, connectomics, new compilation strategies, or cognitive models - if it could shape VANA's future, we want to know about it. Publish or perish doesn't apply here. We want results we can use.

  • Background in CS, neuroscience, cognitive science, or related field
  • Ability to read and synthesize academic literature
  • Interest in turning research into working systems
Apply

Internal Floater

Remote · Generalist / Rotational

Not sure where you fit? Neither are we - and that's the point. You'll rotate across teams, pick up whatever's on fire, and get exposed to everything from compiler internals to PR. For people who learn fast and want their hand in everything.

  • Strong generalist who picks up new domains quickly
  • Comfortable with ambiguity and shifting priorities
  • Wants broad exposure before specializing
Apply

How We Hire

1
You reach out

Email us with what you've built, what you want to work on, and why. Links to real things you've shipped carry more weight than a resume. If you have a resume, attach it, but we care about the work first.

2
First call

30 minutes, informal. We talk through your background, what we're building at VolkanaDEV, and whether the fit makes sense on both sides. No whiteboard, no leetcode, no trick questions.

3
Working session

A longer conversation focused on your area of expertise. We'll walk through a real problem we're working on and see how you approach it. This is collaborative, not a test. We want to see how you think, not whether you get the "right" answer.

4
Reference calls

We talk to a couple people you've worked with before. People who can tell us what it's actually like to build something alongside you. Not HR checks, just honest conversations.

5
Offer and onboarding

If it's a fit, we move quickly. You'll get the flat employment agreement to review, we'll walk through it together, and you start when you're ready. No waiting weeks for a decision that was made in the first call.

Don't See Your Role?

If you believe in what we're building and have skills we need, write anyway. Tell us what you can do, what you've built, and why Sanguis matters to you.

Email us

VolkanaDEV Autonomous Systems, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We hire for ability and character.