Founding Lead Software Architect - Physical AI Infrastructure

Are you...

A software engineer or systems architect who got into this field to build things that actually matter?

Glacian is building something different.

We are building the intelligence layer that allows physical infrastructure to understand itself, predict its future state, and autonomously optimize its operation.

Our mission is to solve one of the most important bottlenecks facing the AI economy: power, cooling, and operational efficiency inside data centers and other mission-critical environments.

We are looking for an architect who wants to lead this effort. 

You will work directly with the founding team to architect and build the first commercial version of Glacian’s Physical AI platform.

You will make foundational decisions that influence the next decade of the company.

You will build software that directly interfaces with physical infrastructure operating in real-world environments where reliability matters.

You will help transform years of research, modeling, controls engineering, and AI development into a production system capable of scaling across mission-critical facilities.

If you enjoy solving hard technical problems at the intersection of software, physics, controls, and AI, this role was designed for you.

Meet Glacian

Glacian is a Physical AI software company solving the data center power and cooling bottleneck. We provide a deterministic safety and intelligence layer that fuses high-fidelity physics-based digital twins with meta-reinforcement learning to understand the complex physics, environment, and industrial systems of data centers.

Why This Role — and Why Now

This is not a software leadership role at a mature technology company where the architecture is already defined, the roadmap is already written, and success is measured by incremental improvements to an existing platform. This is an opportunity to become the founding architect of a new category of technology: Physical AI for critical infrastructure.

Glacian is at a unique inflection point. Our underlying technology is built upon years of research, physics-based modeling, optimization, and real-world validation. We are now transitioning from proven technology to commercial deployment, and we are looking for the architect who will help transform that foundation into a scalable software platform capable of redefining how data centers and other mission-critical environments are operated.

As a Founding Lead Software Architect, you will serve as the technical leader responsible for defining the software architecture, technology strategy, and foundational engineering principles of Glacian's Physical AI platform. You will work directly with the founders to transform years of research in digital twins, optimization, controls, and artificial intelligence into a production platform capable of operating within mission-critical infrastructure environments.

The person who joins now will:

• Define and guide the architectural vision for Glacian's Physical AI platform.
• Architect and develop software across the full technology stack including edge systems, backend services, APIs, databases, and user-facing applications.
• Design scalable telemetry, time-series, and real-time data processing systems.
• Develop integrations with building automation systems, HVAC equipment, sensors, and industrial infrastructure.
• Transform digital twins, optimization engines, and AI models into production-ready software.
• Establish engineering standards, observability, testing strategies, deployment processes, and architectural best practices.
• Collaborate with founders, researchers, customers, and industry partners to align technology with business objectives.
• Participate in technical hiring and help shape Glacian's engineering culture.

We are looking for a builder first and a leader second—someone who enjoys architecting systems, writing code, solving difficult technical problems, and turning ambitious ideas into working products.

The ideal candidate is energized by ownership, thrives in ambiguity, moves quickly, and is motivated by the opportunity to build something meaningful from the ground up. The impact of your work will be visible not only in the software you create, but in the foundation of the company itself.

For the right person, this is a rare opportunity to become a defining technical force in a company at the earliest stages of growth and help create technology that will influence the next generation of intelligent infrastructure.

Core responsibilities

Platform Architecture and Core Engineering:   FTE: ~25% | Daily

Architect, design, and build the core components of Glacian's Physical AI platform. Establish the architectural principles, technology stack, system boundaries, and engineering standards that will support future products, customer deployments, and company growth. Develop production-grade software that transforms digital twins, optimization engines, and AI technologies into systems customers can confidently deploy and operate in mission-critical environments.

Full-Stack Software Engineering | ~25% | Daily

Design, develop, and maintain software across the full technology stack, including edge computing systems, backend services, APIs, databases, and user-facing applications. Contribute hands-on code daily while balancing long-term architectural decisions with near-term product delivery.

Data, Telemetry & Infrastructure Systems | ~15% | Daily

Design and implement scalable systems for ingesting, processing, storing, and analyzing high-frequency operational data from real-world data center infrastructure, including DCIM systems, building management systems, environmental sensors, and HVAC control systems. Build robust telemetry pipelines, time-series data architectures, and monitoring capabilities that enable reliable operation of autonomous infrastructure systems.

Industrial Systems Integration | ~10% | Weekly

Develop software interfaces and integration frameworks that connect Glacian's platform to building automation systems, HVAC equipment, environmental sensors, industrial control systems, and data center infrastructure. Work with protocols such as BACnet, Modbus, MQTT, OPC-UA, and other industry-standard communication technologies to enable secure and reliable interoperability.

Physical AI & Model Operationalization | ~10% | Weekly

Partner closely with researchers and domain experts to transform digital twins, optimization algorithms, and AI models into production-ready software. Ensure that advanced modeling and decision-making capabilities are implemented in a manner that is scalable, maintainable, explainable, and operationally reliable.

Engineering Excellence and Operational Standards:   FTE: ~10% | Weekly

Establish and maintain best engineering practices across the platform, including reliability patterns, monitoring and observability, testing strategy, deployment processes, and documentation standards. Build the operational foundation that keeps the platform stable, auditable, and maintainable as both the codebase and the engineering team grow.

Technical Leadership & Engineering Excellence | ~5% | As Needed

Help establish the technical culture, engineering practices, and architectural standards that will guide future growth. Participate in technical hiring, mentor engineers when appropriate, and contribute to creating a high-performance engineering organization focused on speed, quality, ownership, and execution.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• BS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 7+ years building and deploying production software systems.
• Expert-level software architecture and system design skills.
• Strong hands-on software development experience.
• Deep understanding of distributed systems, APIs, databases, networking, and modern software engineering practices.
• Strong proficiency in Python and experience with C++, Go, or Rust.
• Experience with Linux-based systems, edge computing, PostgreSQL, and real-time data architectures.
• Experience developing software that interfaces with physical systems, industrial infrastructure, or operational technology environments.
• Familiarity with BACnet, Modbus, MQTT, OPC-UA, SNMP, or similar protocols.
• Understanding of controls, automation systems, optimization engines, or complex physical systems.

Preferred Qualifications

Strong candidates will have experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Data center infrastructure, industrial IoT, or critical infrastructure environments.
• HVAC systems, building automation systems, energy management, or industrial controls.
• Digital twins, simulation frameworks, optimization engines, or autonomous control systems.
• Machine learning, reinforcement learning, or AI systems deployed in production.
• Real-time telemetry, edge computing, and time-series data platforms.
• Startup or founding-engineer experience building products from concept through commercial deployment.

We particularly value candidates who combine strong software architecture skills with a practical understanding of real-world physical systems.

The ideal candidate is:

• Technically exceptional and highly hands-on.
• Fast-moving, execution-oriented, and comfortable making decisions with incomplete information.
• Self-driven, accountable, and energized by ownership.
• Collaborative, low ego, and focused on solving difficult problems.
• Equally comfortable discussing software architecture, AI systems, industrial infrastructure, and customer needs.
• Motivated by building technology that creates measurable impact in the physical world.

Most importantly, they are someone who wants to create technology that matters and leave a lasting impact on the future of intelligent infrastructure.

Other Considerations

• Full-time position. This role may occasionally require extended hours to support customer deployments, critical milestones, or product launches.
• Background and investigative checks may be conducted as part of the hiring process; results must be satisfactory for the company.
• This role involves occasional overnight travel to various locations. The employee must be able to travel to client sites, partner facilities, and industry events using air, train, or automobile, with or without reasonable accommodation. A valid driver's license and a valid government-issued photo ID (REAL ID compliant) are required. Estimated travel up to 20%. 
• We thrive on the collaboration found in our physical offices and strongly encourage local candidates to apply. However, for the right fit, we welcome remote candidates located anywhere in the U.S.
• Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here represent those that an individual must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Work regularly requires the individual to sit or stand for extended periods while using computers, development tools, and digital collaboration platforms to communicate with team members and produce software. While performing job duties, the individual is regularly required to use hands and arms to operate computer keyboards and pointing devices. The individual is regularly required to talk and hear during in-person, phone, and video-based communications. The role may occasionally require standing, walking, or carrying light equipment when visiting client facilities or data center environments.

Specific vision abilities required for this job include sustained close vision for extended screen use and the ability to adjust focus across multiple monitors and varying working distances. Occasional travel to client sites, data center facilities, or industry events may require extended periods of walking, standing, or sitting in transit.

This role is primarily performed in a standard office or remote home office setting. Noise levels are typically low to moderate. Occasional visits to operational data center environments may involve moderate noise levels, raised flooring, and active equipment areas. No routine exposure to chemicals or industrial process hazards is expected in the primary work setting.

Benefits and Growth Opportunity

At Glacian, you'll join an ambitious team building the future of AI-powered infrastructure for one of the world's fastest-growing industries. We offer competitive compensation, meaningful equity ownership, flexible work arrangements, comprehensive health benefits, paid time off, and opportunities for continuous learning and professional development. As an early team member, you'll have direct exposure to customers, investors, and strategic decisions, with the opportunity to take on increasing responsibility as the company scales. We believe exceptional people create exceptional companies, and we are committed to providing an environment where talented individuals can grow their careers while helping shape the future of sustainable, intelligent data centers.

Glacian is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Employment is based solely on merit and qualifications directly related to professional competence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. Our company is also committed to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in the employment application process and will consider reasonable accommodation to enable them to perform essential job functions.