About the SWE Fullstack Role at Profound

Profound is building the marketing platform for the AI era, giving brands intelligence on how AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini represent them, plus Agents to act on that intelligence. As a Full Stack Engineer on the Engineering team (EPDD), you will architect and build high-performance applications that power AI-driven insights, working across the stack from sleek front-end experiences in React and TypeScript to optimized back-end systems built for speed, scalability, and security. This is an on-site role in NYC, SF, or Buenos Aires.

The posting is clear about the profile: a builder with a strong portfolio or GitHub showcasing full-stack expertise (React, TypeScript, Node.js, modern frameworks), experience with scalable databases and APIs, a deep grasp of performance and security best practices, and comfort in a fast-moving, high-performance startup. You will own key technical decisions and partner tightly with design and product, so both engineering depth and product judgment matter.

Quick Stats

* Typical process: 4 to 5 rounds, roughly 2 to 4 weeks end to end

* Format: Recruiter phone screen, then video or on-site technical rounds (this is an on-site role)

* Core focus: React, TypeScript, Node.js, scalable databases and APIs, performance optimization, security, product collaboration

* Difficulty: Hard, because you must show full-stack range plus system design judgment at a fast startup pace defining a new category

What Profound Looks For

* Proven full-stack ability with React, TypeScript, and Node.js, backed by a portfolio or GitHub

* Experience designing scalable databases and APIs that hold up under load

* Deep understanding of performance optimization, security, and engineering best practices

* Comfort operating with speed, ownership, and iteration in a lean startup environment

Round 1: Recruiter Screen (~30 minutes)

What to Expect

A recruiter walks you through the role, the team, and the on-site expectation in NYC, SF, or Buenos Aires. Expect a quick review of your background, your full-stack experience, motivation for joining an AI-era marketing platform, and logistics like location, work authorization (visa sponsorship is available), and compensation expectations against the $140K to $260K range plus equity.

Example Questions

* "Walk me through your background and the full-stack projects you're most proud of."

* "Why Profound, and why the AI Search space specifically?"

* "Are you able to work on-site in NYC, SF, or Buenos Aires?"

* "What are your compensation expectations for this role?"

Tips

* Have a crisp two-minute pitch that connects your React, TypeScript, and Node.js work to shipping product fast.

* Show genuine interest in the AI Search category and how brands measure their AI presence.

* Rehearse this conversational screen with Nora's Standard Mode so your pitch, motivation, and logistics answers come out tight and confident.

Round 2: Technical Coding Round (~60 minutes)

What to Expect

A hands-on coding interview focused on practical full-stack problem solving rather than pure algorithm puzzles. Expect to build or extend something in JavaScript/TypeScript, work with React components, or implement and consume an API. The posting emphasizes shipping production-ready experiences, so interviewers will look at how you structure code, handle edge cases, and reason about clean, maintainable solutions.

Example Questions

* "Build a React component that fetches and displays AI-generated brand insights, handling loading and error states."

* "Given this API response, write a TypeScript function to transform and aggregate the data."

* "How would you type this component's props and state to prevent common runtime bugs?"

* "Refactor this Node.js endpoint to improve readability and handle failure gracefully."

* "Walk me through your approach before you start coding."

Tips

* Think aloud and clarify requirements before writing code, then narrate tradeoffs as you go.

* Be fluent in TypeScript typing, React hooks, and async data fetching, since those map directly to the day-to-day work.

Round 3: System Design and Architecture (~60 minutes)

What to Expect

Because you will "design and optimize back-end systems for performance, security, and scalability" and "own key technical decisions," expect a design discussion. You might be asked to architect a feature that ingests and analyzes AI presence data, design an API and data model, or explain how you would keep a high-traffic system fast and secure. Interviewers want to see structured thinking, scalability awareness, and sensible tradeoffs.

Example Questions

* "Design a system that collects how AI engines mention a brand and serves analytics to customers."

* "How would you model and store this data for scalable querying?"

* "Where are the performance bottlenecks in this design, and how would you address them?"

* "How would you secure APIs handling sensitive customer data?"

Tips

* Start with requirements and scale assumptions, then move from data model to API to infrastructure.

* Name concrete tradeoffs around caching, indexing, and read/write patterns instead of staying abstract.

* Practice narrating architecture decisions with Nora's Technical Mode so your reasoning stays organized under questioning.

Round 4: Behavioral and Product Collaboration (~45 minutes)

What to Expect

Likely with the hiring manager or a senior engineer, this round probes ownership, speed, and how you partner with design and product to "translate ideas into production-ready experiences." Profound describes itself as a lean, fast-moving team shipping at a relentless pace, so expect questions about how you make decisions with ambiguity, handle tradeoffs between speed and quality, and drive projects end to end.

Example Questions

* "Tell me about a feature you owned from idea to production."

* "Describe a time you had to ship fast without sacrificing maintainability."

* "How do you collaborate with designers and PMs when requirements are unclear?"

* "Tell me about a technical decision you owned that had long-term impact."

Tips

* Use STAR structure and center stories on ownership, iteration speed, and measurable outcomes.

* Show that you balance velocity with maintainability, since the posting stresses both.

* Run these stories through Nora's Behavioral Mode to sharpen your STAR delivery and get comfortable with follow-up probing.

Round 5: Offer and Salary Negotiation (~30 minutes)

What to Expect

If things go well, the recruiter returns to discuss the offer. The posted base range is $140,000 to $260,000 for NYC and SF, with equity and a full benefits package, and final numbers depend on skills, experience, and location. This is your chance to align on base, equity, and total compensation.

Example Questions

* "What base salary are you targeting within our range?"

* "How do you weigh base versus equity in this offer?"

* "Do you have competing offers or timelines we should know about?"

* "What would make this an easy yes for you?"

Tips

* Anchor on the posted range and your leveling evidence rather than a single number.

* Ask clarifying questions about equity structure, refreshers, and benefits before committing.

* Rehearse the back-and-forth with Nora's Salary Negotiation Mode so you can advocate for total comp without underselling yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1) How many rounds are there?

Profound has not published its exact process, so this is the typical structure for a full-stack role at a startup of this stage: a recruiter screen, a coding round, a system design round, a behavioral/product round, and an offer conversation, roughly 4 to 5 substantive rounds.

2) What topics are most common?

* React, TypeScript, and Node.js implementation, plus API and database design

* Performance optimization, security best practices, and ownership in a fast-paced product environment

3) How long does the process take?

Expect roughly 2 to 4 weeks from recruiter screen to offer, though a lean, fast-moving team may compress this if there is strong mutual interest.

4) How should I prepare?

* Sharpen hands-on React and TypeScript skills and be ready to build and reason about APIs and data models live.

* Prepare a scalable, secure design you can defend, and have GitHub or portfolio work ready to discuss.

* Draft ownership and speed-versus-quality stories in STAR format tied to shipping production features.

* Use Nora's Standard Mode for the recruiter screen, Technical Mode for the coding and system design rounds, Behavioral Mode for the product collaboration round, and Salary Negotiation Mode to prepare for the offer conversation.