--- title: 'Product Engineer at Harper' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/product-engineer-harper-san-francisco-2x6dytf3hvfp' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-12' --- # Product Engineer at Harper - **Company:** Harper - **Location:** San Francisco, CA - **Compensation:** $140k–$280k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-07-24 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/harperinsure/7d678dba-885a-4432-94c7-a9c20852db35 ## Job description The Problem 36 million businesses in America need insurance—it's not optional. 77% are underinsured. 40% have no coverage at all. The distribution system failed them: too slow, too opaque, too confusing. Over 90% of commercial insurance is still human-led. We're building the inverse: 90%+ AI-led, pushing toward the higher 90s. Not by patching legacy workflows—by building AI that makes humans more effective, improves the customer experience, and eliminates friction at every step. We're adding ~1,000 customers per month. We've grown 100x since last year. We're looking to do even more this year—and that's why we're hiring. You'll ship AI-powered product features end-to-end. Real systems, real users, real revenue—the same week you write the code. The Thesis Turning judgment into compute isn't a one-time project. It's a constant hunt for leverage. New models drop monthly. What was impossible in January is table stakes by June. Someone needs to be on the frontier—figuring out what's newly possible and applying it before anyone else does. The best product engineers here don't just write features. They embed with the operators who live inside the systems—sales, service, underwriting—find where things break, and build the AI-powered solution before anyone else notices the problem. Your code doesn't sit in a repo. It runs the business. ## The Role You're a full-stack engineer with applied-AI fluency. Frontend, backend, agents, evals—you move across the stack because the problems don't respect stack boundaries. You optimize for user and business impact, not code elegance. You treat AI tooling as a core part of the workflow, not a novelty. You work directly with founders. No committee. No approval chain. You build it, you ship it, you own the outcome. Prototype Monday, ship Tuesday, measure Wednesday. If it works, push to production. If not, try something else. We are hiring product engineers across all levels, which we determine during the interview process. ## What You'll Do - Ship AI-powered features end-to-end — Frontend, backend, agents, and evals; you own the whole thing, not a slice - Embed with operators — Sit with sales, service, and underwriting; find what's broken before they tell you - Build systems that compound — Every decision gets traced; every outcome feeds back; the AI gets smarter with each interaction - Stay on the frontier — New model drops? You're testing it that day. New capability lands? You're the one who ships it - Move fast with AI tooling — Cursor, Claude Code, and whatever comes next; manage multiple coding sessions to compress weeks into days - Own the metric, not the feature — "We increased conversion by 15%," not "we shipped the thing" - Prove impact — Set up metrics, track results, present what worked to the company You Might Be a Fit If... - You get energy from user and business impact, not code elegance - You write code with AI (Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf) and can manage multiple coding sessions - You're full-stack by instinct—frontend, backend, and the AI layer that makes decisions - You've shipped AI to production—real systems serving real users, not demos - You ship fast and iterate—meaningful features in days that others take months on - You can present to non-technical people and explain why a metric moved ## Requirements - Software engineering experience shipping production systems (level determined during interviews) - Proficiency in Python, TypeScript, or similar - Experience building and shipping AI-powered features—LLM applications, agent pipelines, or workflow automation - Ability to work across the stack: frontend, backend, and the AI layer - Based in San Francisco or willing to relocate ## Nice to Have - Voice AI or real-time systems experience - RAG, agent frameworks, or evaluation systems - Background in operations tooling, sales tech, or workflow automation - Prior startup experience ## Compensation & Logistics - Salary: $140,000–$280,000 depending on experience + performance bonuses & equity - Location: San Francisco, in-office. Based in SF or willing to relocate. - Schedule: Monday–Friday, very early morning start, in-office five days a week. - Benefits: Uber commuter benefits; breakfast, lunch, and dinner provided; snacks, drinks, and coffee daily; free gym membership; health, dental, and vision insurance. The Process - Technical screen — 60 min remote: project deep dive + system design - Super Day on-site — meet the team, sit in on the operation, do real work alongside us. To Apply If you want to build AI capabilities against business problems you discover yourself, ship code that runs a real business, and work with people who show up with the same intensity every day—send your resume and a link to something you've built that had measurable business impact. ## About Harper ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Harper is an AI-native commercial insurance brokerage that uses data and automation to help mid-sized businesses secure optimal coverage faster and at lower cost. - **Entity Type**: Private startup (Y Combinator Winter 2025, raised $47 million) - **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States - **Founded**: 2024 - **Founders**: Dakotah Rice (CEO) and Tushar Nair (CTO) ## Core Business - Primary industry: Commercial insurance (Excess & Surplus lines brokerage) - Target customers: Mid-sized businesses with complex insurance needs, spanning technology, life sciences, aerospace, construction, and consulting - Mission: "We want to become the largest insurance brokerage in the world with the best NPS." (Source: [Y Combinator](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/harper)) ## Products & Services - **Harper Hub**: Proprietary AI-native platform that automates form filling, carrier matching, and client communications, cutting weeks from the traditional quoting timeline. - **Brokerage Services**: Comprehensive commercial insurance products including General Liability, Professional Liability (tech E&O with no AI exclusions), Cyber Insurance, Commercial Auto, Commercial Property, Umbrella, and Bonds – all placed through an AI-enhanced workflow. - **Specialty Expertise**: Deep coverage for regulated industries such as FDA‑regulated labs, aerospace contractors, and security guard firms. ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total funding of **$47 million** (confirmed on company website and Y Combinator profile; some third‑party sources list a lower figure but official sources indicate $47M) - **Notable Investors**: Y Combinator (pre‑seed lead); other investors not publicly detailed - **Growth Signals**: Writing over **$6 million in annualized premiums** across 35 states (as of early 2025); **6,000+ clients** with **98.78% client retention**; headcount of 39 employees growing **353% year‑over‑year**; **19 open positions**; 100% success placing tech E&O without AI exclusions. ## Competitive Advantages - **AI‑native infrastructure**: Proprietary technology automates quoting, binding, and service, enabling faster turnaround and lower overhead compared to traditional brokers. - **Deep niche expertise**: Focus on complex, regulated industries (tech, life sciences, aerospace) where incumbents often struggle. - **High retention**: 98.78% client retention rate and proven ability to place hard‑to‑cover policies (e.g., tech E&O with AI exclusions) signal strong customer trust. - **Data‑driven underwriting**: Real‑time analysis of prior interactions and quote intelligence to match businesses with the best carrier. ## Strategic Focus - Scaling the AI‑native brokerage to serve the mid‑market today and eventually all businesses (commercial insurance commissions represent a $100B+ market). - Aggressively hiring across engineering, sales, operations, and partnerships to support rapid growth. - Expanding carrier partnerships and geographic reach (currently licensed in 35 states). ## Why Work Here - **Early‑stage impact**: Join a Y Combinator‑backed startup at its inflection point, building the AI‑native future of insurance. - **High‑leverage roles**: Engineers and GTM professionals work directly on systems (LLMs, automation) that drive measurable business outcomes. - **Culture**: "Human expertise amplified by AI" – domain knowledge meets cutting‑edge technology; teammates from Goldman Sachs, Coinbase, and other top firms. - **Work environment**: San Francisco headquarters with both in‑office and remote roles available depending on the position. - **Compensation**: Competitive startup salaries (e.g., $160K–$230K for engineering roles per job listings). - **Career growth**: Fast‑growing company (353% headcount growth) with opportunities to shape processes and take on ownership early. ## Sources 1. [harperinsure.com](https://harperinsure.com/) – Company website (home page) 2. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/harperinsure](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/harperinsure) – Careers page 3. [ycombinator.com/companies/harper](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/harper) – Y Combinator company profile 4. [linkedin.com/company/harperinsure](https://www.linkedin.com/company/harperinsure) – LinkedIn company page 5. [builtin.com/company/harper-harperinsurecom](https://builtin.com/company/harper-harperinsurecom) – Built In company profile ## Other roles at Harper - [Customer Service Representative](https://feeny.ai/job/customer-service-representative-harper-san-francisco-hp7kmwk29e1f) — San Francisco, CA - [Customer Service Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/customer-service-manager-harper-san-francisco-rmk9xyfgeny4) — San Francisco, CA - [Engineering Manager/TLM, Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-manager-tlm-platform-harper-san-francisco-8h29hpszw0g7) — San Francisco, CA - [Engineering Manager, Growth](https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-manager-growth-harper-san-francisco-fasf4sj96myf) — San Francisco, CA - [Platform Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/platform-engineer-harper-san-francisco-gg66r2c8ygc1) — San Francisco, CA - [Account Executive](https://feeny.ai/job/account-executive-harper-san-francisco-kh2x5jhcsqz5) — San Francisco, CA - [Data Automation Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/data-automation-specialist-harper-san-francisco-dng49ww48npf) — San Francisco, CA - [Data Analyst](https://feeny.ai/job/data-analyst-harper-san-francisco-93nb7rksmnsn) — San Francisco, CA - [Content Coordination](https://feeny.ai/job/content-coordination-harper-san-francisco-5dvvkf840yt3) — San Francisco, CA - [SEO/GEO Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/seo-geo-manager-harper-san-francisco-y3xt29593y80) — San Francisco, CA