About the role
About Tessl
AI is transforming how software is built, and at Tessl, we're building the infrastructure for what comes next.
We're developing a platform that enables engineering teams to build and run AI-powered software factories, where coding agents take on real development work, from picking up engineering tickets to implementing changes and creating pull requests.
By combining structured context, reusable agent skills, automated workflows and evaluations, we're making AI-powered development more reliable, repeatable and scalable, while keeping humans in control. We're tackling some of the biggest challenges in autonomous software development, from code quality and security to helping organisations confidently adopt AI agents at scale.
Founded by Guy Podjarny, previously founder of Snyk, Tessl is a fast-growing Series A startup backed by over $100 million in funding from investors including Index Ventures, Accel, GV and Boldstart.
Joining Tessl means helping define an entirely new category of technology, solving ambitious technical challenges and shaping the future of software development.
OVERVIEW OF ROLE
We're looking for a Developer Advocate to be Tessl's presence in the Bay Area AI community. Someone already deep in the local scene, building with AI every day, showing up at the meetups and hackathons, and pushing what's possible with agentic coding alongside the people defining it.
This is a builder's role first. You'll be a power user of our product, creating integrations, tools and projects that show what AI native development really looks like, then taking that into the community to hack, demo and present. Your main focus will be the Bay Area, but you'll also travel to give customer and conference sessions across the US.
Because the rest of the team is in London, this role suits someone who thrives with the autonomy to set their direction and the self-motivation to act on it without much steering.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Build with Tessl: Go beyond writing about the product, build with it. Create apps, integrations and creative projects using Tessl that inspire and enable the developer community to do the same.
- Own the Bay Area: Be Tessl's visible presence in the local AI scene. Show up at the meetups and hackathons that matter, hack alongside people, demo what you've built and present what's possible with agentic coding.
- Content creation: Write articles, tutorials and guides, and produce videos that give developers practical, actionable insight into AI native development with Tessl.
- Speak across the US: Travel to give customer and conference sessions around the country while keeping your main focus in the Bay.
- Ecosystem exploration: Constantly explore the AI developer tooling landscape, identifying integration opportunities and ways to connect Tessl with the broader ecosystem.
- Show up where developers are: Run webinars, appear on podcasts and make yourself at home in other people's communities, from Discord servers and Slack groups to subreddits and newsletters.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
- Already in the Bay Area scene: You're a regular at the meetups and hackathons that matter, a recognised face in the local AI developer community, and an active voice online where the discussion is happening.
- Living on the edge of agentic coding: You live and breathe cutting-edge agentic development. You're using the newest tools the week they land and you have a point of view on them.
- A builder's mindset: You'd rather ship something than describe it. A slick integration, a creative app, an experiment no one's tried yet, you get excited about making things.
- Scrappy and self-directed: You set your own direction and get on with it. With the majority of the team in London, you're comfortable operating with less day-to-day steering.
- Comfortable on the road: You have the experience to travel and present customer and conference sessions across the US.
- Strong communicator: You can write and speak clearly and engagingly about technical AI topics.
- Development skills: You're comfortable enough with code to build and hack on things yourself. You don't need to be a full-time engineer, but you ship.
NICE TO HAVE
- Experience with open-source communities and contributor ecosystems
- An existing network in the Bay Area AI developer tooling space
- Comfort operating in a fast-moving, early-stage startup environment
Life at Tessl
We want Tessl to be a place where you can do meaningful work, keep learning and enjoy being part of the team. Alongside competitive compensation, we offer benefits designed to support you both inside and outside work.
Although our HQ is in London, our US team members are an incredibly important part of scaling our company. We value collaboration, ownership and bringing different perspectives together as we build the next generation of software development.
What we offer
- Competitive compensation and equity: Market-benchmarked salaries and ISO/NSO share options.
- Time off: 25 days of paid time off annually, plus US public holidays, and two paid volunteering days.
- Healthcare: Medical insurance through Cigna, with dental and vision coverage through Guardian for you and your dependents.
- Family Leave: We offer enhanced Maternity, Parental and Adoption Leave from day one to support you and your growing family.
- Retirement savings: A 401(k) retirement plan through Fidelity, with a 2% employer contribution.
- Life insurance and disability coverage: Employer-sponsored protection through Guardian.
- Learning and development: We support opportunities to continue developing your skills with a $1,000 per year to spend.
- Summer & winter offsites: Twice a year, we bring the whole Tessl team together for a week-long offsite. It's a chance to step away from our usual routines, collaborate on big ideas, build stronger relationships and enjoy shared experiences together. And of course, we have a lot of fun along the way!
- Travel: Depending on your role, you may also have regular travel to the London HQ to collaborate closely with your team.
How we work
Our operating principles shape how we collaborate and make decisions. We move quickly and learn by doing, build on ideas before challenging them, get stuck in wherever we can help, and give people real ownership. We encourage thoughtful debate, curiosity and a willingness to try things that haven't been done before. Read our five operating principles.
We're AI native
AI isn't just what we're building - it's central to how we work every day, across every function. We actively use AI to improve how we work, solve problems and challenge traditional ways of doing things.
You don't need to be an AI expert to thrive at Tessl, but you do need curiosity, an appetite for experimentation and a willingness to embrace new ways of working. We expect everyone to use AI regularly, invest time in learning how to get the most from it and keep experimenting when something doesn't work the first time, rather than defaulting to manual approaches.
We're also big believers in sharing what we learn. We encourage transparency about how we're using AI, what's working, what isn't and how we can help each other improve. Being AI native doesn't mean removing human judgement, it means using AI thoughtfully, while taking ownership of the quality and outcomes of our work.
Everyone is welcome at Tessl
We're committed to building an inclusive environment where people from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives can thrive.
We particularly welcome applications from people who are underrepresented in technology. If you're excited about the opportunity but don't meet every requirement, we'd still encourage you to apply.
If you need any adjustments or additional support during the recruitment process, please let us know. We're happy to work with you to make the process accessible and comfortable.
Come build with us
We're moving fast, experimenting boldly and figuring things out as we go. There's plenty to build, lots to learn and real opportunities to make your mark.
If you're excited by big ideas, enjoy getting stuck in and want to be part of something from the ground up, we'd love to hear from you!