Automation & Open Source Engineer - Open Core Ventures

Location:  Fully remote, ideally located in CA, CO, NY, or TX

Open Core Ventures (OCV) is looking for an automation developer to embed AI capabilities across all our core functions. Your primary responsibility is to improve workflow efficiency and empower the entire business through smart, scalable AI and custom software. The ideal candidate will also participate in sourcing, evaluating, and starting new open source projects that support OCV’s thesis.  

As a key member of our small but mighty team, you’ll help us achieve our ambitious goal of launching 2,000 new companies per year. From reviewing open source codebases to owning internal systems like domain transfers and access controls, your work will directly support the company formation engine at the heart of OCV.

What You’ll Do

• You will own the custom, internal software that we use to launch and support 2 companies per month currently, and 100+ companies per month in the future. You will use AI to build this software and to automate the various manual workflows.
• You will help us find and assess open source projects that we will start companies around.
• You will help support our companies, sometimes before we even have founders, by making contributions to the underlying OSS. 
• You will be the system administrator for OCV.

Who You Are

• A self-starter who thrives in fast-paced environments.
• Able to identify automation opportunities and independently bring them to life.
• Passionate about AI and systems design, with a strong drive to innovate and improve how work gets done.
• Passionate about open source software and love to solve new technical challenges.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field — or equivalent experience.
• Software engineering background, especially in backoffice systems and workflow automation.
• Proficiency with LLMs (OpenAI, Claude, etc.), APIs, RAG, and prompt engineering.
• Experience with Ruby on Rails is a plus.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, GitLab, etc.), including testing, containerization, and deployments.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work independently.

About Open Core Ventures

Founded by Sid Sijbrandij, GitLab co-founder and Executive Chair, Open Core Ventures (OCV) starts companies around promising open source projects. We recruit the founders, often from the OSS project we're commercializing, and help them accelerate growth to raise a Seed round. We’ve started 30+ companies around open source projects, including Fleet, FlowFuse, and Mermaid Chart. 

At Open Core Ventures, we operate in a transparent environment, with clear terms and open communication, guided by our public handbook. 

The actual offer, reflecting the total compensation package and benefits, will be at the company’s sole discretion and determined by a myriad of factors, including, but not limited to, years of experience, depth of experience, and other relevant business considerations. The company also reserves the right to amend or modify employee perks and benefits at any time.

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.