Refery is a recruiting network for VC-backed Seed to Series B companies, so we see where senior engineering roles come from. This guide is written from that vantage point. It describes channels; it does not promise a match, a reply, or an offer from any of them.
High-ownership roles are rarely advertised as such
The roles where you own the product, the architecture, and the next hires tend to be filled before, or instead of, a public posting. A founder with a Seed round and one open founding-engineer seat usually asks their investors, their last team, and a network they trust before they write a job ad. When the ad does appear, it often describes a narrower job than the one that was actually open a month earlier.
That is why the useful channels are the ones close to the people who make the decision, and why the order below runs from closest to furthest.
1. People who have seen your work
The single best channel is a former colleague, manager, or founder who can say what you owned. Tell three of them, specifically, what you want next: the stage, the kind of problem, the ownership, the constraints. Vague availability produces vague introductions. How to describe ownership when you are a senior candidate shows what a good summary looks like from the hiring side.
2. Referral networks that work a brief before it is public
Networks like Refery receive a founder's brief, calibrate it against real profiles, and introduce people whose work someone in the network can vouch for. The searches are often confidential and never reach a job board. What they need from you is context a résumé leaves out: one or two examples of work you owned, the stage and scope you want, the constraints that matter, and how you want your profile handled. Candidates pay nothing; the hiring company pays on hire.
Two things to know before you engage any network: ask whether your profile is shared only with your consent for each opportunity, and say plainly if you are exploring quietly. Candidate consent across multiple opportunities is the standard we hold ourselves to.
3. Investor and accelerator job boards
Funded companies cluster around their investors, and several publish job boards:
- Y Combinator lists roles at YC companies with the salary range on the listing, which makes it the most transparent startup board available. It only covers YC companies.
- a16z and Sequoia run portfolio job boards that show which of their companies are hiring.
Use them to find companies at the right stage in the right space, then reach the founder through a person if you can. The listing tells you a seat exists; it does not tell you what it owns.
4. Curated candidate marketplaces
Marketplaces where companies apply to reach candidates, rather than the reverse, filter out the noise of open applications. Underdog states that it accepts "no staffing firms" and turns away "more than 50% of the companies that try to join." Wellfound is the largest startup-specific board; it is useful for breadth, and it rewards a profile that says what you own rather than listing technologies.
5. Public postings, used deliberately
Job ads are still where most roles are visible. Treat them as a research list, not an application queue. For each company that looks right, find the founder or the engineer who would be your peer, and send the short version of what you owned. How startup hiring managers evaluate senior engineers explains what they are looking for, so you can lead with it.
What to send, whichever channel you use
Keep it to one screen:
- One or two examples of work you owned: the problem, your decisions, the outcome you can substantiate.
- The stage and scope you want next, and the work you would rather not do.
- Location, working arrangement, compensation expectations, and any sponsorship needs.
- Timing, companies to exclude, and how you want any introduction handled.
The same four points are what a founder needs to decide whether to have a conversation. They are also what a good referrer needs to vouch for you.
Before you accept anything
When a role does surface, evaluate the ownership before the package. How to evaluate a founding engineer offer covers the questions: what you own, the equity in comparable terms, what the stage means, and who carries which risk.
Sources
Checked on September 19, 2026.
- Y Combinator jobs: ycombinator.com/jobs
- a16z portfolio jobs: a16z.com/jobs
- Sequoia portfolio jobs: jobs.sequoiacap.com
- Underdog: underdog.io
- Wellfound: wellfound.com
- Refery for candidates: refery.io/candidates
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find confidential Seed-stage startup roles?
Confidential searches are run through people, not job boards: the company's investors, founders in the same portfolio, and recruiting networks that work a brief before it is public. Getting into those channels means telling a small number of the right people what you want to own next, precisely enough that they can match you to a search they cannot advertise. Refery is one such network; candidates pay nothing and can say how and whether their profile is shared.
Are VC job boards worth using?
Yes, for discovery. a16z and Sequoia publish portfolio job boards and Y Combinator's board lists roles at YC companies with salary ranges on the listing. They tell you which funded companies are hiring; they do not tell you what the role owns, which you still have to find out in conversation.
How do I avoid being treated as just another applicant?
Lead with what you owned, not where you worked: the problem, your decisions, the outcome you can substantiate. Send that to a few people who can vouch for it rather than applying broadly. A referral with that context is worth more than any number of applications.