Research Engineer, Special Projects

Higharc is a VC-backed startup that is changing how new homes are designed and built. Join a founding team who’ve shipped products for Autodesk, Electronic Arts, Nike, and Apple. In 2024, we raised a $53M Series B fundraising round with support from top-notch venture capital firms and more than 18 strategic investors—industry leaders in construction, building products manufacturing, and distribution.

As a Research Engineer in our Special Projects team, you'll be at the forefront of applying cutting-edge AI technology to transform residential construction. You'll develop innovative solutions that automate complex architectural decisions, optimize building processes, and revolutionize how homes are designed and specified.

About the Job

• AI Architecture Development: Design and implement sophisticated AI systems that automate architectural design decisions, building code compliance, and construction documentation. Create scalable solutions using computer vision, Large Language Models (LLMs), and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to interpret and optimize residential building plans.
• Residential Construction Automation: Develop AI-powered systems that automatically generate construction documentation, material specifications, and building requirements from architectural inputs. Build intelligent systems that understand residential construction constraints and building codes.
• AI Tool Integration: Lead the implementation of cutting-edge AI development tools, including Cursor, Claude, and O1 Pro, to enhance our platform's capabilities in automated home design and construction planning.
• Technical Leadership: Drive technical decisions for special projects in our AI initiatives, balancing innovation with practical implementation requirements in the residential construction industry.
• Full-Stack Development: Build robust applications using React and TypeScript that make complex architectural automation accessible to builders and developers.
• Research and Innovation: Stay at the forefront of AI technology trends in construction automation, evaluating new approaches to streamline the home building process.

About You

• Technical Expertise: Deep understanding of AI systems, including computer vision, LLMs, and RAG architectures, with specific interest in applying these to architectural and construction challenges.
• Development Skills: Expert-level proficiency in React and TypeScript, with experience building complex web applications for technical users.
• AI Tools: Demonstrated experience with AI-assisted development tools and platforms, with the ability to adapt these tools for construction industry applications.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical abilities and creative problem-solving skills, particularly in addressing challenges unique to residential construction automation.
• Industry Understanding: Interest in or experience with architectural design, construction processes, or building information modeling (BIM) is a plus.

Nice to Have

• Experience with 3D modeling and geometry, particularly in architectural or construction contexts
• Proficiency with Three.js or similar 3D web technologies for building visualization
• Background in computational geometry or computer graphics
• Experience with CAD/BIM software (e.g., Revit, AutoCAD)
• Open-source contributions to AI or development tools

Education and Experience

• Master's degree in Computer Science, AI, or related field preferred
• 5+ years of professional software development experience
• Demonstrated track record of building AI-powered systems and applications
• Experience with architectural software or construction technology is a plus

Higharc has been remote-first since our founding in 2018. We offer flexible hours so that you do your best work without missing out on life. Higharc offers competitive salaries with significant equity in a fast-growing, well-funded company. Personal healthiness is an important value for us - we provide comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with unlimited PTO, and meaningful maternity/paternity leave. You'll also have access to other big-company benefits like short and long-term disability plans and a 401k. Haven't worked remotely before? We provide a stipend to help you create the ideal home-office.

Learn more about our product and hear from our employees on our YouTube page.