Mental Fulfillment
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Software Development and AI Integration

AI Software Engineer (m/f/d) – Exploratory Conversation

Potential future focus: backend development and reliable LLM integration

Our immediate technical focus is one reliable text-based AWALA feature: backend, stored session state, LLM integration and tests. We welcome individuals interested in a possible future internal team role. Direct personal expressions of interest only; no agencies, recruiters, outsourcing or staff augmentation. This is an introductory conversation, with no current funded vacancy.

Non-binding collaboration exploration

This is not a current employment vacancy, paid project or unpaid operational role. No development or other usable work product is requested at this stage.

Exploratory conversations onlyFuture collaboration considered worldwideNo operational work at this stagePotential future remote scope
Express interest

About Mental Fulfillment and AWALA

Mental Fulfillment is an early-stage, purpose-driven artificial intelligence software company being built in Germany. Our first product, AWALA, is a voice-first AI wellbeing assistant designed to support adults through short, structured sessions that help them pause, reconnect with themselves, gain clarity and identify a constructive next step.

AWALA is not intended to provide therapy, diagnoses or emergency support. We are committed to responsible artificial intelligence, psychological safety, privacy, human dignity and clear product boundaries.

Our broader vision is to contribute to a more conscious and compassionate world—one in which people are better able to care for themselves, other people, animals and nature.

The potential future scope

We would like to meet a hands-on software developer interested in working directly with us as part of a possible future internal technical team. Please apply personally. We are not seeking development agencies, recruitment intermediaries, outsourced engineers or externally managed teams.

The first potential paid work package would focus on a single, agreed text-based feature: backend APIs, stored session state, controlled model integration and meaningful tests. Scope and capacity would be agreed before work starts. We do not expect one person to own every technical discipline or deliver the complete production product alone.

This exploration does not appoint anyone as Lead, Chief Technology Officer, co-founder or core-team member. Any later implementation responsibility, title and decision rights would be defined in writing within documented architecture, product boundaries and release gates.

What a later paid scope could include

  • Implement one agreed backend feature with a minimal interface or an existing client
  • Connect application programming interfaces and a relational database
  • Explicit session and workflow states, including interruption, recovery and failure handling
  • Large language model and agent workflows using structured outputs and controlled tool access
  • Human-review and approval mechanisms where consequential actions require oversight
  • Automated component, integration, state-transition and regression tests
  • Evaluation baselines for model behaviour, routing and product quality
  • Logging, tracing, error monitoring, latency measurement and cost monitoring
  • Secure handling of sensitive data with data minimisation and clear retention boundaries
  • A reproducible development setup, a simple deployment path and clear handover notes within the agreed work package

Role boundaries and collaboration

The initial focus is text-based product development. Realtime voice, broad architecture leadership, company-process automation and specialist legal or clinical reviews are outside this first work package.

Product scope, budget and release decisions remain with the responsible owners. The developer would surface risks and collaborate on technical choices. Additional specialist support would be agreed where needed.

Possible delivery sequence after a paid agreement

  1. Establish a reliable development environment, deployment path, test baseline and operating instrumentation
  2. Implement the first approved AWALA text-based vertical slice from user interaction through state handling, model integration and evaluation
  3. Add carefully controlled tool or agent workflows where they provide measurable product value
  4. Consider a separately scoped voice integration only later, after the text-based feature and required release gates are stable
  5. Improve latency, reliability, user experience and cost based on measured results

Possible outcomes within an agreed paid work package

  1. One demonstrable text-based feature with backend, database, model integration and explicit state management
  2. Automated tests, evaluation baselines, continuous integration and continuous delivery, logging, tracing and cost measurement
  3. A documented and reproducible development environment that another engineer can operate
  4. A clear boundary for later UI or voice work, without promising those implementations in the initial package
  5. Clear documentation of technical risks, remaining release gates and the next delivery priorities

What we are looking for

React or another UI framework, realtime voice and deeper cloud expertise are useful additional skills. Please distinguish experience you can demonstrate from topics you are still learning. Very good English or very good German is sufficient.

  • Evidence of personally delivering maintainable software; a Senior title or a fixed number of years is not required
  • Strong practical development skills in Python or TypeScript; both languages are not mandatory
  • Experience with relational databases, application programming interfaces, cloud infrastructure and deployment
  • Evidence of implementing and debugging backend features that connect APIs and persistent data
  • Practical experience building large language model applications, tool workflows or agentic systems
  • Experience with structured model outputs, automated testing and production monitoring
  • Strong understanding of maintainable state management and failure handling
  • Responsible handling of confidential or sensitive information
  • Pragmatic minimum-viable-product discipline, clear technical documentation and a transferable working style
  • Strong collaboration skills in a remote, interdisciplinary team and genuine mission alignment

Possible founding-team pathway through an intended EXIST application

Across our two technical explorations, we are currently considering one additional senior technical founding profile for a possible joint EXIST-Gründungsstipendium application. The profile could focus on architecture or hands-on artificial-intelligence product engineering. This means one possible profile across both descriptions—not one place per description.

This is an early and unconfirmed pathway—not an awarded funding place, employment offer, stipend promise or guarantee of admission to a founding team. The programme can support a maximum of three stipend holders. Participation depends on each person’s eligibility, an eligible German university or research institution, a formal application and a positive funding decision. The eligibility of the project and the company-formation timing must also be confirmed before an application.

No company shares, founder title, core-team status, salary or later employment are promised. Any founder role, governance, responsibilities, intellectual-property arrangements and possible equity would require separate discussion and a written agreement.

Until a written paid agreement or an approved and properly documented funding framework exists, we request no productive work. Under the current EXIST rules, active employment during the funding period is excluded and paid side work exceeding 20 hours per month is not permitted.

The current exploration and funding reality

Mental Fulfillment and AWALA are in an early company-building and product phase. Institutional financing is not secured, and there is currently no approved budget for employment or productive services under this exploration.

This page is a non-binding collaboration exploration—not a current employment vacancy, paid project or unpaid operational role. At this stage, we may hold introductory conversations, review an existing portfolio or discuss existing materials in general. We do not request or accept unpaid development, consulting, design, strategy or any other operational work product.

Any productive contribution would begin only after a separate written and appropriately compensated agreement covering scope, compensation, contract type, confidentiality, intellectual property, data protection and acceptance.

Mental Fulfillment cannot currently provide an ongoing source of income. Interested people should not base their present professional or financial planning on compensation from us. We do not ask for private income, savings or family-finance information.

Funding, employment, salary, equity, a title, core-team status or a particular start date is not promised. Mission fit, vision fit and team/collaboration fit are important, but they do not replace professional evidence or a clear agreement.

What a later collaboration could offer

  • Potentially 100% remote, with future collaboration considered worldwide
  • Regular agreed overlap with Central European working hours
  • Potential close collaboration with the Founder/Product Lead and relevant technical contributors
  • Potential hands-on product responsibility under a written mandate
  • A possible long-term perspective if financing, professional fit and a separate agreement allow it

How to express interest

Use the form below in English or German to express interest in a non-binding introductory conversation. Please provide a current profile or CV link, relevant evidence, your availability for an initial conversation and your expectations for any possible later paid engagement.

Different backgrounds and perspectives are welcome. We consider demonstrated ability alongside mission fit, vision fit and team/collaboration fit. An expression of interest does not create a role, engagement or commitment on either side.

Non-binding expression of interest

Explore AI Software Engineer (m/f/d) – Exploratory Conversation

You may answer in English or German. We do not ask for a file upload: a profile or CV link is sufficient, and documents can be shared later if needed.

This is not an application for a current paid position or a request for unpaid operational work.

Fields marked with * are required.

1. Contact details

2. Motivation and evidence

3. Five skill self-ratings

Rate your current practical ability from 1 star (basic familiarity) to 5 stars (expert, able to lead and teach). These ratings are context for human review—not an automated score.

Session state and recovery *Persistent state, retries, duplicate requests and recovery after interruptions.
Python or TypeScript, APIs and databases *Backend services, relational data, integrations and failure handling. Strong evidence in either language is sufficient.
Large language model applications *Structured outputs, controlled tools, agent workflows and evaluations.
Testing and observability *Automated tests, logging, tracing, monitoring, latency and cost measurement.
Data minimisation and access control *Sensitive data, permissions and useful logs that avoid unnecessary personal information.

4. Role-specific questions

Please answer honestly. A “No” does not trigger an automatic rejection on this website.

1. Are you expressing your own interest in a possible future internal team role, directly and independently of any agency, recruitment firm or outsourcing provider? *
2. Briefly describe one feature you personally built with Python or TypeScript, an API and persistent data. What was your contribution, and what can you show from existing work? *A short example is enough. Please do not prepare a new assignment for us.
3. In an existing project, how did you handle interrupted sessions, retries or duplicate requests? What did you test?
4. What experience do you have validating structured model outputs, limiting tool permissions and measuring LLM quality, latency or cost? Please distinguish hands-on work from topics you are still learning.
5. Do you understand that the possible EXIST pathway is unconfirmed, supports at most three stipend holders, requires individual eligibility and formal approval, and carries no promise of a stipend, founder or core-team status, equity, salary or employment? *
6. Do you understand that this is only a non-binding exploration, that no operational work is requested now, and that any future productive work would require a separate written and appropriately compensated agreement without any promise of funding, employment, salary, equity, title or core-team status? *

5. Privacy and submission

Your expression of interest is sent by transactional email to an access-controlled recruiting mailbox. It is not stored in a website applicant database. Please read our privacy notice (opens in a new tab) before submitting.