Startup Job Description Template (Free, Copy-Paste)

What a great startup job description includes

A good job description is short, honest, and specific. It tells the right person "this is for you" in under a minute. Here are the parts that matter, in the order they should appear.

• Role title. A plain title people search for, like "Product Engineer," not "Code Ninja."
• One-line hook. A single sentence on why this job is worth their time.
• About the company. Two or three sentences on what you build and who you serve.
• What you will do. The real day-to-day work, written as a short list of actions.
• What you need. The few skills that genuinely decide success in the role.
• Nice-to-haves. Extras that help but are not required, kept clearly separate.
• Comp and equity range. A real salary band and the equity range, stated up front.
• Location and remote. Where the person works, time zone, and any in-person days.
• How to apply. One clear step, with no long form or hoops.

The template (copy this)

Founding Product Engineer

One-line hook. Join [Company] as one of our first engineers and own real product from idea to shipped feature, with users who notice the day you ship.

About the company. [Company] builds [one plain sentence on what you make and for whom]. We are a team of [number] backed by [investor or "our own revenue"], based in [city or "remote"]. We move fast, ship weekly, and talk to customers every week.

What you will do.

• Build and ship features across the stack, from the database to the screen the user sees.
• Talk to customers, watch how they use the product, and turn what you learn into fixes.
• Own a problem end to end: scope it, build it, ship it, and check that it worked.
• Help set how we build as we grow, from code reviews to how we test.

What you need.

• [3 or more] years building web products that real people used.
• Strong skills in [your stack, like TypeScript and React], plus comfort touching the backend.
• You ship. You would rather get a small thing live this week than plan a big thing for a month.
• You write clearly and can explain a trade-off to a non-engineer.

Nice-to-haves. Early-stage startup experience, having built something of your own, or a background in [your field, like recruiting or fintech]. None of these are required.

Comp and equity. [salary range, like $130,000 to $170,000] plus [0.25% to 1.0%] equity, set by experience. We are happy to walk through how our equity works on the first call.

Location and remote. [Remote within US time zones], or in our [city] office [number] days a week. Your call.

How to apply. Email your resume to [apply address]. A line or two on something you shipped that you are proud of helps, but is not required. We read every application and reply either way.

Swap every bracketed part for your own details, then delete any line that is not true for your role. If you cannot fill a bracket honestly, cut it rather than fake it.

How to write each part well

The title. Use the words people actually type into a job search. "Founding Product Engineer" or "Early Growth Marketer" beats "Wizard" or "Rockstar." If a stranger cannot tell what the job is from the title alone, rename it.

The hook. One sentence, near the top, on why this role is worth leaving a stable job for. At a startup the real draw is ownership and impact: the person will build things that ship and see the result. Say that plainly instead of listing perks.

Responsibilities versus requirements. These are two different lists and mixing them confuses people. Responsibilities are what the person will do once hired. Requirements are what they must already have to do it. Keep them apart, and keep both short.

Comp transparency. Always include a salary range. Pay-transparency laws now require a salary range in job posts in many US states, including California, Colorado, New York, and Washington, and the list keeps growing. Beyond the law, a posted range builds trust and saves everyone time, because people who need more money will not apply and then walk away at the offer.

Inclusive language. Keep the "must-have" list to the few things that truly decide success. Long requirement lists shrink your pool, and they push away strong candidates who count themselves out. Shorter posts with fewer required bullets tend to draw more applicants and a wider range of people. Drop years-of-experience minimums you do not really need, and avoid coded words like "aggressive."

Length. Aim for a post a person can read in about a minute, roughly 300 to 500 words. If your draft runs long, cut the company history and the wish-list requirements first. Short and honest beats long and padded every time.

Mistakes that kill a startup job post

• A vague title. "Ninja," "guru," or "wizard" makes the role unsearchable and a little silly.
• A wall of requirements. Twelve bullets of "must have" scares off the people you want most.
• No salary range. Hiding pay wastes everyone's time and breaks the law in several states.
• Buzzword soup. "Fast-paced synergy-driven disruptor" tells a reader nothing real.
• No clear apply step. If people cannot tell how to apply, the good ones move on.
• Listing 15 must-haves. Pick the few skills that actually matter and move the rest to nice-to-haves.