Applied AI & Retrieval Engineer
Design local retrieval systems, context indexing pipelines, and local LLM/embedding inference (ONNX, Whisper, Llama.cpp) running efficiently on consumer laptops.
Careers
Help build context-aware AI
We're a small, independent team building local-first software for people who live in meetings, documents, and deep work. Based in our physical office in Jabalpur — hiring in deliberate batches.
Privacy by architecture
Local-first indexing, no training on user data, and security treated as product—not policy. Every team member understands encryption, threat modeling, and data boundaries.
Hard technical problems
Desktop performance, on-device ML, sync, and retrieval at the edge of what's possible on a laptop. You'll push the boundaries of Rust, SQLite WAL, and vector search daily.
Small team, real ownership
Self-funded, no vanity metrics. You'll ship end-to-end and shape how the product evolves. Every contributor has direct access to founders and product strategy.
Full-time roles
Four core positions opening soon across engineering and design. Register interest and we'll contact you when your batch opens.
Engineering
Systems Engineer (Rust & Storage)
Own the zero-knowledge desktop daemon, local sync protocols, performance-tuning SQLite databases, and indexing background flows.
Frontend & Desktop App Engineer
Craft a glassmorphic overlay, native menu-bar experiences, and a keyboard-first user interface with Tauri, TypeScript, and React.
Product & Design
Product Designer (AI Interaction)
Design calm, keyboard-first interfaces for chat, meeting notes, and focus. Own the entire design system: components, motion specs, and dark mode.
Experience programs
Four unpaid creative tracks for students and early-career talent in Jabalpur. Not a job—a structured way to build a real portfolio in-person with the Maple team, with clear expectations upfront. All cohorts are currently paused and will reopen in the next batch.
What you receive
- Direct in-person mentorship from founders and the creative team
- Shipped work you can show—design, motion, content, or community contributions
- Written completion summary and reference letter when you finish your term
- Collaboration space at our Jabalpur hub and daily feedback
- Credit on assets we publish with your contribution
What we ask
- Unpaid — no salary, stipend, or equity for this track
- 3–6 months · In-person in Jabalpur · ~12–15 hours per week
- Reliable deadlines and clear communication in English
- You own your laptop (Figma, After Effects, editing software preferred)
- Work may be used in marketing, product, and community channels
Creative
Coming soon
Motion Designer Intern
Create UI motion, launch teasers, and short product films that match Maple's calm, premium aesthetic—minimal, intentional, never loud for its own sake.
- Micro-interactions and transition specs for the desktop app
- 15–60s launch and feature announcement videos
- Social-ready motion snippets (Reels, X, LinkedIn)
You're a fit if you have a reel or portfolio with motion work, understand pacing and typography, and can take a brief to final export.
Creative
Coming soon
Content Creator Intern
Turn product milestones and technical ideas into content people actually watch and read—threads, short video, journal drafts, and community posts.
- Short-form video and scripted demos for launches
- Drafts for the Maple journal and changelog-style updates
- Threads and captions for product milestones
You're a fit if you publish regularly (even a small audience), can explain tech simply, and care about craft over viral hacks.
Creative
Coming soon
Visual Design Intern
Shape Maple's visual identity across marketing and product—social graphics, launch assets, and templates that feel calm, precise, and premium.
- Social and launch graphics (X, LinkedIn, blog headers)
- Marketing layouts and brand template systems in Figma
- Light UI support for landing pages and in-app empty states
You're a fit if you have a Figma or Behance portfolio with brand or product design work and strong typography and layout fundamentals.
Community
Coming soon
Community Intern
Help early adopters feel at home—moderate Discord, surface user stories, and turn feedback into clear notes for the product team.
- Discord moderation and welcome flows for new members
- User spotlights and FAQ drafts from real conversations
- Weekly summaries of themes from community feedback
You're a fit if you're empathetic, organized, active in online communities, and comfortable representing a brand thoughtfully.
Our Hiring Philosophy
At Maple, we don't believe in traditional whiteboard code tests, brainteasers, or algorithmic sorting puzzles. We hire for craftsmanship, product intuition, and the ability to ship polished work independently. Every candidate is evaluated through real work, not theoretical exercises.
1
Review of Shipped Work
We review your portfolio, GitHub repositories, Dribbble profile, or published writing. We look for clarity of thought, attention to detail, and evidence of shipping complete features—not just prototypes.
2
Paid Work-Sample Project
Selected candidates collaborate with our founding team on a short, paid contract task that mirrors the exact scope of the role. Engineering candidates build a small module; designers deliver a component spec; writers produce a published draft.
3
Collaborative Design Jam
A 60-minute live session in our office or video call. We discuss architectural trade-offs, edge cases, and design decisions. This is a conversation, not an interrogation—we want to see how you think and collaborate under real conditions.
Working at Maple
We are an in-person, founder-led team based in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. We optimized our culture around deep work, focused collaboration, and creative independence. Here's what working with us looks like:
In-person collaboration
We work together under one roof in Jabalpur. We value high-bandwidth, face-to-face collaboration to solve hard technical problems fast, while protecting maker time.
Deep work blocks
We protect uninterrupted focus time. Meetings are kept to a minimum. Most of the week is dedicated strictly to deep work and creation without scheduled interruptions.
Learning budget
Every team member gets an annual budget for conferences, courses, books, and tools. We encourage attending tech meetups and publishing technical writing under your own name.
No crunch culture
We ship consistently, not desperately. Sustainable pace is a feature, not a compromise. If you're regularly working weekends, something in the system is broken—not you.
Batch Timeline
We hire in deliberate cohorts to ensure every new team member receives proper onboarding, mentorship, and integration into our workflows. Here's how our batch cycle works:
- Interest Registration: Submit your portfolio, résumé, or a short note about what excites you about Maple. We review submissions continuously.
- Batch Announcement: When a cohort opens, we notify all registered candidates via email with specific role details, timelines, and project briefs.
- Evaluation Window: Each batch runs a 2-week evaluation period with the paid work-sample and design jam stages.
- Offers & Onboarding: Selected candidates receive offers within 5 business days of their final session. Onboarding is a structured 2-week program with documentation, pairing sessions, and product walkthroughs.
We don't rush hiring. Every person who joins Maple has a meaningful impact on the product, the culture, and the trajectory of the company. We'd rather wait for the right fit than fill a seat quickly.
Register your interest
Don't see a fit yet? Send your résumé, portfolio, or a short note on what you'd build at Maple. We keep all applications in our active pool for the next batch openings.
mapledotso@gmail.com