Senior Engineering Lead

About the Role

We're looking for a technical leader who can architect scalable AI-powered systems while maintaining hands-on involvement in critical infrastructure. You'll define our technical strategy, build robust production systems, and lead the engineering team as we scale cutting-edge AI applications.

What You'll Own

• Technical Vision: Define architecture roadmap and technical strategy for AI-powered products

• Production Systems: Build and maintain critical infrastructure running Python and Node.js applications on Kubernetes

• AI Architecture: Design multi-agent systems and LLM integration patterns that scale to millions of users

• Team Building: Hire, mentor, and lead a world-class engineering team

• Full-Stack Delivery: Ship end-to-end features from database to AI models to user interface

• Engineering Culture: Establish best practices, code standards, and development workflows

Our Tech Stack

Languages: TypeScript, Python
Backend: GCP, Cloud Functions, Firestore & PostgreSQL, Firebase Auth, Cloud Tasks, Cloud Scheduler, Trigger.dev, Vercel
Frontend: Next.js, React, shadcn/ui, Tailwind CSS
AI: OpenAI, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Llama, and other cutting-edge models, Vercel, Trigger.dev
Infrastructure: Kubernetes, Docker, Grafana, Prometheus, Loki

You're a Great Fit If You:

• Are ambitious and hard working

• You can Vibe code and work in a fast paced environment

• Can architect scalable systems while writing production code

• Work quickly, efficiently, and with a bias for action

• Have experience leading technical teams and making architectural decisions

• Deliver high-quality work at a very fast pace

• Thrive in environments where you can make immediate, high-impact decisions

Core Technical Requirements

Infrastructure & DevOps

• Production Kubernetes: Experience managing Python and Node.js applications on Kubernetes in production

• Container Orchestration: Expertise in Docker containerization and Kubernetes orchestration

• Infrastructure as Code: Proficiency writing and maintaining Kubernetes manifests (YAML)

• Observability: Experience implementing monitoring solutions using Grafana, Prometheus, and Loki

• Cloud Platforms: Strong knowledge of major cloud providers (AWS, GCP, or Azure)

Development Skills

• Backend Engineering: Professional experience with Python in production environments

• Frontend Development: Proficiency in React and modern web technologies

• Database Design: Strong SQL database design and optimization skills

• API Architecture: Experience building RESTful APIs and scalable cloud architectures

• Full-Stack Capability: Can implement changes end-to-end across the entire stack

AI/ML Architecture

• Multi-Agent Systems: Experience designing and implementing systems using LLM APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)

• LLM Integration: Deep understanding of prompt engineering and LLM integration patterns

• Vector Architecture: Knowledge of vector databases and RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architectures

• AI at Scale: Experience building AI features that handle high-volume production traffic

Leadership Qualities

• Technical Decision Making: Ability to balance technical excellence with business needs and speed

• Team Development: Experience mentoring developers and building high-performing technical teams

• Communication: Strong ability to explain complex technical concepts to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders

• Ownership Mindset: "You build it, you run it" approach to system ownership and accountability

What We Look For

We don't require specific degrees or years of experience. Instead, we value clear indicators of excellence, whether it's:

• Exceptional academic performance in computer science or related fields

• Successfully scaling a side project to thousands of users

• Leading technical teams at high-growth startups

• Significant open-source contributions with measurable impact

• Building and launching your own technical products

• Any other achievement that demonstrates exceptional technical skill and leadership

Bonus Points

• Open Source Leadership: Maintaining popular projects or significant contributions to major frameworks

• Deployed Projects: Side projects, startups, or systems we can examine that demonstrate your technical depth

• Startup Experience: Having started a company before or been an early technical hire (first 10 employees)

• AI/ML Research: Published research or practical experience with cutting-edge AI/ML techniques

• System Design: Experience architecting systems that handle millions of requests or users

• DevOps Innovation: Expertise in modern deployment practices, GitOps, or infrastructure automation

What We Offer

• Significant Equity: Meaningful ownership as a founding team member

• Technical Autonomy: Full authority over technical decisions and architecture

• Cutting-Edge AI: Work with the latest models and build the next generation of AI applications

• High Impact: Your decisions will directly shape product success and company trajectory

• Team Building: Hire and lead exceptional engineers as we scale

• Competitive Compensation: Top-tier salary plus equity package

• Learning Budget: Resources for conferences, courses, and staying at the forefront of technology

Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Define technical strategy aligned with business objectives

• Make critical architectural decisions for scalability and performance

• Establish engineering standards, code review processes, and deployment practices

• Collaborate with founders on product technical feasibility and roadmap planning

Hands-On Engineering

• Write production code for critical features and infrastructure

• Debug complex production issues and optimize system performance

• Implement AI features and integrations with multiple LLM providers

• Maintain and evolve our Kubernetes infrastructure and monitoring systems

Team Development

• Recruit, hire, and onboard exceptional engineering talent

• Mentor team members and establish career development paths

• Build engineering processes that scale with team growth

• Foster a culture of technical excellence and rapid iteration