Lead Engineer (Backend + AI + Infrastructure)

About the role

We are seeking a visionary Founding Engineering Lead to shape the technical direction of our fast‑moving startup. The role combines strategic planning with hands‑on development of backend systems, cloud infrastructure, and AI‑driven product capabilities, working closely with the founders to turn long‑term vision into scalable solutions.

Key responsibilities

• Define and drive the overall engineering strategy and technical roadmap.
• Design, build, and oversee scalable backend architecture, cloud infrastructure, APIs and databases.
• Lead AI adoption, automation workflows, and integration of machine‑learning capabilities.
• Establish engineering standards, development best practices, CI/CD pipelines and DevOps processes.
• Advise leadership on hiring needs, team structure and future engineering roles.
• Mentor engineers, foster a culture of innovation and accountability.
• Ensure infrastructure reliability, security, performance and scalability.
• Participate in hands‑on coding, architecture reviews and technical decision‑making as required.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend tools that support growth.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a related field.
• 7+ years of software engineering experience with strong backend and infrastructure expertise.
• Previous technical leadership experience (Engineering Lead, Head of Engineering, Staff Engineer or CTO‑level responsibilities).
• Proven ability to build or scale engineering teams in startup or fast‑paced environments.
• Strong strategic thinking, communication and mentorship skills.

Required skills

• Backend development and scalable architecture.
• Cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure or equivalent).
• APIs and database design.
• Distributed systems.
• AI/ML integration and automation workflows.
• DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines.