Software Development Lead | Building the AI-Native Future of Critical Infrastructure

Preferred locations: Chicago, Austin, Nashville (Open to Remote)

I’m partnered with an early-stage AI startup building agentic systems for the energy and utility sector; developing real, production-grade AI that powers predictive operations and real-time optimization at scale.

They’re replacing decades-old legacy systems with secure, intelligent, cloud-native platforms and are looking for a Software Development Lead who wants to build real-world systems that actually power society, not just dashboards.

This is a hands-on leadership role for a builder who’s excited to bring AI into production at scale and lead a small, high-impact engineering team.

What You’ll Be Doing

Lead and scale a high-impact engineering team while partnering closely with product and leadership
Design and build APIs, services, and distributed systems that form the backbone of a next-generation AI platform
Integrate models, embeddings, and agent services into secure, enterprise-grade backend systems
Transform legacy workflows into scalable, cloud-native architectures
Ship meaningful features in weeks, not quarters, without sacrificing reliability or security
Build systems that meet the bar for regulated, mission-critical environments

What They’re Looking For

10+ years of backend engineering experience in SaaS or enterprise environments
3+ years leading engineering teams
Strong system design and distributed architecture skills
Comfort working with AI APIs and productionizing model outputs
Ownership mindset with a track record of building and leading from the front

Tech Environment

Backend: Python, Golang, or Java
Frontend: React
Cloud: AWS, Azure, or GCP
Data and Systems: SQL/NoSQL, message queues, distributed services
AI: API-driven models, embeddings, and agent frameworks

Why This Role

Competitive compensation and meaningful equity
Direct impact in a mission-critical industry
Small, high-caliber team with real ownership and autonomy
Full benefits, remote flexibility, and 401k match
Front-row seat to the AI transformation of critical infrastructure

Unleash Your Potential in the Perfect Job

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Software Development Lead