Lead Engineer

Job description

In 2026, writing code is no longer the primary bottleneck; managing its complexity and ensuring- its reliability is. We are building a highly resilient software ecosystem with a very lean internal team. To achieve massive scale without the overhead of a large internal engineering department, we rely heavily on an AI-first development paradigm and external development partners (currently a specialized advertising tech agency, with plans to integrate ad-hoc remote talent). We operate on a philosophy inspired by the best large-scale Open Source projects. This does not mean our code is public, but rather that we adopt their governance: asynchronous communication, exhaustive written documentation, explicit rules, and uncompromising quality gates. This is the only way to seamlessly integrate remote humans and AI agents without creating technical debt. **The Role** While you possess deep, highly advanced technical capabilities and can dive into the codebase when critical, this role is not about typing code all day. You will operate with a scope closer to a VP of Engineering. Your primary objective is to guarantee the quality, reliability, and predictability of the software evolution (Outcomes over Outputs). You will architect the systems, define the tasks, orchestrate the execution by AI and external developers, and act as the ultimate gatekeeper for quality. 1. Delivery Orchestration & External Team Management ● Agency & Remote Coordination: You will manage the technical delivery of an external dev agency (specialized in ad-tech) and structure the project to allow the frictionless onboarding of sporadic, ad-hoc freelance talent in the future. ● Flawless Specification: Translate business needs into highly explicit, self-sufficient technical issues. Your specifications must be clear enough that an external developer or an AI agent can execute them without needing a synchronous meeting. ● System Architecture & Evolution: Oversee the high-level architecture across our stack (GCP, Rust, React, Postgres, Stream processing). You are the guarantor of scalability and system integrity. Your direct manager will retain responsibility for strategy, guidance, architecture design and high-level technical decisions. 2. The AI-First Paradigm ● AI as the Primary Coder: We expect AI to write the majority of the code. You must be 100% proficient in this new development lifecycle. You are the editor; the AI is the writer. ● Agentic Workflows: We are preparing setups utilizing advanced conversational and agentic CLI tools (e.g., Claude Code, custom tools/skills). You will drive the adoption and structuring of these workflows. ● CI/CD Innovation: While AI is heavily used in code generation, integrating AI into our CI/CD pipelines (for automated reviews, security checks, etc.) is an open frontier. We expect you to study and propose implementations to automate our quality gates further. 3. Strict Governance & Quality Gates ● Open Source Governance Model: You will enforce a rigid, predictable workflow. Everything must be documented. If it is not written down, it does not exist. ● Documentation as a Gateway: Maintain rigorous Architecture Decision Records (ADRs). You can leverage AI to write the documentation, but you are responsible for 100% human validation before it becomes the single source of truth. ● Uncompromising Code Reviews: Enforce strict quality gates at every passage point. You ensure that whether the code was written by a senior agency developer or an LLM, it meets our exacting standards for performance, security, and maintainability. **The Tech Stack** ● Languages & Frameworks: Rust (Core/Backend), React (Frontend) ● Data & Processing: PostgreSQL, Stream Processing, Advanced Analytics ● Infrastructure: Google Cloud Platform (GCP) **Profile & Requirements** We are looking for a highly autonomous, systems-oriented engineering leader who thrives in a fast-paced, high-quality, lean environment. This role is not suited for individuals who primarily enjoy hands-on coding within a large internal team structure. **Essential Experience** ● Senior Engineering Leadership: 7+ years of progressive experience in software development, with at least 3 years in a lead or principal role managing system architecture and delivery of complex, highly available, and scalable systems. ● Architecture & Systems Design: Proven experience in designing, deploying, and maintaining cloud-native applications on a major cloud provider (GCP experience preferred). ●Deep understanding of distributed systems, concurrency, and performance optimization. ● Rust Proficiency: Hands-on experience with Rust in a production environment or open-source project is a strong advantage. Alternatively, exceptional depth in a similar compiled systems language (e.g., Go, C++) combined with a strong willingness to master Rust immediately. ● External Orchestration: Demonstrated ability to manage and lead technical delivery across external teams (agencies, freelancers, contractors) while maintaining accountability and quality control. ● Governance & Documentation: A strong belief in and history of enforcing rigorous engineering practices, including comprehensive documentation (ADRs, RFCs) and disciplined code review processes. **Core Competencies & Mindset** ● Technical Orchestration: The ability to decompose ambiguous business goals into ultra-clear, executable technical specifications for non-internal teams and AI agents. ● AI Development Lifecycle: Deep comfort and proficiency in integrating advanced LLMs and agentic tools into the development workflow (e.g., prompt engineering for code generation, validating AI-produced code). ● Uncompromising Quality: A maniacal focus on the non-functional requirements:security, performance, reliability, and maintainability. Must be the ultimate gatekeeper for quality. ● Remote & Asynchronous Communication: Exceptional written communication skills are mandatory. ● Must be able to operate effectively in a globally distributed, asynchronous environment (Paris timezone +/- 3h).