Job Description

We are seeking a Founding Principal Engineer to lead the integration of AI-driven services, frontend, backend, OCR systems, and image analysis modules into a seamless, scalable platform. As a hands-on leader in a lean, early-stage team, you will drive technical vision, architecture, and development while managing internal employees and external sub-contractors to bring core technology in-house. This role is a unique opportunity to build and scale a high-impact platform from the ground up.

Key Responsibilities
1. Platform Integration & Development
- Lead the integration of AI agents, frontend, backend, OCR systems, and image analysis modules into a unified platform.
- Define and enforce architecture principles to ensure high scalability, reliability, and maintainability.
- Actively participate in coding and development efforts to ensure timely delivery of features.
- Oversee the development and deployment of microservices to streamline data flow and processing.
2. Technical Leadership
- Work closely with AI engineers, frontend and backend developers, and other specialists to bring all platform components together.
- Act as a technical mentor, guiding the team on best practices for software engineering, system design, and AI deployment.
- Establish coding standards, review processes, and ensure adherence to quality benchmarks.
3. System Architecture & Database Management
- Design and implement a robust microservices-based architecture for processing and storing large volumes of structured and unstructured data.
- Optimize database schemas for scalability and maintain data integrity across services.
- Ensure compliance with security and data privacy standards, especially for handling sensitive visa application data.
4. Innovation & Problem Solving
- Collaborate with the product and engineering teams to innovate and add features that enhance platform functionality and user experience.
- Identify technical bottlenecks and provide creative solutions to complex problems in real-time.
5. DevOps & Deployment
- Implement CI/CD pipelines for seamless integration and deployment of features.
- Ensure the platform operates efficiently under high loads with minimal downtime.

Technical Skills
- Full-Stack Expertise: Proven experience in integrating frontend, backend, and AI/ML components into unified systems. Basic knowledge of LLMs, RAGs, NLP to be able to supervise development by the AI engineer.
- Microservices Architecture: Deep understanding of microservices design, RESTful APIs, and data orchestration across distributed systems.
- Database Management: Proficiency in designing and managing relational and non-relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MongoDB).
- AI/ML Integration: Familiarity with deploying and integrating machine learning models, OCR systems, and image analysis algorithms into production.
- Programming Languages: Strong command of languages such as Python, JavaScript (Node.js), and MERN stack.
- Cloud Platforms: Hands-on experience with AWS, GCP, or Azure for deploying scalable systems.
- DevOps Tools: Proficiency in CI/CD pipelines, containerization (Docker), and orchestration (Kubernetes).
Experience
- Leadership: 5+ years of experience in leading engineering teams or managing cross-functional technical projects.
- System Design: Proven track record of architecting and deploying large-scale platforms.
- Startups/High-Impact Projects: Experience working in startups or on projects requiring rapid iteration and innovation is a plus.

Soft Skills
- Collaborative Leadership: Ability to guide diverse teams towards a shared vision.
- Problem-Solving: Comfortable tackling ambiguity and finding elegant technical solutions to complex problems.
- Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills to convey technical ideas to non-technical stakeholders.