Team Lead - Software / Automation / AI

Lead Software Engineer

– Software / Automation / AI

Location: Jersey City, New Jersey (Hybrid - 3 days a week)

Employment Type: Contract to Perm

Role Overview

We are seeking a Lead Software Engineer to guide a team of engineers and specialists. This role involves building enterprise-grade infrastructure platforms through hands-on technical leadership. The position will drive the adoption of modern engineering practices, focusing on automation and cloud-native architectures to enhance system reliability and operational efficiency. The role requires a blend of software development and DevOps implementation skills.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of software engineers and automation specialists, providing hands-on technical leadership across the full software development lifecycle.
• Drive the adoption of automation, AI, cloud-native architectures, Infrastructure-as-Code, and DevOps/SRE practices.
• Develop frameworks and establish engineering best practices for CI/CD, automated testing, observability, and code quality.
• Mentor and develop team members through coaching, performance management, and technical guidance.
• Own delivery outcomes, including sprint execution, milestone tracking, and risk management.
• Evaluate and introduce new technologies and tools to support automation and AI initiatives.
• Contribute to strategic planning and roadmap development for the technology organization.
• Act as an escalation point for complex technical and delivery issues.

Required Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.

Experience: 8+ years of experience in software engineering, with demonstrated experience leading teams or technical initiatives. Must have a strong software development and architecture background, including microservice architecture and unit testing. Experience should demonstrate the ability to build infrastructure with code.

Technical Skills: Strong background in modern software development with Python, Terraform, and ideally Ansible. Experience designing and delivering automation solutions and a working knowledge of AI/ML concepts are required. Familiarity with cloud or hybrid environments, containerization, and distributed systems is also necessary.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting financial services or other highly regulated industries.
• Familiarity with AI governance, model risk management, or responsible AI practices.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code, and observability platforms.
• Exposure to low-code/no-code automation platforms or intelligent automation tools.
• Prior experience as a people manager with accountability for performance reviews and talent development.

Leadership & Behavioral Competencies

• Strategic thinker with strong execution discipline.
• Ability to balance hands-on technical involvement with people and delivery leadership.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to influence across organizational boundaries.
• Strong problem-solving skills and comfort operating in ambiguity.
• Commitment to continuous learning and innovation.