Lead Software Engineer, AI & SaaS (Contract)

Growth Capital is seeking a hands-on Lead Software Engineer to assume technical ownership from the current lead engineer and collaborate directly with the CEO. This role involves managing the architecture, development roadmap, and operational reliability of Oasis, a SaaS platform, along with AI agents and internal tools that support agency services. The ideal candidate will blend technical leadership with active engineering duties such as making architecture decisions, coding, reviewing, shipping features, and ensuring system reliability. Candidates must have a strong traditional software engineering background and demonstrate sustained AI experience beginning before January 2021.

Key Responsibilities

- Engineering Ownership: Manage the existing codebase, infrastructure, integrations, and technical documentation. Identify critical dependencies, unresolved issues, and knowledge gaps, then develop a clear action plan.
- Technical Strategy and Architecture: Lead decisions across frontend, backend, database, data pipelines, and AI architecture for Oasis. Evaluate tools, APIs, and platforms with a focus on security, scalability, maintainability, and cost efficiency.
- Hands-on Development: Build and maintain product features, integrations, and automation. Apply best engineering practices in code review, testing, debugging, version control, and deployment.
- AI Infrastructure: Develop and enhance client agents including OpenClaw/Hermes systems, shared skill libraries, knowledge systems, and integrations. Assess reliability, permissions, output quality, and operating costs.
- Product Roadmap Management: Collaborate with the CEO to own the technical backlog. Translate business needs and client feedback into specifications, estimates, priorities, and delivery plans. Manage sprints, track progress using Asana, and communicate blockers and tradeoffs clearly.
- Reliability and Operations: Oversee issue triage, bug fixes, monitoring, database maintenance, data integrity, dependency updates, security patches, and incident response. Improve CI/CD pipelines, deployment processes, and production performance.
- AI Adoption and Documentation: Train team members, document systems and workflows, support client onboarding, and identify automation opportunities. Coordinate with external contractors and partners as needed.

Required Qualifications

- Strong foundation in traditional software engineering with extensive experience building, deploying, and maintaining production software. Proficiency in data structures, algorithms, system design, APIs, databases, testing, security, and debugging.
- Hands-on AI experience starting before January 2021, with the ability to detail specific projects, timelines, tools or models used, and personal contributions. Relevant experience may include machine learning, NLP, recommendation systems, or computer vision.
- Experience with Shopify, Amazon, and ad platform data ingestion and modeling.
- Proven track record of building production-grade software with real users, not just prototypes.
- Experience owning a production SaaS application across frontend, backend, data, and infrastructure layers.
- Ability to take over and improve an existing codebase while maintaining service continuity.
- Current experience developing AI features or agent workflows, including integrations, evaluation, error handling, and monitoring.
- Strong debugging skills, including the ability to inspect and improve code generated with AI assistance.
- Capability to translate business priorities into realistic engineering roadmaps and deliver results.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with clear technical documentation and confidence engaging business stakeholders and clients.
- Availability for synchronous collaboration during Pacific Time business hours.
- Submission of a GitHub profile with the application is mandatory.

Preferred Qualifications and Additional Information

- Experience with Convex and production database operations.
- Familiarity with OpenClaw, Hermes, or similar agent frameworks.
- Knowledge of shared agent skills, retrieval systems, and knowledge infrastructure.
- Experience with Slack integrations, client dashboards, and automated reporting.
- Background in SaaS products serving multiple clients with appropriate access controls and data separation.
- Previous technical leadership in a small team working closely with a founder or CEO.

The role involves close daily collaboration with the CEO during the initial ramp-up, transitioning to a cadence aligned with team needs. Communication occurs via Slack and Asana, with expectations for proactive updates on blockers and scope changes. On-call availability for critical production incidents is required, with agreed-upon coverage windows and response expectations. Access to code, infrastructure, and client systems is governed by strict confidentiality and security agreements.

Success in this position means independently managing and evolving the platform, clearly explaining architectural decisions, maintaining a prioritized roadmap, and consistently delivering valuable improvements. Production issues are addressed promptly, technical risks are visible, and the team is well-equipped with documentation and training to effectively use AI systems.

Applications must include a résumé or LinkedIn profile, a GitHub URL highlighting key repositories or contributions, a detailed account of AI experience prior to January 2021, an example of a production system owned or inherited with challenges and improvements described, time zone and availability during Pacific Time business hours, earliest start date, and expected contract rate in USD with weekly availability. Only candidates providing a GitHub profile and clear AI experience predating 2021 will be considered.