Tech Lead — Software Engineering

About the Role

We are building a large-scale platform of 8 interconnected applications that automates and intelligences an end-to-end operational lifecycle across six countries.

As Tech Lead, you will own the architecture and delivery of this platform from the ground up. You will design the shared data layer that all 8 apps depend on, lead two parallel delivery tracks with a small team, and be the primary technical decision-maker. You will work in close partnership with the Programme Lead and Product Owner, and you will co-author a significant portion of the codebase using Claude Code as your primary engineering accelerator.

This is a high-stakes, high-autonomy role. You will be building for real users in live operational environments across multiple countries in Asia and Africa.

What You Will Own

• Design and build the shared platform foundation: common data layer, RBAC, authentication, event bus, API contracts, audit trail, and localisation framework — completed before application-specific development begins.
• Architect all 8 applications with a closed-loop integration model — every application feeds into and receives from others through a shared data and integration layer.
• Lead two parallel delivery tracks simultaneously, managing workload allocation, task sequencing, and delivery timelines across the team.
• Make all significant technical decisions: stack choices, hosting strategy (on-premise, cloud-hosted, or a combination across multiple country locations), third-party API integration (LLM, image analysis, TTS), and deployment architecture per application.
• Set up and maintain CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, logging, and alerting infrastructure across all environments (dev, UAT, production).
• Define infrastructure requirements across multiple country locations — balancing on-premise and cloud-hosted options based on operational and compliance needs — and work closely with the in-house IT support person to execute provisioning and deployment.
• Co-author production code using Claude Code — this is an explicit expectation, not optional. You are expected to leverage AI-assisted development to deliver at the velocity this programme requires with a team of 2–4.
• Conduct code reviews, enforce quality standards, and mentor the engineering team.
• Coordinate directly with functional leads and domain experts to translate requirements into technically well-scoped deliverables.
• Own UAT and production deployment sign-off for each application — working with the in-house IT support person to provision environments and manage test data setup.

What We Are Looking For

Essential

• 6+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 2 years in a tech lead or architect role.
• Strong Python backend development (FastAPI or Django REST Framework preferred) and React frontend.
• Demonstrated ability to design and build multi-service architectures with shared data layers — event buses, API contracts, RBAC, audit trails.
• Hands-on experience with LLM API integration (Anthropic Claude, Together AI, OpenAI, or equivalent) in production applications.
• PostgreSQL and vector database design for complex, inter-linked data models and AI-powered retrieval.
• Experience with infrastructure deployment across cloud and/or on-premise environments, including multi-location setups.
• Strong written and verbal communication — you will be the primary interface between engineering and non-technical stakeholders.

Strongly Preferred

• Experience building platforms with strict data privacy or compliance requirements; familiarity with data residency and cross-border data compliance concepts across multiple jurisdictions.
• Proficiency with AI-assisted development tools, especially Claude Code or GitHub Copilot, as primary development accelerators.
• Experience managing hybrid deployment models — on-premise combined with cloud-hosted components across geographies.
• Familiarity with multi-country, multi-language software deployments in South/Southeast Asia or Africa.
• Prior work on platforms handling sensitive or safeguarded data (healthcare, legal, social services, or similar domains).

Technical Environment

Backend Python (FastAPI / Django REST Framework)
Frontend React (TypeScript)
Database PostgreSQL + Vector DB
AI / LLM Anthropic Claude (primary); Together AI; OpenAI
Hosting Flexible — on-premise and/or cloud-hosted; multi-country locations
Dev tooling Claude Code (co-authoring), Git, Docker, CI/CD pipeline
3rd-party APIs LLM providers, image analysis APIs, TTS services
Delivery Milestone-driven delivery with fortnightly and monthly programme review gates
How Success Is Measured

• Shared platform foundation delivered on schedule, with all application teams unblocked to begin development.
• Priority applications meet programme go-live milestones across all target country deployments.
• All High priority applications in production within agreed programme timelines.
• Full platform (all 8 applications) delivered by the programme deadline.
• Zero critical data or security incidents across any deployed application.