AI-First Technical Engineering Manager

AI-First Technical Engineering Manager

>Apply only if you genuinely meet the below technical, AI engineering, leadership, stakeholder management, and delivery expectations. This role is for highly hands-on engineering leaders who can independently engage customers, architect solutions, review code, guide engineering teams, and successfully deliver production-ready products using modern AI-first engineering practices.
>
> This is NOT a traditional Project Manager or Product Manager role. Candidates must have a strong hands-on software development background and be comfortable understanding, reviewing, and contributing to technical solutions when required.

Overview

We are looking for a highly capable and hands-on AI-First Technical Engineering Manager who has grown through a software engineering career path and possesses strong technical expertise along with customer-facing leadership skills.

The ideal candidate should have demonstrable hands-on experience in AWS, Python, and MERN Stack development, covering the complete software lifecycle from requirement gathering, architecture, development, testing, deployment, and production support.

This role requires someone who can confidently engage with customers, understand business problems, architect scalable solutions, mentor engineering teams, review technical implementations, leverage AI to improve engineering productivity, and drive successful product delivery.

The ideal candidate should be equally comfortable discussing architecture with senior engineers, reviewing code, conducting customer workshops, defining product requirements, mentoring development teams, and presenting solutions to executive stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (4 years) or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field.
• 4+ years of progressively responsible experience in Software Engineering, Technical Leadership, Engineering Management, or Solution Architecture.
• Strong hands-on software development experience is mandatory.
• Candidates whose primary experience is limited to Project Management, Product Management, or Business Analysis without substantial software development experience are unlikely to be a good fit for this role.

Key Expectations

Hands-on Technical Leadership

• Strong software engineering background with demonstrable hands-on development experience.

• Must have worked extensively with:

  • AWS Cloud
  • Python
  • MERN Stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js)

• Capable of understanding, reviewing, debugging, and guiding application development.

• Comfortable reviewing pull requests, architecture decisions, API designs, database models, and application workflows.

• Ability to prototype solutions, build proof-of-concepts, and assist engineering teams in solving technically challenging problems.

• Strong understanding of cloud-native architectures, microservices, APIs, security, scalability, performance optimization, and modern software engineering practices.

• Hands-on exposure across the complete SDLC, including:

  • Requirement Analysis
  • Solution Design
  • Development
  • Testing
  • Deployment
  • Production Support

AI-First Engineering & Innovation

• Daily hands-on usage of AI tools for architecture, coding, debugging, documentation, code reviews, planning, testing, and delivery.
• Strong exposure to AI-assisted software engineering workflows, coding copilots, autonomous agents, and developer productivity tools.
• Good understanding of AI agentic architecture, orchestration concepts, MCPs, prompt engineering, and modern AI ecosystems.
• Continuously research and evaluate emerging AI technologies, tools, and engineering practices.
• Drive innovation initiatives, proofs-of-concept, internal tools, and product improvements using AI.
• Encourage and mentor engineering teams in adopting AI-first development practices.

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as the primary technical interface between customers, stakeholders, and engineering teams.
• Conduct customer meetings, workshops, discovery sessions, requirement gathering, technical discussions, demonstrations, and solution presentations.
• Build trusted relationships with customers through strong communication and technical credibility.
• Translate business problems into scalable technical solutions and actionable engineering plans.
• Present technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrate a proactive, solution-oriented, and customer-first mindset.

Solution Architecture & Product Ownership

• Design scalable, secure, maintainable, and cloud-native solutions.
• Prepare architecture documents, technical specifications, workflow diagrams, and implementation approaches.

• Create and maintain:

  • Product Requirement Documents (PRDs)
  • Functional Specifications
  • User Stories
  • Technical Design Documents
  • Architecture Diagrams
  • Release Notes
  • Delivery Notes

• Continuously suggest product enhancements, technical improvements, and innovative approaches to solve customer problems.

• Ensure solutions are aligned with business objectives, engineering best practices, and long-term scalability.

Engineering Management & Delivery

• Lead and mentor development and QA teams through technical guidance and engineering best practices.
• Drive sprint planning, estimations, prioritization, technical reviews, and execution planning.
• Promote collaboration, knowledge sharing, and continuous learning across teams.
• Ensure engineering standards, code quality, testing practices, documentation, and delivery processes are consistently followed.
• Proactively identify risks, blockers, and dependencies, and drive timely resolution.
• Ensure predictable, high-quality, and on-time deliveries while maintaining strong engineering standards.

Communication & Presentation

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong presentation and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to prepare executive-level presentations, technical proposals, architecture documents, and customer-facing documentation.
• Confident in conducting customer demonstrations, solution walkthroughs, sprint reviews, and executive presentations.
• Capable of influencing stakeholders and driving technical decisions through clear communication and technical expertise.

Preferred Technical Skills

• AWS Cloud Services
• Python
• MERN Stack
• React / React Native
• Node.js / TypeScript
• REST / GraphQL APIs
• Serverless Architectures
• Microservices
• CI/CD Pipelines
• Git-based Development Workflows
• Agile / Scrum Methodologies
• SDLC & STLC Processes
• AI-assisted Software Engineering Tools

Preferred Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate:

• Has grown from a hands-on software engineering background into technical leadership.
• Can confidently switch between coding, architecture, customer discussions, and team mentoring.
• Understands application code as well as business requirements.
• Uses AI extensively to improve engineering productivity and solution quality.
• Can independently drive customer engagements and engineering execution.
• Is passionate about technology, continuous learning, and innovation.
• Leads by technical expertise, ownership, and example rather than by process alone.

What We Value

• AI-first engineering mindset
• Strong technical credibility
• Customer-first approach
• Engineering excellence
• Ownership and accountability
• Leadership through technical expertise
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Continuous learning and innovation
• Commitment to high-quality, on-time delivery
• Passion for building scalable, impactful products