Founding Staff Engineer & Team Builder — AI SaaS (Toronto)

TEEMA Solutions Group; Toronto; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading AI-native SaaS startup in Toronto is looking for a hands-on Lead Software Engineer to help build its new engineering team and architecture from the ground up. This role is ideal for a seasoned professional with over 10 years in software engineering, including substantial technical leadership experience. The ideal candidate should have experience with cloud-native platforms and AI/ML infrastructure, and be ready to mentor the growing team. This unique opportunity combines technical ownership with leadership responsibilities.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering experience.
• 3+ years in a technical leadership or management role.
• Experience building or scaling cloud-native SaaS platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
• Deep expertise in backend systems, frontend architecture, or both.
• Experience building AI/ML infrastructure or LLM-powered products.
• Track record of leading cross-functional teams in high-growth environments.
• Experience mentoring early-career engineers.

Responsibilities

• Drive technical direction, architecture, and design across systems.
• Stay hands-on—review code and lead design sessions.
• Manage and mentor a growing team.
• Collaborate closely with the VP of Software and HQ team.
• Own delivery of key product features and infrastructure.
• Lead hiring, onboarding, and shape engineering culture.
• Help scale the team from 3 to 20+ engineers.

Skills

Software engineering experience

Technical leadership or management

Building cloud-native SaaS platforms

Backend systems expertise

AI/ML infrastructure experience

Mentoring engineers

Leading cross-functional teams

Job description

A leading AI-native SaaS startup in Toronto is looking for a hands-on Lead Software Engineer to help build its new engineering team and architecture from the ground up. This role is ideal for a seasoned professional with over 10 years in software engineering, including substantial technical leadership experience. The ideal candidate should have experience with cloud-native platforms and AI/ML infrastructure, and be ready to mentor the growing team. This unique opportunity combines technical ownership with leadership responsibilities.