Lead Staff Software Engineer

Talent To Hire Inc.; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A pioneering AI SaaS startup in Toronto seeks an experienced Lead Software Engineer to establish its engineering hub. This role requires 10+ years in software engineering, with a strong focus on building cloud-native platforms and leading technical teams. The successful candidate will drive technical direction, manage a growing team, and shape the engineering culture in a dynamic startup environment. This position offers a hybrid work model and competitive remuneration.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering experience.
• 3+ years in a technical leadership or management role.
• Built or scaled cloud-native SaaS platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
• Deep expertise in backend systems or frontend architecture.
• Experience building AI/ML infrastructure or LLM-powered products.

Responsibilities

• Drive technical direction, architecture, and design.
• Stay hands-on by reviewing code and leading design sessions.
• Manage and mentor a growing team across various domains.
• Collaborate with the VP of Software and HQ team.
• Own delivery of key product features from the Toronto office.
• Lead hiring and shape engineering culture.

Skills

Software engineering experience

Technical leadership

Cloud-native SaaS platforms

Backend systems expertise

AI/ML infrastructure knowledge

Cross-functional team leadership

Mentoring early-career engineers

Job description

Overview

Lead Software Engineer / Hands-on – Founding Toronto Team

Toronto (Hybrid 4 days) | Full-Time | AI SaaS Startup

We’re helping an AI-native SaaS startup build its Toronto engineering hub, starting with a founding technical leader who’s eager to scale both systems and teams.

What You’ll Do

• Drive technical direction, architecture, and design across backend, frontend, and ML systems
• Stay hands-on—review code, lead design sessions, and contribute to builds
• Manage and mentor a growing team across backend, frontend, dev tools, and QA
• Collaborate closely with the VP of Software and HQ team in Silicon Valley
• Own delivery of key product features and infrastructure from the Toronto office
• Lead hiring, onboarding, and shape engineering culture in a new hub
• Help scale the team from 3 → 20+ engineers over the next 24 months

Who We’re Looking For

• 10+ years of software engineering experience
• 3+ years in a technical leadership or management role
• Built or scaled cloud-native SaaS platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
• Deep expertise in backend systems, frontend architecture, or both
• Experience building or integrating AI / ML infrastructure or LLM-powered products
• Track record of leading cross-functional teams in high-growth or startup environments
• Mentoring early-career engineers and growing healthy engineering cultures
• Bonus: experience with developer tools, IDEs, or platforms for engineers

Quick Self-Check

• Are you still hands-on but ready to grow and lead others?
• Do you thrive in startup environments where speed and ownership matter?
• Have you built scalable, production-grade systems in the cloud?
• Can you build trust across product, design, ML, and engineering teams?

If you answered “yes” to most of these, we’d love to hear from you. This is a unique opportunity to help build both a world-class engineering system and a world-class engineering team — from the ground up.

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