Technical Lead

ZestIoT; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 3,000,000 - 6,000,000; Full time

Job summary

ZestIoT seeks a Technical Lead / Lead Engineer (Python, Django, AI/ML) to drive architecture and backend development for scalable AI-powered applications. You will mentor engineers, own SDLC, and lead agile execution across multiple projects.

Responsibilities include defining architecture, enforcing best practices, building REST APIs, and integrating ML models. Strong leadership and cloud experience are essential for delivering high‑quality software.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or related field.
• 7–10+ years of software development experience.
• Minimum 2–3 years in engineering team leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of software engineers with technical guidance.
• Define architecture for scalable, secure applications and drive SDLC across projects.
• Own end-to-end SDLC: requirements, architecture, development, testing, deployment, maintenance.
• Enforce coding standards, design patterns, and best practices; reduce tech debt.
• Design and develop scalable backend systems using Python and Django; build RESTful APIs and microservices.
• Collaborate with AI/ML engineers to integrate models and deploy pipelines.
• Drive Agile processes: sprint planning, backlog grooming, releases, cross-functional coordination.
• Oversee CI/CD implementation, production deployments, and monitoring.

Skills

Python

Django

REST APIs

RabbitMQ

Distributed systems

AI/ML integration

Team leadership

Cloud platforms

CI/CD

Git

SQL databases

NoSQL databases

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS or Google Cloud

Security & data protection

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline

Tools

Django REST Framework

PostgreSQL/MySQL

Redis/MongoDB

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitHub Actions)

Job description

Technical Lead / Lead Engineer (Python, Django, AI/ML)

Job Summary

We are looking for a highly skilled Technical Lead to lead the design and development of scalable AI-powered applications and backend platforms. The ideal candidate should have strong expertise in Python, Django, RabbitMQ, and AI/ML, along with hands‑on experience in designing distributed systems, mentoring engineering teams, and driving technical excellence.

The candidate will be responsible for defining architecture, establishing engineering best practices, leading Agile execution, and ensuring high-quality software delivery across multiple projects.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of software engineers through technical guidance and regular code reviews.
• Define technical architecture and make key design decisions for scalable, maintainable, and secure applications.
• Own the end‑to‑end Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), including requirement analysis, architecture, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance.
• Drive engineering excellence by enforcing coding standards, design patterns, documentation, and best practices.
• Identify, prioritize, and reduce technical debt while improving application performance and reliability.
• Conduct architecture reviews and ensure solutions are aligned with long‑term business goals.
• Design and develop scalable backend systems using Python and Django.
• Build RESTful APIs and microservices for enterprise‑grade applications.
• Develop high‑performance, asynchronous, and event‑driven applications using RabbitMQ or similar messaging systems.
• Optimize database performance and application scalability.
• Ensure application security, authentication, authorization, and data protection.

AI/ML Integration

• Collaborate with AI/ML engineers to integrate machine learning models into production applications.
• Design APIs and pipelines for AI model inference and deployment.
• Work with Computer Vision and Deep Learning solutions where applicable.
• Optimize AI model deployment for scalability and performance.

Project & Process Management

• Translate business requirements into technical solutions and architecture documents.
• Prepare technical estimates, identify project risks, and provide mitigation strategies.
• Lead sprint planning, backlog grooming, release planning, and technical discussions.
• Collaborate with Product Managers, QA, DevOps, and other cross‑functional teams to ensure timely delivery.
• Drive Agile methodologies and continuously improve engineering processes.

Deployment & Operations

• Oversee CI/CD implementation and release management.
• Manage production deployments, monitoring, troubleshooting, and incident resolution.
• Ensure system reliability, scalability, observability, and high availability.
• Participate in production support and root cause analysis for critical issues.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 7–10+ years of software development experience.
• Minimum 2–3 years of experience leading engineering teams.
• Strong communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

Technical Skills

Must Have

• Strong expertise in Python.
• Extensive experience with Django and Django REST Framework.
• Experience building REST APIs and scalable backend services.
• Hands‑on experience with RabbitMQ or other message brokers.
• Strong understanding of Object‑Oriented Programming and Design Patterns.
• Experience with SQL databases such as PostgreSQL or MySQL.
• Experience with NoSQL databases such as MongoDB or Redis.
• Experience in building scalable, high‑performance distributed systems.
• Proficiency with Git and modern development workflows.
• Experience integrating AI/ML models into production systems.
• Hands‑on knowledge of TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit‑learn, or similar frameworks.
• Experience with OpenCV and Computer Vision applications is highly desirable.
• Understanding of Deep Learning model deployment and optimization.
• Experience with Docker and containerization.
• Familiarity with Kubernetes is preferred.
• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS or Google Cloud.
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Bitbucket CI, or similar tools.
• Familiarity with monitoring and logging tools such as NewRelic, Grafana, ELK Stack, or CloudWatch.
• Knowledge of asynchronous programming and concurrent systems.
• Experience with caching technologies such as Redis.
• Understanding of API security, OAuth2, JWT, SSL, and secure coding practices.
• Experience with system performance tuning and scalability optimization.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG), AI agents, or MLOps.
• Experience with vector databases such as Pinecone, Weaviate, or Milvus.
• Exposure to LangChain, LangGraph, LlamaIndex, or similar AI orchestration frameworks.
• Experience with Celery for distributed task processing.
• Experience working in startup or fast‑paced product development environments.

Soft Skills

• Strong leadership and mentoring abilities.
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ownership mindset with a focus on quality and continuous improvement.
• Ability to drive technical decisions independently.

Nice to Have

• Experience with Event‑Driven Architecture.
• Contributions to open‑source projects.
• Experience working with globally distributed teams.