Senior Team Lead, AI Engineering

Deel; Turkey; On-site; TRY 5,778,000 - 8,666,000; Full time

Job summary

Deel is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer to own large-scale systems and help steer the Growth engine with AI-powered features. You will lead or mentor engineers, collaborate with Product, Design, and cross‑functional teams, and shape architecture across Node.js, Python, and data stacks.

Expect to design and deploy AI agents, review AI-generated code, and ensure robust production readiness. The role requires 8+ years of backend experience and a proven track record leading technical teams in a

Qualifications

• 8+ years as a Backend Engineer working on complex, scalable systems.
• 2+ years leading or mentoring engineers as a tech lead or manager.
• Background in data: data engineering, data science, analysis, or AI engineering.
• Strong with Node.js or Python. PostgreSQL and ORMs (Sequelize, TypeORM) are muscle memory.
• Understands how AI works at a product level — can design, build, and ship AI-powered products and agent‑based systems.
• Hands‑on with AI coding tools. Knows when to use AI and when to write it manually.
• Strong communicator. Writes clearly, flags blockers early, owns work from design to production.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Product, Design, and cross‑functional teams to scope and ship features end to end — design, build, test, deploy, monitor.
• Drive technical decisions that keep the team efficient and aligned with company‑wide standards.
• Support the team’s tech lead on architecture, code reviews, and design feedback.
• Design and deploy AI agents at scale to accelerate yield across the platform.
• Use AI coding tools to accelerate development. Review all AI‑generated code critically before it ships.
• Communicate technical constraints clearly to non‑technical partners and keep everyone aligned.

Skills

Backend engineering

Team leadership

Data stack

Node.js

Python

PostgreSQL

ORMs (Sequelize, TypeORM)

AI product design

AI tooling

Clear communication

Tools

Node.js

Python

PostgreSQL

Sequelize

TypeORM

AI tooling

Job description

Who We Are Is What We Do.

Deel is the all-in-one payroll and HR platform for global teams. Our vision is to unlock global opportunity for every person, team, and business. Built for the way the world works today, Deel combines HRIS, payroll, compliance, benefits, performance, and equipment management into one seamless platform. With AI-powered tools and a fully owned payroll infrastructure, Deel supports every worker type in 150+ countries—helping businesses scale smarter, faster, and more compliantly.

Who We Are Is What We Do.

Deel is the all-in-one payroll and HR platform for global teams. Our vision is to unlock global opportunity for every person, team, and business. Built for the way the world works today, Deel combines HRIS, payroll, compliance, benefits, performance, and equipment management into one seamless platform. With AI-powered tools and a fully owned payroll infrastructure, Deel supports every worker type in 150+ countries—helping businesses scale smarter, faster, and more compliantly.

Among the largest globally distributed companies in the world, our team of 7,000 spans more than 100 countries, speaks 74 languages, and brings a connected and dynamic culture that drives continuous learning and innovation for our customers.

Why should you be part of our success story?

As the fastest-growing Software as a Service (SaaS) company in history, Deel is transforming how global talent connects with world-class companies – breaking down borders that have traditionally limited both hiring and career opportunities. We’re not just building software; we’re creating the infrastructure for the future of work, enabling a more diverse and inclusive global economy. In 2024 alone, we paid $11.2 billion to workers in nearly 100 currencies and provided healthcare and benefits to workers in 109 countries—ensuring people get paid and protected, no matter where they are.

Our momentum is reflected in our achievements and customer satisfaction: CNBC Disruptor 50, Forbes Cloud 100, Deloitte Fast 500, and repeated recognition on Y Combinator’s top companies list – all while maintaining a 4.83 average rating from 15,000 reviews across G2, Trustpilot, Captera, Apple and Google.

Your experience at Deel will be a career accelerator. At the forefront of the global work revolution, you’ll tackle complex challenges that impact millions of people’s working lives. With our momentum—backed by a $17.3 billion valuation and $1 B in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) in just over five years—you’ll drive meaningful impact while building expertise that makes you a sought‑after leader in the transformation of global work.

Own the technical vision for Deel’s Growth engine, leading a team of 6–8 engineers across AI development, backend, fullstack, data engineering, data science, and data analysis. You’ll use AI agents to speed up yield across the platform while writing production code in Node.js, TypeScript, and PostgreSQL. Your leadership comes from expertise and architectural influence, not management overhead. 8+ years of experience required, with at least 2 years driving technical direction as a senior engineer or tech lead.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Product, Design, and cross‑functional teams to scope and ship features end to end — design, build, test, deploy, monitor.
• Drive technical decisions that keep the team efficient and aligned with company‑wide standards.
• Support the team’s tech lead on architecture, code reviews, and design feedback.
• Design and deploy AI agents at scale to accelerate yield across the platform.
• Use AI coding tools to accelerate development. Review all AI‑generated code critically before it ships.
• Communicate technical constraints clearly to non‑technical partners and keep everyone aligned.

Qualifications

• 8+ years as a Backend Engineer working on complex, scalable systems.
• 2+ years leading or mentoring engineers as a tech lead or manager.
• Background in data: data engineering, data science, analysis, or AI engineering.
• Strong with Node.js or Python. PostgreSQL and ORMs (Sequelize, TypeORM) are muscle memory.
• Understands how AI works at a product level — can design, build, and ship AI-powered products and agent‑based systems.
• Hands‑on with AI coding tools. Knows when to use AI and when to write it manually.
• Strong communicator. Writes clearly, flags blockers early, owns work from design to production.

Total Rewards

Our workforce deserves fair and competitive pay that meets them where they are. With scalable benefits, rewards, and perks, our total rewards programs reflect our commitment to inclusivity and access for all.

• Our salary range reflects gross base salary. For commercial roles with commission eligibility, this figure represents On-Target Earnings (OTE), inclusive of base salary and target commission.
• Salary ranges are quoted in USD as a consistent global reference. Your offer will be localized to your country’s currency using a market‑aligned conversion.
• Final pay is based on objective, job‑related criteria including experience, skills, and location.
• We don’t ask about salary history. Offers are based on the role and what you bring to it.

Some things you’ll enjoy

• Stock grant opportunities dependent on your role, employment status and location
• Additional perks and benefits based on your employment status and country
• Optional flexible working office membership, with IWG

At Deel, we’re an equal‑opportunity employer that values diversity and positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, pregnancy or maternity or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

Unless otherwise agreed, we will communicate with job applicants using Deel‑specific emails, which include @deel.com and other acquired company emails like @payspace.com and @paygroup.com. You can view the most up-to-date job listings at Deel by visiting our careers page.

Deel welcomes persons with disabilities to apply to any of our open roles. We will provide application and/or interview accommodations on request throughout the recruitment, selection and assessment process for applicants with disabilities or other needs. If you require application and/or interview accommodations, please inform our Talent Acquisition Team via email ([e-mail]) and a team member will be in touch to ensure your equal participation.

As part of our hiring process, we primarily rely on interviews and role‑related assessments. In limited cases, we may also consider informal background information relevant to the role, in line with our privacy and fairness obligations.

This application process may utilise Automated Employment Decision Tools (AEDT) and AI systems to assist in evaluating candidates based on experience level, technical skills and qualifications. This processing is conducted in compliance with applicable Data Protection, AI Governance and Labour Laws. We ensure human oversight is maintained in all final hiring decisions. Your personal data is not used to train AI models. For more information on how we process your personal data, please see our Recruitment Privacy Policy.

• For NYC Residents: In accordance with NYC Local Law 144, an independent bias audit has been conducted on AEDT