AI-First Software Engineering Lead

Cengage Group; Hartford (CT); Remote; USD 102,000 - 163,000; Full time

Job summary

Cengage Group seeks a Software Engineering Manager to lead a team delivering a world-class learning platform experience. You will define and implement an AI-first roadmap, collaborating with product and design to drive innovation and customer outcomes.

You will guide teams across cloud platforms, modern APIs, and secure, scalable enterprise systems, with a strong emphasis on agile delivery and stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 2+ years of technology leadership experience leading globally distributed teams.
• Working knowledge of AI concepts including ML, LLMs, multimodal models and prompt engineering.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure) and API design for modern systems.
• Strong experience with agile delivery and tools like Jira or Azure DevOps.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and grow a high-performing engineering team focused on quality and continuous improvement.
• Reimagine and optimize software delivery using automation and generative AI.
• Drive Product Operating Model (POM) Discovery with internal and external stakeholders.
• Track quality and efficiency with instrumented SDLC tools and report to executives.
• Balance technical debt with new feature development within each sprint.
• Establish and manage product backlogs, estimates, and budgets with partners and customers.
• Stay ahead of emerging technologies to inject innovation into roadmaps.

Skills

Java development

React frontend

Agile delivery

Distributed teams

API design

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

2+ years technology leadership experience

Tools

Jira

Azure DevOps

AWS

GCP

OpenAI tools

Job description

Cengage Group seeks a Software Engineering Manager to lead a team delivering a world-class learning platform experience. You will define and implement an AI-first roadmap, collaborating with product and design to drive innovation and customer outcomes.

You will guide teams across cloud platforms, modern APIs, and secure, scalable enterprise systems, with a strong emphasis on agile delivery and stakeholder engagement.