Head of AI-Driven Software Engineering

AHEAD; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Job summary

AHEAD is seeking an experienced engineering leader to guide the Hatch and Unity platforms, driving health, growth, and performance of the team while partnering with product and business stakeholders to deliver impactful software.

You will set architectural direction, remove blockers, and champion AI-enabled workflows with a balance of agility and accountability, shaping a high-performing, trusted team across IT lifecycle platforms.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software development experience, with at least 2 years in a management or team-lead role.
• Experience managing teams building web applications, ideally in Elixir/Phoenix or similar modern stacks.
• Strong understanding of software development practices: testing, CI/CD, code review, and Agile methodologies.
• Fluency with modern AI development tools, and a clear point of view on how they change the way teams build, hire, and measure impact.
• Proven ability to hire, develop, and retain strong engineering talent focused on judgment, product sense, and verification skills.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate between technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience managing delivery across multiple products or initiatives simultaneously.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and able to decide with incomplete information.
• Familiarity with REST and GraphQL APIs, database design, and cloud infrastructure is a plus.
• Experience in B2B SaaS, supply chain, or IT asset management is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of software engineers building the Hatch and Unity platforms.
• Partner with product management and business stakeholders to translate requirements into actionable development plans.
• Own delivery timelines and ensure the team ships high-quality software on schedule.
• Conduct regular 1:1s, provide feedback, and support career development for your team members.
• Participate in hiring efforts: sourcing, interviewing, and onboarding new engineers.
• Foster a healthy team culture built on collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Guide technical discussions and help the team make sound architectural decisions.
• Remove obstacles and shield the team from distractions so they can focus on building.
• Establish and refine development processes and AI-assisted workflows, balancing agility with predictability.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, customer success, and other engineering teams.
• Stay close to the codebase and AI work to provide input during code reviews and planning.

Skills

Team leadership

Web app development

Elixir/Phoenix

CI/CD

Testing

Agile methodologies

AI tools fluency

Communication

Hiring & mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

REST

GraphQL

CI/CD tools

Cloud platforms

Job description

AHEAD is seeking an experienced engineering leader to guide the Hatch and Unity platforms, driving health, growth, and performance of the team while partnering with product and business stakeholders to deliver impactful software.

You will set architectural direction, remove blockers, and champion AI-enabled workflows with a balance of agility and accountability, shaping a high-performing, trusted team across IT lifecycle platforms.