Lead Software Engineer

The Finders; Phoenix (AZ); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Benefits stipend

Job summary

The Finders in Phoenix is seeking a hands-on engineering leader to design, build, and scale a core AI-powered business management platform. You’ll own both frontend and backend work across web and mobile, shaping the product, tech stack, and delivery cadence.

This startup-style role emphasizes fast iteration, high ownership, and practical solutions. You’ll lead by example, collaborate with designers and stakeholders, and help grow a capable engineering team.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of software engineering with full-stack ownership.
• Strong PHP/Laravel, MySQL, and Vue.js experience.
• AWS and serverless experience; Laravel Vapor a plus.
• Experience reviewing React Native work and guiding contractors.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical roadmap and deliver against product and revenue goals.
• Write production code across backend and frontend.
• Review React Native work from mobile contractors and unblock teams.
• Help hire and onboard the permanent team as they grow.
• Run two-week sprints and provide clear status updates to leadership.
• Lead code reviews, set engineering standards, and write tests/docs.
• Design secure, scalable architectures and integrate third-party services.
• Deploy and troubleshoot on AWS and serverless tools.

Skills

Full-stack ownership

PHP/Laravel

MySQL

Vue.js

React Native

AWS

Git/Jira

Agile/Scrum

Code reviews

Team leadership

Tools

Laravel Vapor

Expo

Job description

In this hands-on leadership role you’ll help design, build, and scale a core platform for an AI-powered business management product.

You’ll work across both frontend and backend of applications and mobile experiences, playing a direct role in shaping both the product and the tech stack.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a startup environment: fast-paced, high ownership, and focused on turning ideas into production-quality software.

Why This Role

• High ownership and direct product impact
• Real users, real scale, and meaningful problems
• Modern stack with AI-assisted development workflows
• Opportunity to help shape both product and engineering direction
• Competitive Salary depending on experience, equity, monthly stipend for benefits

Location:

• Must be in the Greater-Phoenix area
• Work will be Hybrid ( no office yet... possible plans for collaborative space to be located in Scottsdale or Tempe )

Compensation:

160K-220K plus equity (depending on experience)

What You'll Do

• Own the technical roadmap and deliver against product and revenue goals
• Write production code across backend and frontend
• Review React Native work from mobile contractors and step in when needed
• Help hire and onboard the permanent team as they grow
• Run two-week sprints and give the CEO clear status updates
• Lead code reviews, set engineering standards, and write tests and documentation
• Balance new features against technical debt and explain the trade-offs
• Design secure, scalable architectures and integrate third-party services
• Deploy and troubleshoot on AWS, including Laravel Vapor and serverless
• Partner with designers to deliver polished, usable experiences
• Use AI tools (Cursor, Claude, GitHub Copilot) to ship faster while reviewing output for security, correctness, and maintainability
• Turn customer insights and feature requests into practical solutions with the CEO
• Build a positive, accountable engineering culture
• Workflow: Git, GitHub, Bitbucket, Jira, Slack

Technical Requirements

• 6+ years of software engineering with substantial full-stack ownership (equivalent experience considered)
• Strong production experience with PHP/Laravel, MySQL, and Vue.js
• Background in API design, database performance, secure architecture, and testing
• AWS and serverless experience (AWS DevOps and Laravel Vapor a plus)
• Working knowledge of React Native and Expo, enough to review code and unblock contractors
• Responsible use of AI-assisted development tools
• Agile/Scrum and source control experience

Leadership Requirements

• Experience leading and mentoring engineers, including early-career developers
• Experience guiding a product through growth in a start-up or fast-paced environment
• Ability to build a technical roadmap and explain it to non-technical leaders
• Experience with contracted or distributed teams
• Comfort balancing speed, quality, and technical debt
• Prior experience at a company of similar stage, ideally familiar with SaaS
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• Must be a US Citizen to be considered as no sponsorship is available for this role.