Manager, Software Development Engineering, CoCounsel FDE

Thomson Reuters; Ann Arbor (MI); Hybrid; USD 118,400 - 219,800; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid Work Model

Flexibility & Work‑Life Balance

Career Development and Growth

Industry Competitive Benefits

Culture

Social Impact

Making a Real-World Impact

Job summary

Thomson Reuters is seeking a Manager, Software Development Engineering for CoCounsel FDE in the United States. You will lead and mentor engineers embedded with customers, turning complex problems into scalable AI/ML solutions.

You will drive architecture, set testing/monitoring standards, and align product strategy with customer needs, while growing a high‑performing team through hiring and coaching. Hybrid work is available.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in software/solutions engineering.
• 2+ years in people-management or team leadership.
• Sustained customer-facing experience with stakeholders.
• Proven track record delivering POCs and pilots.
• Strong Python, AWS, and CI/CD capabilities.
• Ownership of building/deploying LLM-powered agents.
• Ability to translate business needs into AI solutions.
• Familiarity with legal tech is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple cross-functional Forward Deployed Engineering teams.
• Architect scalable, secure AI/software solutions across lifecycle.
• Drive AI/ML innovation with MLOps/LLMOps strategies.
• Manage and develop engineering talent through coaching.
• Translate business needs into AI solutions for roadmaps.
• Own delivery across projects, removing impediments.
• Foster customer-aware, high-performing team culture.

Skills

Python

AWS

CI/CD pipelines

LLM Agents

People leadership

Customer facing

System architecture

MLOps

Tools

Bedrock AgentCore

CDK

EKS

ECR

Docker

Job description

Manager, Software Development Engineering, CoCounsel FDE Product Development | CoCounsel Forward Deployed Engineering

What if you could shape the future of legal AI while leading a team of engineers embedded directly with customers to solve their most complex problems? At Thomson Reuters, we’re redefining how professionals interact with the law through CoCounsel, our generative AI legal assistant, and we’re looking for a technically strong, people-focused leader to guide our Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) team as we scale AI-powered solutions across the legal industry.

As Manager, Software Development Engineering for CoCounsel FDE, you will provide technical leadership and people management for engineers embedded in customer-facing initiatives, translating ambiguous, real-world problems into scalable AI/ML solutions. You’ll balance hands‑on technical guidance with strategic influence, ensuring your team delivers high-quality, secure, and reusable AI components while growing as engineers and professionals.

About the Role

In this opportunity as Manager, Software Development Engineering, CoCounsel FDE, you will:

• Lead and support multiple cross-functional Forward Deployed Engineering project teams, ensuring efficient and effective execution while resolving issues as they arise.

• Architect and guide the design of scalable, secure AI/software solutions, applying deep knowledge of software and AI system architecture to complex, end-to-end AI/ML development across the software development lifecycle.

• Drive innovation by evaluating and adopting emerging AI methodologies, influencing enterprise-wide MLOps and LLMOps practices, and setting strategy for testing, AI monitoring, and debugging at the platform level.

• Manage and develop talent through hiring, performance management, coaching, and mentoring of engineers, fostering a culture of technical growth and high performance.

• Translate business needs into AI solutions by communicating and coordinating with project teams, partners, and stakeholders, and by championing thought leadership that promotes reusable, consistent AI frameworks and patterns.

• Own technical delivery across multiple projects and products‑in‑including large‑scale AI/ML initiatives‑by removing impediments, guiding project leads, and managing budgets where applicable.

• Build a customer‑aware, high‑performing team culture ensuring close collaboration with Product, Project Management, and Technical Operations to deliver impactful, prioritized work.

About You

You’re a fit for the role of Manager, Software Development Engineering, CoCounsel FDE if your background includes:

• 10+ years in software/solutions engineering, including 2+ years in a formal or informal people‑management or team‑lead capacity, while remaining technically hands‑on rather than purely administrative.

• Team leadership experience – you’ve led and grown a team of forward‑deployed, field, or solutions engineers, with direct accountability for hiring, performance management, career development, and team structure.

• Sustained customer‑facing experience – running discovery sessions, presenting architecture, defending technical decisions, and building trust with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders (GCs, IT leaders, innovation teams).

• A track record of scoping, building, and demoing rapid POCs and pilots against ambiguous or evolving requirements, and turning what you learn into repeatable patterns your team can execute on.

• Strong Python development skills, plus hands‑on AWS expertise (Bedrock AgentCore, CDK, EKS, ECR) and ownership of CI/CD pipelines (Docker, SQL/Flyway migrations, Cumulus or similar enterprise deployment platforms).

• Direct ownership of building and deploying LLM‑powered agents (Anthropic Claude or similar) – from requirements gathering and solution design through implementation, integration, and production hand‑off – including backend, frontend, agent guardrails/security design, evaluation frameworks and scorecard‑based quality testing, and production observability (e.g., Datadog), and infra.

• Comfort operating at the intersection of Product, Engineering, Sales, and Customer Success translating customer‑specific technical work into structured feedback that shapes the core CoCounsel product roadmap.

• Familiarity with the legal industry or legal tech (e.g., document review, contract lifecycle, legal research) is a strong plus, given the domain‑specific nature of customer requirements.

Benefits

• Hybrid Work Model – flexible hybrid working environment (2‑3 days a week in the office depending on the role) for office‑based roles while delivering a seamless experience that is digitally and physically connected.

• Flexibility & Work‑Life Balance – Flex My Way is a set of supportive workplace policies designed to help manage personal and professional responsibilities, including work‑from‑anywhere for up to 8 weeks per year, empowering employees to achieve a better work‑life balance.

• Career Development and Growth – continuous learning and skill development, Grow My Way programming, and a skills‑first approach ensure you have the tools and knowledge to grow, lead, and thrive in an AI‑enabled future.

• Industry Competitive Benefits – comprehensive benefit plans including flexible vacation, two company‑wide Mental Health Days off, access to the Headspace app, retirement savings, tuition reimbursement, employee incentive programs, and resources for mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.

• Culture – globally recognized, award‑winning reputation for inclusion and belonging, flexibility, work‑life balance, and more. Values: Obsess over Customers, Compete to Win, Challenge Your Thinking, Act Fast / Learn Fast, and Stronger Together.

• Social Impact – two paid volunteer days off annually and opportunities to get involved with pro‑bono consulting projects and ESG initiatives.

• Making a Real‑World Impact – supporting customers in pursuing justice, truth, and transparency.

Thomson Reuters is a diverse and inclusive workplace. We comply with local laws that require the upfront disclosure of the expected pay range for this position. For US locations the base compensation range is $118,400 USD – $219,800 USD; for Ontario, Canada it is $140,600 CAD – $190,600 CAD. Base pay is determined by experience and application. In addition to base pay, the role may be eligible for an annual bonus based on performance.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Thomson Reuters is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer providing a drug‑free workplace. We provide reasonable accommodations and accommodations for applicants with disabilities, including veterans, and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law. If you reside in the United States and require accommodation, contact our Human Resources Department at [e-mail].