Perfect (Stealth Technology Startup): Lead Software Engineer

CloudDevs; New York (NY); On-site; Full time

Job summary

A stealth technology startup in New York is seeking a Lead Software Engineer to build their core platform and implement AI-driven features. The role requires 5+ years of software development experience and cloud platform expertise, with an emphasis on collaboration and a growth mindset. Competitive compensation based on skills and location is offered.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software development experience.
• Production experience with cloud platforms and containerization.
• Strong skills in both relational and non-relational databases.

Responsibilities

• Build the core platform from the ground up.
• Design APIs and data models for hospitality systems.
• Implement AI-driven features using LLMs.

Skills

Software development

Cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)

Database and data modeling

API development (REST and RPC)

Experience with LLMs

Communication skills

Systems thinking

Job description

Perfect (Stealth Technology Startup): Lead Software Engineer

We’re a funded, stealth startup modernizing overlooked assets within the hospitality industry.

We’re putting together a distributed, low-headcount, founding software engineering team. This team will work directly with and report to our CTO (who has extensive venture building experience).

If you’re a high-impact, low-ego contributor who:

• ships performant code with predictable operating characteristics,
• has been more than “just tinkering” with LLMs and codegen, and
• can work 4+ hours overlapped with UTC-04:00…

…we’d love to hear from you.

Note: we care more about demonstrable talent than “perfect” candidates who checks all the boxes below. If this describes you, we very much encourage you to apply.

What You’ll Do

• Build our core platform from the ground up
• Design APIs and data models that power seamless integrations with hospitality systems
• Implement AI-driven features using LLMs and modern ML tooling
• Own end-to-end delivery from requirements through production
• Collaborate closely with our CTO and founding team
• Research and evaluate and experiment with new technologies and tools

What We’re Looking For

Technical Chops

• 5+ years of software development experience
• Production experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and containerization
• Database and data modeling skills both relational and non-relational
• API development experience with REST and RPC
• Some hands-on experience and strong opinions (weakly held) aboutLLMs and automated code gen as part of a modern software engineering team

Soft Skills & Working Style

• Founding team mentality– you thrive in ambiguous, rapidly-changing environments
• Systems thinking– you consider scalability, maintainability, and operational concerns from day one
• Communication skills– you can explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Self-directed– you can work independently while staying aligned with team goals
• Quality-focused– you produce maintainable, well-tested code
• Ownership mindset– you keep user needs top-of-mind and own the outcome

Helpful, but not necessary

• Experience in hospitality and travel (e.g., integrations with OHIP, MEWS, etc.)
• DevOps and infrastructure automation experience
• Open source contributions or technical writing
• Previous startup experience, especially at the founding stage
• Experience with real-time systems or event-driven architectures

We’re building with modern, proven technologies. No decisions have been made yet.

Compensation and Leveling Expectations

• We prefer full-time work arrangements, but can be flexible for the right candidates.
• We encourage applicants at all levels of their software development journey to apply.
• Compensation is competitive—it is based on your skills, location, and commitment level.