Tech Lead Manager – AI Systems & Product Strategy

Nectar Social; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

Nectar Social seeks a Tech Lead Manager to own the technical vision for core engineering teams. You will influence what and how we build, participate in customer calls, and guide architecture as we scale from ~50 people to the next growth phase.

You will mentor engineers, drive quality, and partner with Product and Design to align technical direction with customer impact. Expect fast-paced, startup-like dynamics and significant ownership.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of software engineering experience, with 2+ years formally managing direct reports on a high-performing team.
• Strong architectural intuition and hands-on proficiency across the full stack, able to drive architectural consensus.
• Solid product instincts with the ability to form technical opinions and prioritize work by customer impact.
• Proven experience collaborating with Product Managers and Product Designers in fast-paced startups.
• Startup agility and bias toward action in high-growth, ambiguous environments.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication for technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Active interest or hands-on experience with AI, LLMs, and modern AI workflows.

Responsibilities

• Define the technical roadmap, system design, and architectural standards for your product domain to ensure performance and scalability.
• Lead by example with production coding, code reviews, and resolving critical bottlenecks for key programs.
• Partner with Product and Design to evaluate feasibility, scope features, and refine requirements.
• Coach and mentor engineers, raise the technical bar through architecture reviews and best practices.
• Engage in customer calls to build direct technical intuition on product usage and UX gaps.
• Drive RFC processes, testing strategies, CI/CD pipelines, system monitoring, and post-mortem practices.
• Assist hiring by conducting technical interviews and evaluating system design assessments.

Job description

Nectar Social seeks a Tech Lead Manager to own the technical vision for core engineering teams. You will influence what and how we build, participate in customer calls, and guide architecture as we scale from ~50 people to the next growth phase.

You will mentor engineers, drive quality, and partner with Product and Design to align technical direction with customer impact. Expect fast-paced, startup-like dynamics and significant ownership.