Tech Lead / Senior Software Engineer – AI-Driven Digital Solutions

The Planet Group; Providence (RI); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The Planet Group is assisting a well-established client in Providence, RI who seeks a Tech Lead / Senior Software Engineer to design, build, and ship AI-driven digital solutions. You will stay hands-on while leading two engineers and shaping the tech stack and roadmap.

Responsibilities include prototyping with agentic AI tools, building dashboards, data tools, and integrations with enterprise systems; you’ll drive measurable efficiency gains and business impact.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with agentic or AI-assisted coding tools in real development work.
• Experience leading or managing software developers while contributing technically.
• Strong understanding of database architecture, SQL, and enterprise data.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, deploy, and support custom software applications solving operational and business problems.
• Use agentic and AI-assisted development tools to accelerate delivery.
• Prototype with business users, gather feedback, and iterate MVPs in days.

Skills

Agentic AI coding

Team leadership

Database architecture

APIs & integrations

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Software Engineering/Information Systems

Tools

Codex

Claude Code

Cursor

Job description

Tech Lead / Senior Software Engineer - AI-Driven Digital Solutions

Location: Providence, RI (Onsite at our Pawtucket, RI headquarters, 4 days/week; remote Fridays) - relocation considered case-by-case for exceptional candidates

Compensation: $130,000-$150,000 base + 15% target bonus

Sponsorship: Not available - must be a U.S. Citizen or Green Card holder

Schedule: 8:00 AM-5:00 PM, Monday-Friday

The Role

Our client, a well-established, privately-held global manufacturer, is scaling a newly built internal digital solutions capability - started about 18 months ago with a single engineer and now expanding under new technical leadership. We're looking for a Tech Lead / Senior Software Engineer to help lead this team while staying hands-on: designing, building, and shipping custom applications, automations, and data tools that solve real manufacturing and business problems - fast.

This is genuinely greenfield. The technology stack isn't fixed - you'll help define it. Agentic AI coding (the team uses OpenAI Codex) is core to how this team works day to day, not an experimental side project.

You'll manage two direct reports while remaining an active contributor, reporting to a Global Director of Operations Excellence, and partnering directly with IT, Operations, Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Finance.

What You'll Do

• Design, develop, deploy, and support custom software applications solving operational and business problems
• Use agentic and AI-assisted development tools (Codex or equivalent) to accelerate delivery
• Work directly with business users to prototype, gather feedback, and rapidly iterate - MVPs in days, not quarters
• Build web apps, dashboards, reporting tools, workflow automation, and data visualizations
• Leverage existing enterprise data to improve visibility, productivity, and decision-making
• Identify opportunities to automate manual work and reduce reliance on third-party SaaS
• Provide input on application architecture and select the right technology per problem
• Lead and mentor two engineers - coaching, performance management, career development
• Help quantify business impact: efficiency gains, cost savings, productivity improvements

What You Bring (Must-Haves)

• Hands-on experience using agentic or AI-assisted coding tools (Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, or equivalent) in real development work
• Experience leading or managing software developers - comfortable balancing hands-on coding with people leadership
• Strong understanding of database architecture, SQL, and enterprise data
• Experience integrating APIs and enterprise systems
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or related field
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment with evolving priorities
• Strong communication skills - able to translate business/operational challenges into practical technology solutions

Nice-to-Haves

• Manufacturing, industrial, or operational environment experience
• Exposure to MES, SCADA, plant-floor systems, or Inductive Automation Ignition
• Experience with Azure, AWS, Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, or Power Platform
• Experience modernizing legacy applications or replacing third-party SaaS with internal tools
• Agile/iterative development experience; experience setting dev standards and code review practices

Why This Role

• You're building, not maintaining. No legacy ticket queue - you're creating new solutions from scratch and getting them into users' hands within days.
• AI/agentic development is central, not aspirational. This team already runs on Codex-driven workflows.
• You'll help shape the stack, the team, and the roadmap - this function is still young and growing.
• Your work has direct, measurable P&L impact - SaaS spend eliminated, manual processes automated, efficiency gains delivered.