Tech Lead | Software Engineering

Black Ore; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and equity based compensation

Employer-paid medical, dental and vision insurance

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

Black Ore is seeking a highly experienced Lead Software Engineer to join our innovative team in San Francisco. This role focuses on building future versions of our AI platform, Tax Autopilot, while driving engineering innovation.

The ideal candidate will have extensive software engineering experience, with a strong background in languages such as Python and JavaScript. Competitive salary, excellent benefits, and a supportive work environment await the right candidate.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10+ years of experience in software engineering or machine learning.
• 3+ years in a Director, lead, or Principal level role.
• Proven track record of successfully shipping high-quality production code.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deliver high-quality, scalable, and maintainable production code.
• Drive engineering decisions and ensure adherence to best practices.
• Guide and mentor a team of engineers.

Skills

Python

JavaScript

TypeScript

Node.JS

React

Machine Learning

AI architecture

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

PostgreSQL

MongoDB

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

About us

Black Ore is building the leading AI platform designed to accelerate financial services. The company's flagship offering, Tax Autopilot, leverages proprietary AI agents to automate tax preparation and compliance, helping CPA & tax firms overcome the talent shortage and accelerate growth for their practice.

Founded in 2022, we launched with $60 million in early stage funding from some of the world’s leading investors including a16z, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, Khosla Ventures, Oak HC/FT, Trust Ventures and leading tech founders/angel investors including Jason Gardner (Founder and CEO of Marqeta), Max Levchin (Founder of Paypal and affirm), Tom Glocer (Former CEO of Thomson Reuters), Gokul Rajaram, and Mark Britto (EVP, CPO, PayPal).

Our team has an incredibly ambitious vision to completely transform the way businesses and consumers interact in financial services. We’re looking to hire strong team members to grow the team. Some of the traits we look for are:

• Owner Mentality - Desire to take initiative, identify problems, and implement solutions.
• Mission Driven - Passion for building AI/ML solutions that reimagine how businesses and consumers operate.
• Intellectually Curious - Excitement going deep for building detailed understanding of the function, role, customer, and problem space.
• Team Oriented - Ability to collaborate respectfully and put the team above the self.

The Role

We are seeking a highly experienced and motivated Lead Software Engineer to join our dynamic team. In this role, you will be responsible for building the future version of our products, driving innovation, and supporting a high-performing engineering culture. As a senior member of the Engineering team, you will work cross‑functionally and be expected to influence end‑to‑end the technology, product and user experience. You will be responsible for designing, implementing and deploying software components from the ground up through production. You will work both independently and with your team to deliver software successfully, constructively identify problems, and integrate solutions. The ideal candidate profile for this role is someone who is a builder at heart that still enjoys building products while also helping to establish a software development team. Ninety percent of your time will be initially spent hands on building our platform, while also helping to grow and uplevel our engineering organization in the US.

If you are looking for strictly a full time management/strategy role, this is not the opportunity for you. We are looking for innovative candidates primarily coming from a startup background.

What You’ll Do

• Serve as a senior contributor and a go‑to engineering expert.
• Design, develop, and deliver high‑quality, scalable, and maintainable production code.
• Drive engineering decisions and ensure adherence to best practices.
• Guide a small team of engineers and set clear technical goals and objectives for the team, ensuring alignment with our engineering & product strategy.
• Facilitate technical discussions, resolve roadblocks, and promote a collaborative team environment.
• Communicate complex technical concepts and project updates effectively to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and other stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Minimum 10+ years of experience in software engineering or machine learning.
• 3+ years of experience in a Director, staff engineer, team lead, Sr. Staff or Principal level role.
• Expert level experience in any/all of the following: Python, JavaScript, TypeScript.
• Experience with frameworks, libraries and databases including but not limited to Node.JS, React, Angular, Vue, Express.js, NestJS, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, AWS, Azure, GCP, Docker, Kubernetes, etc.
• Experience with hiring, scaling and leading a team.
• Proven track record of successfully shipping high‑quality production code in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong understanding of modern software development principles, architectural patterns, and best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate, influence, and build relationships with executives and senior leadership.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Working in a high growth startup.
• Experience with Machine Learning and AI architecture.
• Experience in FinTech, particularly within the tax software industry.

What We Offer (for U.S. Based Employees)

• Competitive salary and equity based compensation.
• Best‑in‑Class health benefits
  • Platinum, 100% Employer‑paid medical, dental and vision insurance.
  • Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA).
  • Additional Health programs (e.g., One Medical, Talkspace, Kindbody).
• 401K, Roth 401k and other employer-sponsored investment benefits.
• Parental Leave.
• Unlimited PTO.
• Relocation support to Austin, NYC or SF (as needed).
• WFH stipend to support your home office needs.