Technical Lead, Customs Platform

KlearNow.ai; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Equity

401(k)

Hybrid work (San Jose, CA)

Flexible time off

Job summary

KlearNow seeks an experienced backend leader to own the customs module end to end, from data model to filing and post-entry corrections. You will shape architecture, drive the team, and ensure deterministic behavior in a high-stakes domain.

You'll lead design of entry, duty engine, and ABI filing with ACE, build agent workflows, and evolve the system with data-driven changes. Collaboration across time zones with our Gurgaon team is expected.

Qualifications

• 8+ years building backend systems.
• 2+ years as a hands-on technical lead.
• Strong backend engineering in a modern language, plus working Python.
• Production experience with event-driven distributed systems on AWS and Kubernetes.
• LLM or agent features shipped to real users, with evaluations used to gate releases.
• Experience in a rules-heavy domain where errors are expensive, such as customs, tax or payments.
• Clear writing, and comfort working with our Gurgaon team across time zones.

Responsibilities

• Own the design of the customs module: entry data model, duty and fee engine, CATAIR validation, and ABI filing with ACE.
• Build the brokerage agent workflow, where agents draft and check entries and a broker approves before anything is filed.
• Keep regulated logic deterministic and tested, and use models only where inputs are ambiguous.
• Build the evaluation sets that gate every prompt, model and rule change.
• Make tariff and regulatory changes land as data or configuration in days.
• Consolidate services, own the module in production, and lead, hire and mentor the team.

Skills

Backend development

Python

AWS

Kubernetes

Event-driven architecture

Technical leadership

LLM / agents

Communication across time zones

Java

Tools

Micronaut

Java 21

Job description

KlearNow is an AI-powered customs brokerage and global trade compliance platform, based in the Bay Area with engineering in Gurgaon. We are building one AI-native platform across brokerage, drayage and visibility, where agents handle routine work and our customs experts handle the judgment calls.

The Role

You will own the customs module end to end: its architecture, its code and the team that builds it. The module takes a shipment from extracted documents to a compliant filing, covering entry, ISF, duty calculation and post-entry corrections. It is a hands-on lead role in a domain where a software mistake becomes a penalty for an importer.

What you will do

• Own the design of the customs module: entry data model, duty and fee engine, CATAIR validation, and ABI filing with ACE.
• Build the brokerage agent workflow, where agents draft and check entries and a broker approves before anything is filed.
• Keep regulated logic deterministic and tested, and use models only where inputs are ambiguous.
• Build the evaluation sets that gate every prompt, model and rule change.
• Make tariff and regulatory changes land as data or configuration in days.
• Consolidate services, own the module in production, and lead, hire and mentor the team.

What we are looking for

• 8+ years building backend systems, with 2+ years as a hands-on technical lead.
• Strong backend engineering in a modern language, plus working Python.
• Production experience with event-driven distributed systems on AWS and Kubernetes.
• LLM or agent features shipped to real users, with evaluations used to gate releases.
• Experience in a rules-heavy domain where errors are expensive, such as customs, tax or payments.
• Clear writing, and comfort working with our Gurgaon team across time zones.

Nice to have

• Some background understanding of customs brokerage.
• Hands-on work with agentic frameworks such as Agno or LangGraph.
• Java experience. Our backend is Java 21 with Micronaut.
• US customs knowledge: ABI, ACE, CATAIR, HTS classification, ISF, Section 232 and 301.
• Experience building MCP servers or similar tool interfaces for AI assistants.

Salary and Benefits

KlearNow offers a competitive total rewards package, including:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) to help offset deductibles and out-of-pocket medical expenses
• Equity participation
• 401(k) plan
• Flexible time off with no accrual waiting period
• Hybrid work at our San Jose, CA headquarters; this role is also open to remote candidates based in the US

$150,000 - $190,000 a year

Base salary range:$150,000–$200,000. Actual pay depends on location, skills, and experience.

KlearNow is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act. If you need a reasonable accommodation at any point in the hiring process, please let your recruiter know.