Engineering Team Lead

The Engineering Lead is the first formal step into engineering leadership at Keyloop, bridging the role of a senior individual contributor and the people-focused Engineering Manager. This role is accountable for the technical success of a specific, complex project, establishing the technical vision, breaking complex problems into actionable plans, and guiding a team of engineers through execution. The Engineering Lead remains hands-on, contributing code to the most critical or complex parts of the project, while their primary focus shifts from personal output to the collective technical success of the team they lead, all aligned with Keyloop’s “Experience-First” philosophy.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership & Innovation

• Establish the technical vision and architectural direction for a project

• Lead design and code reviews, setting a high bar for quality and consistency

• Remain hands-on, writing code for the most critical or complex parts of the project

• Make sound technical decisions and clearly articulate the trade-offs involved

• Champion the adoption of AI-empowered development tools and ensure the project team leverages them effectively

• Stay current with emerging technologies and evaluate their fit for the project

Execution & Delivery

• Own the technical delivery of the project end to end, accountable for the outcome

• Break down complex problems into clear, actionable plans the team can execute

• Manage the project’s technical roadmap and track progress against the plan

• Proactively identify, surface, and resolve project risks and blockers

• Ensure the project consistently meets its commitments on quality and timeline

• Optimize the team’s workflow through strategic use of AI and automation tools

People Leadership

• Provide technical mentorship and guidance, accelerating the growth of engineers on the project

• Pair with engineers to solve difficult problems and elevate their capabilities

• Build consensus around technical decisions through facilitation, not authority

• Set an example of engineering craft that raises the standard for the whole team

• Foster a culture of psychological safety, technical rigor, and continuous improvement

• Guide engineers in developing AI literacy and effective use of AI tools

Communication & Collaboration

• Act as the primary technical point of contact for the project, interfacing with the Engineering Manager and Product

• Articulate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences

• Communicate project status, risks, and trade-offs openly to leadership and stakeholders

• Facilitate productive design discussions that lead to clear decisions and actions

• Write clear, concise technical design documents that anchor the project

Product & Business Impact

• Collaborate with Product to translate requirements into a coherent technical vision

• Ensure the team understands the “why” behind their work and its business value

• Propose alternative technical solutions that better meet customer needs or improve user experience

• Balance feature delivery, technical debt reduction, and innovation within the project

• Identify opportunities where AI can accelerate delivery or improve product quality

What We're Looking For

• 6+ years of software engineering experience with a strong technical foundation

• Proven track record of leading complex, multi-sprint technical projects to successful delivery, typically as a Senior Engineer or Tech Lead

• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and accelerate their technical growth

• Experience designing and implementing robust, scalable solutions for team-sized projects

• Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate between technical and business contexts

• Experience with Agile methodologies (SAFe or Scrum) and modern software delivery practices

• Working knowledge of AI-assisted development tools and their impact on engineering productivity

• Ability to make sound technical decisions in the face of ambiguity, with incomplete information

• Aspiration to grow into Engineering Manager on the leadership track, or Staff Engineer on the technical track

What Success Looks Like:

• Technical Delivery: Your project consistently delivers on commitments with high quality

• Team Growth: Engineers on your project visibly grow their technical skills under your guidance

• Technical Excellence: The systems your project owns are well-designed, well-tested, and operationally healthy

• Innovation: Your project effectively leverages AI and modern tools to enhance productivity

• Stakeholder Trust: Product partners, the Engineering Manager, and leadership trust your project’s technical execution

• Decision Quality: Technical decisions are sound, well-reasoned, and clearly communicated

• Influence: You build consensus across the project team without relying on positional authority

What Sets This Role Apart:

This Engineering Lead position offers the unique opportunity to:

• Take the first formal step into engineering leadership while continuing to build world-class software

• Shape the technical direction of a critical project on the Fusion Automotive Retail Platform

• Pioneer the integration of AI into everyday engineering practices at the project level

• Develop your leadership craft with clear, defined pathways to Engineering Manager or Staff Engineer

• Be the technical anchor for a team while staying close to the codebase and the craft

• Have direct, measurable impact on both project outcomes and team capability