Francis Alexander

Staff Engineer / API Lead — Mission-Driven AI Startup (New York City) Want to own the core APIs powering an AI product used by millions around the world? A fast-growing language learning startup (name currently under wraps 🤫) is gearing up for a pivotal 2025 and needs a Staff Engineer / API Lead to architect, build, and scale the heart of their platform. If you're the kind of engineer who loves big technical challenges, thrives in high-output environments, and wants your work to have real human impact - this is the place. What You’ll DoOwn the design and evolution of the company’s core APIs, from architecture to implementationBuild scalable, reliable backend services that power real-time, AI-driven learning experiencesLead technical direction across teams; set standards, review designs, mentor engineersDrive platform performance, observability, cost optimisation, and cloud infrastructure decisionsCollaborate directly with product and engineering leadership to shape the roadmapStay hands-on: writing high-impact code, improving systems, and solving tough technical problemsWhy This Role Is UniqueYou will literally own the backbone of the platform—the APIs that everything else relies onJoin during a defining hyper-growth phase where technical decisions have huge leverageHigh autonomy, high trust, and the chance to influence engineering culture from the ground upDirect collaboration with founders and engineering leadershipMission-first environment focused on unlocking learning for kids everywhereWhat You Bring7–10 years of backend or distributed systems experience, ideally at scaleDeep expertise with AWS, including services, architecture patterns, and cost-aware designStrong experience with Kubernetes, containers, and modern cloud infrastructureProven experience designing and scaling APIs (REST, GraphQL, gRPC—any production-grade interface)Strong coding skills in Python, Go, or similar backend languagesExperience influencing or leading technical direction across teamsStartup-ready mindset: ownership, speed, and a bias for high-impact executionBonus: Familiarity or interest in Rust for systems-level or performance-sensitive componentsWho You AreA strategic thinker who still loves writing codeSomeone who enjoys architecting complex systems and making them elegantA force multiplier—your impact makes the whole team faster and betterComfortable in fast-paced, ambiguity-heavy environmentsDrawn to mission-driven work where the results matterLocation & EligibilityHyrbid in New York City (this role requires close collaboration with the founding and engineering teams)Full US work authorization required (no sponsorship)If you want to build core systems, shape engineering standards, and see your work translate into life-changing tools for kids learning languages—this is the opportunity.

Engineering Manager — Mission-Driven AI Startup (New York City) Ready to help build something that actually matters? A fast-growing AI language learning startup (name kept quiet for now 🤫) is entering a key period of growth - and they’re looking for a hands-on Engineering Manager to shape the product, the engineering org, and the future of a company with real social impact. If you thrive in high-intensity environments, love ownership, and want your work to genuinely change people’s lives, this is the one. What You’ll DoLead architecture, engineering execution, and delivery across multiple teams as the organisation scalesStay hands-on: design systems, review code, build key components, and guide technical decisionsOwn cloud infrastructure and platform strategy—AWS, Kubernetes, cost optimisation, scalabilityRecruit, mentor, and develop high-performing engineers; build a culture of output and accountabilityPartner directly with founders on product vision and long-term strategyBe a core driver of the engineering organisation during its most pivotal yearWhy This Role Is UniqueMission with real impact: building AI-powered language tools for kids worldwideLeadership at a defining moment - your decisions directly influence the company’s 2025 successHuge scope: architecture, hiring, people management, technical strategy, hands-on codingA chance to design and lead multiple engineering teams from the ground upA high-agency environment where great engineering leadership moves the companyWhat You Bring7–10 years of engineering experience, including leadership of multiple teams or teams-of-teamsStrong technical foundations in backend and distributed systems - specifically with Python. Deep experience with AWS, Kubernetes, containers, scaling, and platform reliabilityProven ability to balance IC-level technical work with people leadershipStartup-ready mindset: high output, proactive ownership, bias toward actionBonus: Experience or interest in RustWho You AreYou’ve led engineers and shipped large-scale systemsYou can zoom out to strategy and zoom in to codeYou build high-performing teams and a strong engineering cultureYou love fast-paced, high-impact workYou want your leadership to matterLocation & EligibilityMust be based in New York City or able to work on-site thereFull US work authorization required (no sponsorship)If you're a builder, a leader, and someone who wants to leave a mark on a company with real purpose—this is a rare moment to step in and shape everything that comes next.

Data Center Operations EngineerLooking for your next big hardware playground? A rapidly scaling AI infrastructure company (name withheld ✨) is doubling its footprint and needs a second Data Center Engineer to keep the lights blazing, the nodes humming, and the vendors… behaving themselves. This is a hands-on, on-site role working with serious kit — think Supermicro GPU systems, Dell hardware, Infiniband fabrics, BMC cards, the whole works. If you love solving real physical problems (not just closing Jira tickets) and want to be part of a small team building a massive platform, you’ll fit right in. What You’ll DoBecome one of two core Data Center Engineers supporting a rapidly growing hardware estateOwn hardware troubleshooting, break/fix response, and on-the-ground opsTame vendors, chase RMAs, manage spares, and keep supply chains flowing smoothlyHelp drive process improvements across capacity, uptime, and asset trackingWork with GPU-heavy Supermicro clusters and contribute to ongoing expansionGrow your career in whichever direction you prefer — ops leadership or infrastructure/SREWhat You Bring5 years in data center operations, hardware support, or field engineeringConfident working directly with Supermicro or Dell hardware, ideally including GPU chassisComfortable operating autonomously — you know how to own problems and close themBasic networking/debug skills (Infiniband, console, BMC, cabling, etc.)Bonus points for CMDB experience or interest in Linux/SRE cross-skillingWhy This Role RocksYou’re joining at a moment of scale-up: clusters have doubled, vendor dependencies are being cut, and you’ll have real influenceClear growth path — become an ops lead or transition into SREA tech stack that’s modern, meaty, and genuinely interestingA small, sharp team that values autonomy and practical engineering over ceremonyEligibility & LocationMust be on-site at the company’s data center (no hybrid/remote)Only Green Card holders and Naturalized US Citizens can be considered due to security & operational requirementsIf you’re the kind of engineer who’s happiest with a screwdriver in one hand and a console cable in the other — let’s talk. This is one of those roles where your impact is visible, immediate, and seriously valued.

📣 Platform Engineer – Travel SaaS A fast-scaling SaaS company in the travel tech space is hiring a Platform Engineer to help build and scale their global infrastructure. This is a high-impact role in a product-led, engineering-driven environment. The company operates a modern, multi-service architecture on AWS and needs someone who can take ownership of platform reliability, CI/CD tooling, and infrastructure as code. 💻 The role:Design, build and maintain secure, scalable AWS infrastructure (EC2, S3, RDS, IAM, etc.)Champion Infrastructure as Code using Terraform or PulumiManage containerised deployments with Docker and ECS or KubernetesImprove and maintain CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, CircleCI, etc.)Collaborate closely with engineering, SRE and security teamsTake part in on-call and incident response as part of a “you build it, you run it” culture🧠 What they’re looking for:3 years' hands-on experience with AWSStrong background in infrastructure as codeSolid understanding of containerisation and orchestrationComfortable with scripting (Python, Go or Bash)Experience with observability tools (Datadog, CloudWatch, etc.)Excellent debugging and troubleshooting skills🎁 Nice-to-haves:Exposure to Windows/.NET, serverless architectures or compliance frameworks (e.g. SOC2)🌍 Why join:Compensation: $130–150K base equityCulture: Low-ego, high-ownership team with a strong engineering voiceHybrid setup: ~3 days per week in office in BostonMission: Helping businesses travel smarter — at global scale

📱 iOS Engineer wanted – help reinvent how stories are told with video iOS devs: this one’s special. I’m working with a VC-backed startup in Palo Alto that’s building the next-generation creative video app - think “CapCut meets Pixar-level polish” but simplified for everyday creators. One tap to animate, remix, transform. It's fast, playful, and borderline magical. Their product helps people turn ideas into short-form videos in seconds - no editing timelines, no complex tools, just a beautiful, AI-assisted mobile interface that feels like it was built by designers for creatives. The team’s growing, and they’re now looking for a senior iOS engineer to own their mobile app. It’s early days, so you’ll have a serious seat at the table - from architecture to pixel-perfect UX. What you'll be doing:Build out a high-performance Swift-based app from the ground upPartner closely with product & design to ship features users rave aboutLead technical decision-making across mobile: performance, animation, media workflowsIterate fast and push boundaries of what’s possible on iOSYou're right for this if you:Have 5 years of experience shipping consumer iOS apps (App Store presence ideal)Write clean, scalable Swift (bonus if you’re into SwiftUI, animations, or video frameworks)Care deeply about user experience, microinteractions, and design consistencyWant to work in a startup where your code and ideas actually shape the productPerks:Salary ~$175–250K real equityWell-funded by top-tier investorsTight-knit team of ex-Big Tech and creative tech folksOnsite in Palo Alto 3-4 days a weekPing me if this sounds like your kind of playground - I’ll send over the full scoop, team info, and tell you why this startup’s got serious heat. 👇

Technical Lead — API (Gen-AI • Remote) Our client is a fast-growing Gen-AI company delivering real-time speech translation, voice cloning, and conversational AI (including slang, idioms, and dialects). As their recruitment partner, we are seeking a Technical Lead to head the API team—working closely with the Head of Engineering and CTO to define architecture and ship scalable, customizable endpoints that integrate cleanly with customer systems (including major streaming platforms). The roleOwn the API architecture end-to-end: roadmap, technical decisions, and service boundaries for public and private APIs.Build for real time: low-latency streaming endpoints for transcription, translation, voice cloning, and subtitles.Scale with confidence: auth, rate limits, tenancy, SLAs/SLOs, and graceful degradation under load.Developer experience: SDKs, documentation, analytics, versioning, and backward compatibility.Customer integrations: partner with high-traffic customers to design clear, flexible integration paths.Operational excellence: observability, on-call hygiene, incident response, and post-mortems that drive change.Team leadership: mentor a small, senior group; set standards for code quality, testing, and reviews.Why this will appealReal-time translation with cloned voices preserved in the target language (beyond basic TTS).Built for live events and broadcasts—customers integrate in minutes, not months.Mature API surface in production today (streaming, video, transcripts, subtitles).Well-funded following a recent Series A to accelerate R&D and market expansion.Candidate profile7 years building high-traffic systems and public APIs; 2 years leading projects or teams.Hands-on with low-latency/streaming patterns (WebSockets, gRPC, SSE) and asynchronous pipelines.Strong API fundamentals: authentication/authorization, quotas, versioning, and contract discipline.Proven production ownership: SLOs, dashboards, tracing, and pragmatic incident management.Comfortable translating product and customer needs into crisp technical plans.Helpful experience (nice to have)Speech/LLM/ML serving (ASR, TTS, voice cloning, translation).Media protocols and live pipelines (RTMP/HLS, WebRTC) and subtitle/closed-caption formats.Distributed systems at scale (queues/streams, back-pressure, idempotency).Python (FastAPI/Django) or Node.js; AWS preferred; containers/Kubernetes; Postgres/Redis.Leading SDKs and developer-experience initiatives.Ways of workingSmall, senior team with high ownership and strong review culture.Security and reliability first: ship quickly, measure and audit rigorously.Customer-centric: close collaboration with engineering teams integrating the APIs.Location & packageRemote with overlap across North America and Europe.Competitive salary plus meaningful equity; benefits aligned to location.EligibilityCandidates must hold either Green Card of U.S Citizenship. No new visa sponsorship is available at this time.Process (typical)Technical Interview - 1 hour with Head of Engineering.Technical/Behavioural with CTO - 45 minutesTo express interest: Please share a CV and any relevant links (GitHub, portfolio). Our team will arrange a confidential conversation and provide the full brief.