Lead Software Engineer (YC Experience)
Pragmatike is hiring a Lead Software Engineer (YC Experience) in San Francisco, United States. It pays $200k-$400k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Pragmatike.
Level's read on this job
- Level rates this software engineer role Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
- The listed pay starts 19% above the typical software engineer posting on Level.
- Tools and skills the posting cites include TypeScript, Python and Go.
- Level classifies it as a lead role.
- Level lists 51 other open roles at Pragmatike.
AI in this role
Lead engineering projects, mentor senior engineers, and design scalable systems using TypeScript, Python, and Go.
Location: San Francisco, California — On-site
Compensation: $180,000–$300,000 USD
Start Date: ASAP
Languages: Fluent English required
Type: Full-time
Tech Stack: TypeScript, Python, Go
About the Opportunity
Pragmatike is recruiting on behalf of a fast-growing technology company building sophisticated software systems and infrastructure at scale.
We are seeking a Lead Software Engineer with experience in YC-backed or Venture backed start-ups to lead engineering initiatives while remaining deeply hands-on.
This role combines technical leadership, architecture, mentorship, and direct software development.
What You'll Do
Lead engineering projects from architecture through production.
Design and build systems using TypeScript, Python, and Go.
Make technical decisions across product and platform initiatives.
Break down ambiguous problems into executable engineering plans.
Lead code reviews and establish engineering standards.
Mentor and develop senior engineers.
Collaborate with Product and Engineering leadership.
Improve reliability, scalability, and engineering velocity.
Remain hands-on with critical technical implementation.
What We're Looking For
8+ years of software engineering experience.
Strong hands-on programming experience with TypeScript, Python, and/or Go.
Proven technical leadership experience.
Strong system design and architecture skills.
Experience mentoring engineers.
Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration.
Strong ownership and execution.
Willingness to work on-site in San Francisco.
Nice to Have
Kubernetes and cloud.
Distributed systems.
AI/ML infrastructure.
Startup or scale-up experience.
Experience building teams or technical functions.
Why Join?
Our client is building highly scalable technology that sits at the core of critical business operations, offering engineers the opportunity to work on complex systems, large-scale integrations, and real-world technical challenges.
You'll join a collaborative, fast-moving environment where ownership is encouraged, decisions are made quickly, and engineers have meaningful influence on architecture, product direction, and engineering culture.
This role offers the opportunity to tackle challenging backend problems, work with modern technologies, and grow alongside an ambitious team building for scale.
Full benefit package and competitive compensation.
Pragmatike is committed to a fair, transparent, and inclusive recruitment process. We do not discriminate based on age, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.
In accordance with GDPR, your personal data will be processed lawfully, fairly, and securely, and used solely for recruitment purposes, including sharing it with our client(s) for employment consideration. You may request access, correction, or deletion of your data at any time. We are committed to maintaining the confidentiality and security of your information throughout the recruitment process.
How we rate this
Lead Software Engineer (YC Experience) at Pragmatike rates 0 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Little AI. AI is not part of the work.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Pay
- This job starts at
- $200k
- Typical software engineer job
- $168k
This posting starts 19% above the typical software engineer job. See software engineer jobs
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where software engineering was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where system design was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where technical leadership was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where mentoring was part of your work. What did you do?
- Walk me through how you've used TypeScript in your day-to-day work.
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Software Engineering, System Design, Technical Leadership, Mentoring, and TypeScript. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
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