Lead Software Development Engineer

About the role

As a Lead Software Development Engineer at Shipium, no two days look the same: you will move fluidly between writing code, designing system architecture, coaching engineers, and troubleshooting live platform issues as you build the core platform services and supply chain optimization solutions that power our shipping intelligence products. You will personally architect, implement, and maintain the microservices that serve enterprise-class clients at high throughput.

You will take end-to-end ownership of the systems you build – from design through production. Your success will be measured by your ability to deliver scalable solutions, maintain platform stability, elevate engineering standards, and mentor engineers across the PIPE team. You will leverage modern AI development tools as a core part of your workflow to accelerate velocity, improve code quality, and ensure system reliability.

What you'll do

• Platform Development & Architecture
• Microservices Design: Design and build scalable platform services, APIs, and supply chain microservices in Java, Python, or TypeScript that support high-throughput, low-latency requirements for enterprise-class clients.
• Cloud-Native Architecture: Architect and deploy services across AWS using containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and cloud-native patterns, contributing to technical design decisions that balance performance, scalability, maintainability, and cost.
• Data Systems: Design and optimize data layers using PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and Redis, implementing both real-time streaming and batch processing pipelines to support platform needs.
• AI-Assisted Development: Leverage AI coding tools such as Claude Code for code generation, automated testing, performance optimization, and intelligent monitoring to accelerate development velocity and improve code quality.
• API & Integration Design: Define and implement RESTful APIs, message queuing systems, and event-driven architectures that enable seamless integration across internal services and client platforms.

Technical Standards & Quality

• Engineering Standards: Establish and maintain coding, testing, and monitoring standards for platform engineering teams, driving consistent quality across implementations.
• Code Quality: Lead code reviews and champion automated testing practices to ensure production reliability.
• CI/CD & Deployment: Contribute to the design and improvement of CI/CD pipelines, working with DevOps to build golden paths that enable engineering teams to ship features with high velocity and low failure rates.
• Documentation: Produce clear, comprehensive technical documentation, including system specifications, API guides, and architectural decision records.

Collaboration & Mentorship

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Work closely with product management, data science, and customer-facing teams to architect solutions that solve complex customer problems and meet business objectives.
• Technical Mentorship: Mentor engineers on advanced technical concepts, software engineering best practices, design patterns, coding standards, and career development.
• Technical Planning: Collaborate with engineering leadership to translate product requirements into technical implementation strategies.

Production Ownership

• System Ownership: Own the reliability and performance of the systems you build – from monitoring and observability through incident resolution.

Technical Escalation: Serve as a technical escalation point for platform issues, providing timely and accurate guidance to internal engineering teams and customer-facing organizations, driving root-cause fixes over temporary fixes.

This position has no direct reports but serves as a technical mentor on the PIPE team. Responsibilities include participating in technical interviews, contributing to onboarding programs, conducting code reviews for team members, and providing ongoing guidance on platform architecture, design standards, and engineering practices.

Qualifications

Required

• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, and/or 5–8 years of progressive experience in platform engineering, distributed systems, or software development.
• Platform Engineering: 3+ years designing and implementing scalable platform services, APIs, and microservices in cloud-native environments.
• Cloud & Infrastructure: Solid experience with distributed systems architecture and AWS cloud platforms.
• AI Proficiency: Demonstrated ability to leverage AI development tools such as Claude Code, code generation models, and AI-powered testing frameworks to enhance development velocity.
• People Influence: Track record of mentoring engineers and elevating team engineering practices.

Preferred

• Domain Knowledge: Experience in logistics, shipping, or B2B SaaS supply chain software.
• Technical Communication: Track record of producing high-quality technical documentation and presenting solutions to cross-functional stakeholders.

At Shipium, Employees enjoy full medical, dental & vision coverage (with 50% coverage for dependents), optional life insurance and long-term disability coverage, a 401(k) retirement plan, fully remote work-from-home options in 28* states, 8 paid weeks of parental leave, paid holidays annually, self-managed vacation time, sick & safety leave, and volunteer time off. 

Shipium is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Women, people of color, people with disabilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. If you need reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please email Human Resources (hr@shipium.com) and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

This applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and mentorships. Shipium makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business.

*Although based out of Seattle, WA, Shipium is 100% remote in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington & Wisconsin. 

Shipium participates in e-verify