Lead Engineer, Intelligence Platform

FGS Global•Washington, DC

3d•$100,000 - $140,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We're looking for an experienced Lead Engineer to drive the technical development of our data and intelligence infrastructure. You'll lead the intelligence platform engineering team—including data engineers and full-stack developers—to build scalable, production-grade systems that power AI-driven analysis and intelligence workflows. This is a hands-on technical leadership role where you'll architect solutions, write code, set engineering standards, and build the culture that will scale our capabilities across the organization. You'll balance platform development with custom work, ensuring we build reusable systems while delivering immediate business value. You'll work within the Data organization. The structure is flat and horizontal—strong collaboration across these teams is essential to success. You'll partner closely with data scientists on technical integration and with the business team on data sourcing, vendor relationships, and operational requirements. This role is based in North America, but requires flexibility to collaborate with European team members during their business hours.

Requirements

8+ years of professional software engineering experience with 3+ years in technical leadership roles
Strong full-stack development skills with Python (FastAPI, Django, or similar) and modern JavaScript/TypeScript (React, Next.js, or similar)
Deep experience building and scaling API-driven platforms and microservices architectures
Proven track record implementing RBAC, authentication, and multi-tenant systems
Strong experience with GCP (Google Cloud Platform), Kubernetes, and PostgreSQL
Experience with LLM integration, orchestration frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, Mastra, or similar), and agentic AI systems
Strong understanding of data processing pipelines, workflow orchestration, and ETL patterns
Experience with containerization, orchestration, and modern DevOps practices
Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams and mentor engineers at various levels
Excellent communication skills and ability to work with cross-functional teams in flat organizational structures
Comfortable working in fast-paced environments with evolving priorities
Flexibility to collaborate with European team members during their business hours
Experience managing distributed teams across time zones

Nice To Haves

Experience building platforms that serve both internal users and external APIs
Background in media analytics, document processing, or intelligence/research platforms
Familiarity with vector databases, semantic search, and RAG architectures
Experience with Model Context Protocol (MCP) or similar agent integration patterns
Knowledge of data science workflows and collaboration patterns between engineering and data science teams
Experience working with data procurement, vendor management, or data provisioning operations
Experience in consulting, professional services, or client-facing technical roles
Contributions to open-source projects or technical community involvement
Experience with real-time data processing and streaming architectures

Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Architecture
Own technical roadmap and architecture for data processing and intelligence systems
Design and implement scalable, maintainable systems that balance innovation with operational stability
Make critical technical decisions on frameworks, patterns, and infrastructure
Establish engineering best practices, code quality standards, and development workflows
Review code, provide technical guidance, and maintain technical excellence across the team
Balance platform development with custom/bespoke work to meet business needs
Hands-On Development
Write production code across the full stack (Python backend, modern JavaScript/TypeScript frontend, data pipelines)
Tackle the most challenging technical problems that require senior expertise
Build and optimize API endpoints, authentication/authorization systems, and data processing workflows
Implement LLM integration patterns and orchestration frameworks
Develop agent integration interfaces and tools
Ensure platform reliability, performance, scalability, and cost optimization
Team Leadership & Collaboration
Lead and mentor a cross-functional team including data engineers, and full-stack developers distributed across US and EU time zones
Set technical direction and prioritize work across platform development and business deliverables
Organize workflows and processes to maximize team productivity and impact
Foster a culture of experimentation, learning, and continuous improvement
Recruit and retain top engineering talent as the team scales
Create opportunities for continuous growth in technical skills and product thinking
Cross-Functional Integration
Collaborate closely with data science team on technical integration, model deployment, and analytics capabilities
Partner with business team on data procurement, vendor integration, and provisioning requirements
Work effectively within a horizontal organizational structure where collaboration across teams is essential
Collaborate with product managers and business stakeholders to translate requirements into technical solutions
Work with DevSecOps teams to ensure secure, compliant operations
Communicate technical concepts and trade-offs effectively to non-technical stakeholders
Participate in Labs-wide planning and initiative prioritization alongside other technical leads
Product & Strategy
Contribute to technical strategy and roadmap in collaboration with senior technical leadership
Balance building reusable, scalable capabilities with delivering immediate business value
Identify opportunities to consolidate and scale patterns from custom work
Drive evolution from project-based development to product-based platform thinking
Support the broader business by making engineering capabilities scalable and commercially viable