Senior Engineer, Technology Lead

The Next Street•Naugatuck, CT

2d•Onsite

About The Position

We’re hiring a Senior Engineer, Technology Lead – this is a senior role with a broad scope: technology roadmap, software and systems architecture, AI strategy and governance, vendor and partner management, security and compliance, and operational technology oversight. The Senior Engineer, Technology Lead works directly with the executive leadership team as a peer on technology decisions and serves as the most senior technology voice in the company. As The Next Street accelerates the use of AI-assisted development across teams and vendors. AI tooling has dramatically lowered the cost of building software – but not the cost of validating architecture, ensuring maintainability, or managing operational risk, and this role exists to close that gap. This role is built for a hands-on technologist – someone with a software engineering background who has moved beyond writing code full-time but still thinks like a builder, being equally comfortable reviewing vendor’s architecture, prototyping a small internal tool, debating a contract clause, or briefing the CEO on AI risk. They are genuinely excited about where AI is heading and eager to dive deep into it as a core part of the role. This role may suit someone earlier in their senior career – curious, pragmatic about established systems, and energized by newer AI-driven approaches.

Requirements

5-8 years of progressive experience that includes hands-on software engineering and a clear move toward technical leadership, architecture, or strategy
Demonstrated ability to build software – not just review it – even if production coding is no longer your day-to-day
Hands-on experience using modern AI tools in a real work context (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub, or similar), with a clear point of view on responsible AI adoption
Working familiarity with modern web stacks (React, Next.js, Node, Phyton, Postgres, cloud- services) and the Microsoft ecosystem (Power Platform, Dataverse, Azure, SharePoint), with the ability to evaluate code produced with them
Sound judgment on architecture, security, scalability, and operational resilience – able to spot fragility, technical debt, and risk in systems built by others (including AI-assisted output)
Comfortable balancing established proven technology with newer AI-driven approaches – and knowing when each is appropriate
Demonstrated experience evaluating, managing, or working closely with technology vendors and contractors
Experience establishing or operating within technical review, deployment, or release processes
Vendor management and contract negotiation skills, with the confidence to challenge vendor recommendations when the technical judgement calls for it
Excellent communication, with the ability to translate between technical and business audiences
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field or equivalent professional experience.
Authorization to work in the U.S.

Nice To Haves

Background in mid-marketing or operational complex companies, where technology supports the business rather than being the business itself

Responsibilities

Develop and own a multi-year technology strategy and roadmap aligned with company growth and operational needs
Lead architectural decisions across internal systems, including evaluating code quality, system design, and integration approaches
Establish development standards, code review processes, and deployment readiness criteria for AI-assisted work across the company – including standards for staging, testing, rollback, and production release
Serve as the independent technical validator on vendor and internal work – with authority and responsibility to escalate or block production releases when quality, security, or operational risk warrants it
Build and prototype where it adds value – small tools, integration, automatons, and proofs of concept that demonstrate what’s possible and unblock decisions.
Own AI strategy and governance end-to-end, including tool selection, policy maintenance, evaluation of new AI capabilities, and responsible adoption across the organization
Evaluate and manage technology vendors and partners, including contract review, SOW negotiation, ongoing performance accountability, and serving as a technical counterweight to vendor recommendations when needed
Oversee the relationship with the managed service provider on day-to-day IT operations while owning the strategic technology layer above it
Translate technical complexity into clear business decisions for non-technical stakeholders