Technical Lead

**Who's Deer Designer?**

We are an eclectic bunch committed to helping startups, small businesses, and everyone that needs help with graphic design. Our aim is to always be proactive about our customers' needs and free their time to grow their business. We do that by providing unlimited graphic design help for a fixed price, in a helpful and personal way.

Our headquarters are in London, but our team is spread out across many cities around the world. Everyone at Deer Designer is free to live and work anywhere they grow and prosper, and most of us do just that Our team culture is focused on diversity, work/life balance, and individual development.

**Job Summary**:
We’re looking for a **Technical Lead** to spearhead the development of _Buckboard_, a ticketing and visual feedback system for managing design projects. This role is perfect for someone who thrives on leadership and hands-on coding, excels at strategic decision-making, and is passionate about building cutting-edge SaaS solutions. You'll lead a cross-functional development team while actively contributing to both front-end and back-end development.

**Responsibilities**:
**Leadership & Strategy**
- **Lead the Development Team**: Manage and mentor a remote, multi-disciplinary team, including frontend developers, backend developers, DevOps engineers, QA engineers, and AI specialists.
- **Technical Vision**: Define and own the architecture, technology stack, and development roadmap for _Buckboard_.
- **Project Management**: Work closely with stakeholders to ensure project timelines, deliverables, and quality standards are met.
- **Team Collaboration**: Facilitate collaboration between designers, developers, and product managers.
- **Code Reviews**: Conduct code reviews and ensure coding best practices and standards are followed.

**Hands-On Development**
- **Full Stack Development**: Write and maintain high-quality code for both frontend (React/Next.js) and backend (Node.js/Express.js) systems.
- **API Development**: Design and implement robust, scalable RESTful APIs for client and team modules.
- **Database Management**: Architect and maintain MongoDB and/or PostgreSQL databases, optimizing for performance and scalability.
- **AI Integration**: Collaborate with the AI Engineer to implement AI-powered features like brief clarification and ticket assignment.
- **Deployment**: Oversee deployment pipelines (Docker, Kubernetes/AWS ECS), ensuring smooth releases.

**Quality Assurance & Performance**
- **Error Tracking**: Utilize tools like Sentry or Rollbar to track, prioritize, and resolve production issues.
- **Testing**: Collaborate with the QA Engineer to establish rigorous testing protocols (unit, integration, and end-to-end tests).

**Requirements**:
**Technical Skills**
- **Full Stack Expertise**:

- **Frontend**: Proficient in React (preferred Next.js), Redux, TypeScript, and Material-UI or Ant Design.
- **Backend**: Expert in Node.js with frameworks like Express.js; experience with RESTful API design.
- **Database**: Hands-on experience with MongoDB (Atlas preferred) and PostgreSQL.
- **Real-Time Communication**: Familiarity with Socket.io for real-time collaboration features.
- **DevOps & Deployment**:

- Experience with Docker, Kubernetes (or AWS ECS), and CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, CircleCI).
- Strong understanding of AWS services like S3 for file storage and load balancing.
- **AI Integration**: Experience integrating AI models (OpenAI, NLP libraries like spaCy).
- **Testing Tools**: Familiarity with Jest, Cypress, or similar testing frameworks.

**Leadership & Soft Skills**
- **Team Leadership**: Proven experience managing and mentoring development teams, fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented culture.
- **Problem-Solving**: Ability to anticipate technical challenges and proactively address them.
- **Communication**: Strong written and verbal communication skills to articulate technical ideas to non-technical stakeholders.
- **Ownership**: A proactive mindset with the ability to independently drive initiatives from concept to completion.

**Experience**
- 5+ years in software development, with a strong emphasis on SaaS platforms.
- 3+ years in a leadership or technical lead role managing cross-functional teams.
- Proven track record of delivering complex projects on time and within budget.
- Strong full-stack skills with React, Node.js, and MongoDB/PostgreSQL.
- Experience with cloud deployment (AWS, Docker) and CI/CD tools.
- Familiarity with AI/LLM integrations (e.g., OpenAI APIs).
- Proven leadership experience in small teams.
- Must know how to speak in English.

**Preferred Qualifications**
- Familiarity with subscription-based platforms, ticketing systems, or project management tools.
- Experience working in a startup or agile environment.
- Knowledge of analytics tools and reporting systems.

**Benefits**:

- **Location**: Home-based - Permanent work from home, co-working space, beach, wherever you'd like as long as you