Talent Network: Tech Lead
WFA Digital Insight
The demand for skilled tech leaders in remote settings has skyrocketed, with a 25% increase in job postings over the last year. Toptal, a pioneer in fully remote workforces, is seeking a Tech Lead to spearhead the launch of a high-impact business line. This role requires expertise in cloud services, languages, and frameworks, as well as strong leadership skills to guide a team of engineers. With Toptal's commitment to innovation and social interaction, this position stands out in the current job market. Before applying, candidates should be aware of the need for fluency in a major cloud platform and experience in architecting large-scale applications.
Job Description
About the Role
The Tech Lead at Toptal will play a pivotal role in driving the launch of a new business line, leveraging their technical expertise to turn ideas into scalable platforms. This is a greenfield opportunity, where the right candidate will have the chance to shape the architecture, guide technical decisions, and contribute to Toptal's growth and innovation roadmap. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in designing and shipping distributed systems at scale, with outstanding communication skills and the ability to partner with executives.As a Tech Lead, you will be responsible for setting the technical vision for the new business line, working closely with the Product Lead to translate customer needs into actionable technical requirements. You will also be involved in the recruiting process, mentoring, and guiding a small team of engineers as the company scales. Toptal values innovation, social interaction, and fun, and the right candidate will be able to embody these values while driving technical excellence.
The role will involve working remotely, and candidates should be comfortable with the idea of working in a fully remote environment. Toptal does not offer visa sponsorship or assistance, and resumes and communication must be submitted in English.
What You Will Do
- Set the end-to-end architecture for the new business line, including data storage, task orchestration, model-in-the-loop pipelines, multi-tenancy, and observability.
- Drive every 'build vs. buy' decision and seed the initial tech stack, including cloud services, languages, and frameworks.
- Prototype core services quickly, with a focus on scalability and reliability.
- Participate in the recruiting process, mentor, and unblock a small team of engineers as the company scales.
- Partner with the Product Lead to translate customer needs into actionable technical requirements.
- Establish engineering culture, coding standards, and CI/CD from day one.
- Represent the technology narrative with stakeholders, design partners, and early enterprise customers.
- Work on long-term roadmap and scalability, suggesting and implementing improvements to Toptal's processes and codebase.
- Stay up to date with technology advancements, ensuring the technology stack is optimized for strategic growth and competitive advantage.
What We Are Looking For
- 10+ years of experience designing and shipping distributed systems at scale.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with great executive presence.
- Fluency with a major cloud platform (e.g., GCP or AWS) and a modern tech stack (e.g., Ruby/Rails, Python, Rust, Golang, Java).
- Deep track record of architecting large-scale, multi-tenant applications and platforms.
- Experience hiring, mentoring, and growing a small team of engineers.
- Hands-on experience with building and scaling distributed systems.
Nice to Have
- Experience with containerization (e.g., Docker) and orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes).
- Familiarity with agile development methodologies and version control systems (e.g., Git).
- Knowledge of security best practices and compliance frameworks (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).
Benefits and Perks
- The opportunity to work on a high-impact business line, with the chance to shape the technical vision and drive growth.
- A competitive compensation package, with the potential for equity and bonuses.
- A comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, retirement savings, and paid time off.
- A remote stipend, to support your work-from-home setup.
- Access to a global network of top talent in business, design, and technology.
- Opportunities for professional growth and development, through training and mentorship programs.
How to Stand Out
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your experience with cloud services, languages, and frameworks, and be sure to include any relevant certifications or training.
- Showcase your leadership skills: As a Tech Lead, you will be responsible for guiding a team of engineers, so be prepared to provide examples of your leadership experience and skills.
- Prepare to talk about scalability: Toptal is looking for someone who can drive the launch of a new business line, so be prepared to discuss your experience with scaling distributed systems and your approach to ensuring reliability and performance.
- Research Toptal's culture: Toptal values innovation, social interaction, and fun, so be sure to research the company culture and be prepared to discuss how you embody these values.
- Be ready to talk about your technical vision: As a Tech Lead, you will be responsible for setting the technical vision for the new business line, so be prepared to discuss your ideas and approach to technical decision-making.
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