Full Stack Software Engineering Team Leader

At D-Fend Solutions, our people are our greatest strength — and technology is our passion. Our team of innovators and subject matter experts, including veterans of elite military intelligence technology units, is transforming the way organizations protect themselves from drone threats. As the global leader in cyber-takeover counter-drone technology, we design and deliver advanced, software-defined solutions that empower our customers to detect, take control, and safely land unauthorized drones — with precision and reliability. Every day, we push the boundaries of innovation to meet real-world security challenges across industries and environments. We’re seeking passionate professionals who thrive in a fast-paced, creative, and collaborative environment — those who want to be part of the next generation of airspace security innovation. Join D-Fend Solutions and help make the world a safer, smarter place.

The Role

We are seeking a Full Stack Software Engineering Team Leader to serve as the primary technical anchor and execution driver for a team of software developers. In this role, you will balance deep technical ownership with team guidance—shaping software design, taking full ownership of work planning, and personally building the most complex, mission-critical parts of our system.

You are a heavyweight engineer and builder at heart: someone who is hungry to write high-caliber code, solve deep system challenges, and drive implementation forward. You naturally scale your impact by leading a team, instituting rigorous engineering standards, and structuring execution to deliver high-quality software predictably.

What You Will Do: • Core Implementation: Serve as the team's primary builder, personally designing and writing code for the most complex, high-performance, and critical software modules.

• System & Software Design: Architect robust, scalable, and maintainable software components, taking end-to-end technical responsibility from initial design to production release.

• Work Planning & Delivery: Own sprint planning, technical roadmap breakdown, task estimation, and execution tracking to guarantee predictable, high-quality delivery.

• Engineering Standards: Establish, integrate, and continuously elevate software engineering standards, design patterns, testing protocols, and code review practices.

• Team Leadership & Mentorship: Lead, support, and grow a team of 3–4 software engineers, fostering a culture of technical rigor, accountability, and continuous professional growth.

Core Tech Stack: • Backend & Core Systems: Node.js, NestJS, Express, TypeScript (Strict Mode)

• Monorepo & Tooling: Nx Workspace, Zod

• Data & Persistence: PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, Prisma ORM

• Networking & Protocols: gRPC, REST, WebSockets (Socket.IO), MQTT

• Containerization & OS: Docker, Linux

• Frontend (End-to-End Feature Ownership): React, Vite, Zustand

• Observability: Prometheus, Grafana, ELK, Datadog

Requirements (The "Must Haves"): • Background: B.Sc. in Computer Science or Software Engineering (from a leading university) OR Alumnus of an elite military technology unit.

• Leadership Experience: 6+ years of hands-on software engineering experience, with at least 2+ years of proven experience leading a software engineering team or serving as a Tech Lead / Technical Anchor.

• Heavyweight Builder: Deep passion for hands-on execution and writing sharp, maintainable code. You thrive when solving difficult technical problems directly inside the codebase.

• Core Tech Mastery: Expert-level knowledge of TypeScript and Node.js (including NestJS), backed by a profound understanding of the JS Event Loop, asynchronous runtime, and memory mechanics.

• Software Architecture: Battle-tested expertise in modular software design, OOP/FP principles, and building high-performance, maintainable backend services.

• Planning & Execution: Proven track record in breaking down complex architectural requirements into actionable work plans, estimating effort accurately, and driving delivery.

• Engineering Standards: Demonstrated ability to introduce design standards, improve codebase quality, and establish engineering best practices across a team.

Big Advantages (Bonus Points): • Second language proficiency in Python for core system-level services or data workflows.

• Experience developing high-throughput, low-latency, or real-time system components.

• Practical experience utilizing AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code) to accelerate engineering velocity.

• In-depth knowledge of Linux environments, system performance tuning, profiling, and resource optimization.