Lead Software Engineer

What you'll ship

Working software every 5 days. Not slide decks. Not status updates. Not prototypes that need "productionizing." You'll operate inside a swarm of 3-4 senior operators plus AI agents, shipping production code in pulse cycles of 5-7 days for clients who measure results, not hours.

How we work

Critical Propulsion amplifies human delivery. Our swarm model pairs senior operators with AI agents to cut cycle times 30-50% and multiply effective capacity 2-5x versus traditional teams. Zero handoffs. Single timezone. No offshore blended teams. No sprint theater.

Week 1 is productive delivery, not onboarding. We define outcomes and trust operators to get there.

What we expect

• You write clean, working software. You're comfortable across the stack. Depth in one area is fine, but you can't freeze when the work crosses a boundary.
• You pair effectively with AI agents and know when to trust them and when to override them.
• You embrace agentic development. You don't treat AI as autocomplete. You delegate real work to AI agents, review their output critically, and iterate fast. You see this as the future of how software gets built, not a novelty.
• You don't wait to be assigned tasks. You see the outcome, pick up the work, and close it.
• You set technical direction within the swarm. Other operators look to you when the path forward isn't obvious.
• You communicate directly. Blocked? Say so in hours, not days.
• You operate autonomously. No status meetings that could be a message. No decks that could be a decision.
  

Nice to have

• Experience with React, modern frontend frameworks, or full-stack TypeScript. Bonus if you've built component systems or design-system-driven UIs.
• Familiarity with Azure cloud services, Python, or Node.js in production environments.
• Hands-on experience with agentic AI tooling: Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot Workspace, or similar. Even better if you've built workflows where AI agents handle real tasks, not just code completion.
• Experience building or consuming AI APIs (Anthropic, OpenAI, or equivalent). You've integrated AI into production systems, not just prototyped with it.
• Comfort with spec-driven design and development. You've worked from detailed specifications to build systems that match intent on the first pass, reducing rework cycles.
• Background in consulting or client-facing delivery. You've scoped work, managed client expectations, and shipped under real constraints with real stakeholders watching.
• Prior experience on small, autonomous teams. You've operated in a model closer to a 3-4 person crew than a 15-person feature factory.

What we don't filter on

• Years of experience as a number. If you can lead a swarm through a 5-day pulse cycle and ship working software, the number on your resume is irrelevant.
• Specific languages, frameworks, or certifications as prerequisites. We care about engineering judgment, not keyword matches.
• Pedigree. No school or company name substitutes for demonstrated ability to build, ship, and bring others along.
  
  

What you get

• A team where everyone builds. No layers of management between you and the work.
• AI agents as real teammates. You'll work with tooling that changes how much one person can ship.
• Pulse cycles that create natural rhythm without traditional sprint overhead (KT +75%, Rework +60%, Mgmt +45% in typical sprint models).
• Direct client impact. Your work hits production in days, not quarters.
• Competitive comp
  
  

How to apply

Send us your resume and something that shows how you think and what you build. A repo, a side project, a PR you're proud of. Skip the cover letter unless you actually want to write one.

Let's have a real conversation. No fluff.