About the Role

We are looking for a Staff or Senior Staff Software Engineer with the leadership skills and technical depth to launch and grow our new engineering team in Toronto. This is a rare opportunity to shape the foundation of a high-impact, AI-driven SaaS company that's transforming semiconductor design.

You'll start as the technical lead for a multi-disciplinary team, overseeing efforts across frontend, backend, data platforms, IDE tooling, ML engineering, and QA. As the team grows, you'll help recruit top talent, mentor engineers across specialties, and evolve into a leadership role—potentially building into a site lead or engineering manager in the next 12–24 months.

You'll work directly with the VP of Software and collaborate closely with the core software team based in Silicon Valley, ensuring tight alignment across locations and shared ownership of the company's technical vision.

This is a high-impact role for someone who thrives on both building systems and building teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead technical strategy and execution across a full-stack team working on our AI-powered IDE, cloud-native backend, and data infrastructure.
• Partner with the VP of Software and coordinate with engineering leaders in Silicon Valley to align priorities and drive high-quality deliverables.
• Serve as the technical owner of Toronto-based projects while helping define engineering rituals and collaboration practices across offices.
• Collaborate with product, AI/ML, and design teams to define roadmaps and deliver scalable, production-ready systems.
• Drive hiring and mentor engineers across a variety of domains including frontend, backend, ML, and devtools.
• Implement engineering best practices around testing, modularity, documentation, and performance.
• Help establish engineering culture and operating rituals at the Toronto site as it scales.

Ideal Experience

• 10+ years of software engineering experience, with 3+ years in technical or team leadership roles.
• Proven track record in cloud-native SaaS architecture, ideally in fast-moving, high-growth environments.
• Deep technical expertise in at least two of the following: backend systems (e.g., microservices, data pipelines), frontend engineering, IDEs/devtools, ML/AI platforms, or LLM integrations.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams and contributing to multi-disciplinary product development.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills; comfortable guiding and growing early-career engineers.
• Bonus: experience in AI/ML infrastructure, developer productivity tools, or startup environments.

What We Offer

• A pivotal role in building and shaping Cognichip's first Toronto-based engineering team
• The chance to scale a team over 15-20 engineers over the next two years, with career growth path into engineering management
• Direct partnership with the VP of Software and high-engagement collaboration with the Silicon Valley HQ
• Work at the intersection of AI, semiconductors, and developer tools, solving hard technical challenges
• Opportunity to collaborate with and recruit from top Canadian universities and research institutes, including the University of Waterloo, University of Toronto, the Vector Institute, and the Waterloo Artificial Intelligence Institute
• Competitive compensation package including early stage equity in a fast-growing AI startup
• High-trust, low-ego team culture that values ownership, curiosity, and collaboration
• Hybrid-friendly work environment with top-tier collaborators across North America