Senior Lead Software Engineer

About 8beehives 8beehives is an early-stage restaurant technology startup building a modern, AI-powered platform for restaurant operators. Our first product, GuestHive, brings reservations, ordering, events and catering, loyalty, guest profiles, analytics, and multilingual guest service together on one connected platform. At its center is Mira, an AI concierge designed to assist guests through voice and text. Our founding team combines deep restaurant and technology expertise. It includes experienced restaurant entrepreneurs who own and operate many restaurants, along with a technology executive who has helped build and scale multiple billion-dollar products. We are developing the platform alongside a well-known, multi-location restaurant group in the San Francisco Bay Area. This gives our engineering team the opportunity to solve real operational challenges in active restaurant environments and build technology informed by firsthand industry experience. The Opportunity We’re looking for a hands-on Lead Software Engineer to help build the platform from the ground up. You will play a central role in shaping our technical architecture, engineering practices, infrastructure, and product. This is an opportunity for someone who enjoys writing production code, making pragmatic technical decisions, mentoring engineers, and turning ambitious ideas into reliable products. You will work closely with the founders, engineers, restaurant operators, and early customers. As an early member of the team, your work will have a direct and visible impact on both the product and the company. What You’ll Do Design and build backend services using TypeScript and Node.jsDefine APIs, data models, system integrations, and cloud architectureBuild and operate secure, scalable infrastructure on AWSCreate and maintain reliable CI/CD pipelinesEstablish automated testing, deployment, monitoring, and incident-response practicesMake key architectural decisions involving scalability, reliability, security, performance, and observabilityIntegrate restaurant systems such as payments, POS platforms, reservations, messaging, and delivery servicesBuild AI-powered product features where they provide clear value to restaurant teams and guestsDevelop systems using LLM APIs, tool calling, structured outputs, context management, and agentic workflowsUse modern AI coding tools to accelerate development while maintaining strong engineering standardsReview and validate human- and AI-generated code for correctness, security, maintainability, and performanceMentor engineers and help establish a thoughtful, collaborative engineering cultureWork directly with restaurant operators to translate real operational needs into dependable software What We’re Looking For Strong backend engineering experience with TypeScript and Node.jsHands-on experience designing, deploying, and operating systems on AWSStrong understanding of APIs, databases, distributed systems, and production operationsExperience with CI/CD, automated testing, deployment workflows, and infrastructure managementAbility to make pragmatic technical decisions in a fast-moving, early-stage environmentExperience mentoring engineers or leading significant technical projectsStrong written and verbal communication skillsA product-oriented mindset and willingness to work across technical boundariesFamiliarity with Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, or similar AI development toolsUnderstanding of LLM APIs, tool calling, structured outputs, context management, retrieval, and agentic systemsStrong judgment when reviewing and validating AI-generated code Nice to Have Experience working at an early-stage startupExperience with PostgreSQL, event-driven architecture, or multi-tenant SaaS platformsExperience with restaurant, hospitality, payments, reservations, or POS technologyExperience building voice or conversational AI systemsExperience shipping AI-powered features into productionFamiliarity with data privacy, security, and compliance requirementsExperience building multilingual products What We Offer Competitive compensation based on experience, skills, location, and role scope. This position also includes meaningful early-stage equity and medical, dental, and vision benefits. The opportunity to influence the architecture, product, and engineering culture from the beginningDirect access to restaurant operators and real-world product environmentsA collaborative team focused on building technology that delivers measurable valueSignificant opportunity for professional growth as the company expandsCompensation will be determined based on experience, skills, location, and the scope of the role. Equal Opportunity 8beehives is an equal-opportunity employer. We value different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace. Recruiting Safety Notice Your safety matters to us. Official 8beehives recruiting communications will come only from a @8beehives.com email address. 8beehives recruiters will never ask you to pay any fees, or provide banking information before you have accepted a formal written offer and completed the appropriate onboarding process. If you are unsure whether a communication is legitimate, do not click any links or provide personal information. Visit 8beehives.com directly or contact jobs@8beehives.com to confirm the opening.