Lead Software Engineer (Backend)

Lead Software Engineer (Backend) – Labs Legal Tech

Are you a seasoned software engineer with expertise in cloud-based system design and implementation? Thomson Reuters Labs is offering an exciting opportunity to join a cutting-edge team processing millions of documents monthly using advanced AI/ML technologies, including Large Language Models (LLMs). Our services power innovative applications like CoCounsel. As a lead engineer in this role, you'll spearhead the design, planning, implementation, and deployment of new services while maintaining and supporting existing ones. You'll be at the forefront of applying AI technologies to legal and business information processing, driving innovation in a fast-paced, high-impact environment.

About the Role:

In this opportunity as Lead Software Engineer (Backend), you will:

• Drive technical leadership within our engineering team, shaping systems design, refining processes, and guiding strategic planning and execution.
• Architect and implement scalable cloud-based solutions that process millions of documents using cutting-edge AI/ML technologies, including LLMs.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with engineers, product managers, scientists, legal experts, and stakeholders to deliver innovative, market-leading software products.
• Spearhead initiatives and lead teams with autonomy, fostering a culture of excellence, self-organization, and continuous improvement.
• Stay at the forefront of evolving technologies, adapting swiftly to changes in cloud platforms, AI/ML advancements, and industry trends.
• Ensure robust support for client applications and backend services, optimizing performance and reliability.
• Oversee the entire software development lifecycle, from conception through deployment, emphasizing best practices in planning, implementation, testing, and CI/CD.
• Champion process improvements, implementing methodologies that enhance team efficiency, code quality, and overall project outcomes.
• Mentor junior engineers, promoting engineering culture and skill development across the team and the enterprise.
• Contribute to technical decision-making, influencing the direction of our product design, cloud infrastructure, and application architecture.

About You:

You are a fit for the role of Lead Software Engineer (Backend) if your background includes:

Required Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or a related field; or equivalent practical experience.
• 6+ years of extensive software development experience, with a strong focus on cloud-native application hosting and maintenance.
• 3+ years of hands-on expertise in designing, deploying, and maintaining larger-scale distributed applications, preferably using Azure (experience with AWS or GCP is also valuable).
• Proven track record (3+ years) in backend application development using Python, with proficiency in containerization (Docker), SQL databases, CI/CD tools (e.g., Azure DevOps), version control systems (e.g., GitHub, Azure DevOps), etc.
• Comprehensive understanding of the entire software development lifecycle, including agile methodologies, testing, monitoring, and incident management.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to provide clear & concise updates to leadership, build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders, and contribute positively to long-term team dynamics and health.
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex technical problems creatively and effectively.
• Strong organizational and leadership skills, with a proven ability to coordinate team efforts and drive projects to successful completion.
• Adaptability and eagerness to learn new technologies and methodologies in a rapidly evolving field.
• Interest in learning and using Rust to implement services.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Experience with other languages (e.g. C#, C++, Java, etc.) and/or cloud providers (AWS, GCP) is useful.
• Experience with AI/ML technologies – especially model hosting and deployment (“MLOps”), processing large document volumes, and/or NLP (Natural Language Processing) – is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with the legal industry is also helpful but not essential.

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What's in it For You?

You will join our inclusive culture of world-class talent, where we are committed to your personal and professional growth through:

Hybrid Work Model: We’ve adopted a flexible hybrid working environment (2-3 days a week in the office depending on the role) for our office-based roles while delivering a seamless experience that is digitally and physically connected

Wellbeing: Comprehensive benefit plans; flexible and supportive benefits for work-life balance: flexible vacation, two company-wide Mental Health Days Off; work from another location for up to a total of 8 weeks in a year, 4 of those weeks can be out of the country and the remaining in the country, Headspace app subscription; retirement, savings, tuition reimbursement, and employee incentive programs; resources for mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.

Culture: Globally recognized and award-winning reputation for equality, diversity and inclusion, flexibility, work-life balance, and more.

Learning & Development: LinkedIn Learning access; internal Talent Marketplace with opportunities to work on projects cross-company; Ten Thousand Coffees Thomson Reuters café networking.

Social Impact: Ten employee-driven Business Resource Groups; two paid volunteer days annually; Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives for local and global impact.

Purpose Driven Work: We have a superpower that we’ve never talked about with as much pride as we should – we are one of the only companies on the planet that helps its customers pursue justice, truth and transparency. Together, with the professionals and institutions we serve, we help uphold the rule of law, turn the wheels of commerce, catch bad actors, report the facts, and provide trusted, unbiased information to people all over the world.

Do you want to be part of a team helping re-invent the way knowledge professionals work? How about a team that works every day to create a more transparent, just and inclusive future? At Thomson Reuters, we’ve been doing just that for almost 160 years. Our industry-leading products and services include highly specialized information-enabled software and tools for legal, tax, accounting and compliance professionals combined with the world’s most global news services – Reuters. We help these professionals do their jobs better, creating more time for them to focus on the things that matter most: advising, advocating, negotiating, governing and informing.

We are powered by the talents of 26,000 employees across more than 70 countries, where everyone has a chance to contribute and grow professionally in flexible work environments that celebrate diversity and inclusion. At a time when objectivity, accuracy, fairness and transparency are under attack, we consider it our duty to pursue them. Sound exciting? Join us and help shape the industries that move society forward.

Accessibility

As a global business, we rely on diversity of culture and thought to deliver on our goals. To ensure we can do that, we seek talented, qualified employees in all our operations around the world regardless of race, color, sex/gender, including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, citizen status, veteran status, or any other protected classification under applicable law. Thomson Reuters is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer providing a drug-free workplace.

We also make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law.

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More information about Thomson Reuters can be found on https://thomsonreuters.com.