Lead Product Engineer | Software Engineer III
DefenseStorm · Alpharetta, GA
Apply & track with Apply EdgeLead Product Engineer, SDE3As a Lead Product Engineer (SDE3), you’ll lead a product engineering team in shaping and delivering complex solutions for the GRID platform through specification-driven, agentic development. You’ll partner with Product and Design to understand customer problems, define solutions, and guide AI agents through implementation. You’ll remain accountable for what the team ships{{:}} setting technical direction, validating results, managing delivery risks, and ensuring the work creates customer value.You’ll combine hands-on product development with technical leadership, coaching engineers and improving how the team works. This is a technical leadership role.LocationAtlanta, GARemoteJob Duties and ResponsibilitiesPartner with Product, Design, engineering, and customer-facing teams to shape solutions and influence product direction.Identify dependencies and delivery risks, unblock the team, and communicate changes to commitments early.Break initiatives into small, independently deliverable increments for agent execution and rapid feedback.Own complex solutions from discovery through production delivery and customer validation.Set technical direction, review designs, and make sound decisions about architecture, security, reliability, and maintainability.Direct AI agents through implementation, testing, debugging, and refinement.Coach engineers and raise the team’s quality and consistency through feedback, mentorship, and shared practices.Encourage constructive debate, help the team reach decisions, and create accountability for executing them.Other duties as assigned by managementRequired Education and Experience Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science or a related field.7+ years of experience building and maintaining production software systems.2+ years of experience operating as a Tech Lead, Lead Engineer, Staff Engineer, or equivalent technical leadership role.A demonstrated record of owning complex initiatives from an ambiguous problem through production delivery.Experience setting technical direction, making architectural decisions, managing delivery risks, and mentoring engineers without relying on formal authority.Strong product judgment and the ability to turn customer and business problems into precise specifications and measurable acceptance criteria.Practical experience using AI agents across implementation, testing, and debugging.Strong engineering fundamentals to evaluate architecture, data flow, tests, edge cases, and security.Clear communication, sound judgment, collaborative instincts, and a record of delivering on commitments.