Forward Deployed Product Engineer

Job summary

Lead client-account engineering teams, plan and assign work, review code, mentor developers, and serve as the client's primary technical contact. Build and ship production software, integrate with existing systems, and manage scope, delivery, and client communications.

Job details

Thrive Creative Inc. | Calgary, Alberta | Hybrid or remote | Full-time The role You lead the engineering on a client account. You run the team, make the calls, write the code, and ship the work. This is a senior seat for someone who wants ownership. There is no project manager holding it together for you. If you need a specialist or a second opinion, you ask for one. Otherwise, the account is yours. About Thrive Thrive Creative is a Calgary-based custom software firm. We work as our clients' on-demand engineering department, embedded in their business as a forward deployed team. Long-running client relationships, not fixed-scope projects One engineer leads each account and becomes the client's point person When the work needs more hands, that lead brings in engineers from our team and our network of 50+ specialists Clients own everything we build from the moment it's written Fully Canada-based team What you'll do Lead the team Run a small team on each account: Thrive engineers, interns, and specialists brought in as the work needs them Break the work into a clear backlog, estimate it, and assign it Review code, unblock people, and keep the quality bar high Mentor junior developers so they get better every sprint Own the client Be the client's main technical contact from day one Work out what the business actually needs, often starting with little or no brief Run weekly updates and demos, and handle the hard scope conversations directly Bring commercial or direction-changing decisions to leadership with a recommendation attached Build it yourself Write production code every week: TypeScript, React, Node, AWS Integrate with whatever the client already runs Own the unglamorous parts: migrations, legacy auth, the import that has to be right Use AI coding tools to move faster without getting sloppy What success looks like The work ships on the dates you set The client knows where things stand without having to ask Everyone on your team knows what they're working on today Problems surface early, with a plan to fix them The client keeps coming back with the next thing to build What you bring Must-haves 5+ years building and running production software Experience leading developers, as a team lead or tech lead, through to a real release A track record of delivering for a client or stakeholder end to end without a project manager in the loop Strong in a modern web stack (TypeScript, React, Node) with real cloud experience (AWS preferred) Integration work with systems you didn't design Daily use of AI coding tools The ability to explain a trade-off to a non-technical founder in plain language Nice-to-haves Agency, consulting or solutions engineering experience Infrastructure-as-code or CI/CD A second discipline: design, product, data or security Domain depth in logistics, healthcare, field services or manufacturing What you get Real ownership from week one, across very different businesses Competitive senior salary for Western Canada, with clear paths up Hybrid or remote, with flexible hours AWS certification support and a learning budget How to apply Send something that shows your work: a portfolio, GitHub, Loom or side project. A resume is welcome. Then tell us about a time you led a team to deliver for a client: what you walked into, what you decided, and how it turned out.Apply to: Kevin@thrivecreative.ltd

What you’ll do

Lead client-account engineering teams, plan and assign work, review code, mentor developers, and serve as the client's primary technical contact. Build and ship production software, integrate with existing systems, and manage scope, delivery, and client communications.

Requirements

Requires at least five years of production software experience, experience leading developers through a release, and a record of delivering client or stakeholder work end to end without a project manager. Candidates should be strong in TypeScript, React, and Node, have cloud experience (AWS preferred), use AI coding tools daily, and explain technical trade-offs clearly to non-technical stakeholders.

Benefits

• Flexible Hours
• AWS Certification Support
• Learning Budget

Listed skills

• Team Leadership · Preferred
• TypeScript · Preferred
• React · Preferred
• Node.js · Preferred
• Amazon Web Services · Preferred
• Client Relationship Management · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Team Leadership
• Technical Leadership
• TypeScript
• React
• Node.js
• AWS
• Cloud Computing
• Software Development
• Client Relationship Management
• Backlog Management
• Estimation
• Code Review
• Mentoring
• Systems Integration
• AI Coding Tools
• Stakeholder Communication

Job areas

• Software
• Technology
• Management & Leadership
• Consulting
• Engineering

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