Lead Engineer - AI Startup

About the Document Intelligence Platform This is not just another Lead Developer role. This is your opportunity to define the technical direction of one of LEAP’s most critical AI initiatives - a global product that will transform how lawyers interact with legal documents forever. You will lead the creation of the Document Intelligence Platform: an AI-driven system that recognises the type of document a lawyer is working with and instantly presents the most useful, context-aware actions powered by LawY, Matter AI, and LEAP’s emerging agentic AI ecosystem. You will report directly to the Founder of LEAP and operate with start-up autonomy while playing a defining leadership role in LEAP’s global AI strategy. Your work will impact tens of thousands of lawyers across Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and beyond. This is a once-in-a-career chance to build a global AI platform with freedom, scale, and purpose. About the Product

The LawY Document Intelligence Platform solves a fundamental challenge in legal practice:

• Most lawyers don’t know what AI can do for each type of document - and even when they do, performing those actions is difficult in existing software.

This product will change that. The platform will:

• Identify the type of document the lawyer has opened.
• Provide the most relevant, context-aware AI actions for that document.
• Power both the user interface and our AI Paralegal with intelligent, document-specific suggestions and tools.

Examples of supported workflows include:

Contract review and mark-up Affidavit contradiction detection Evidence cross-analysis Settlement and negotiation reasoning Legislative and procedural compliance checks Drafting, summarisation, and response generation Contextual suggestions for next steps as part of the AI Paralegal What you'll do

As the Lead Developer, you will:

Shape a Critical Global AI Product

• Architect, design, and deliver a platform that will be used across all LEAP markets and become foundational to our AI ecosystem.
• Build and Lead the Engineering Team
• Define new engineering roles, hire exceptional developers, and build a high-performing team capable of taking the product from concept to global scale.
• Work Directly With the Founder
• Collaborate closely with LEAP’s Founder to define strategy, prioritise development, and deliver at pace.
• Own the Technical Architecture
• Design the end-to-end system, from document-type detection to intelligent action generation, integrations, workflows, and user experience.
• Define the Engineering Culture
• Set the standards, practices, and operating rhythms for a team that will grow internationally.

To make this happen, you will:

• Architect and deliver the LawY Document Intelligence Platform end-to-end.
• Design systems that detect document type and recommend high-value AI workflows.
• Build scalable, secure, and high-performance backend services and polished frontend experiences.
• Integrate with LawY, Matter AI, and LEAP’s broader agentic AI ecosystem.
• Prototype, test, and refine AI-driven features that work reliably with generative AI models.
• Establish engineering processes, DevOps workflows, observability, and quality standards.
• Hire, mentor, and lead a growing engineering team as the product scales globally.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with other AI teams, product leaders, and senior stakeholders.

What you'll bring

• You’re a curious, self-driven engineer who wants to build meaningful technology.

8+ years of professional experience in full-stack development. Strong proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript, React, Node.js, and modern backend frameworks. Strong experience in system design, database architecture, and API development. Experience working with generative AI, automation workflows, or agent-based systems is highly desirable. Proven experience building and leading engineering teams. Ability to hire, coach, motivate, and scale a high-performing team. Excellent communication skills, including working directly with executive leadership. You are the type of person who is Entrepreneurial and comfortable with ambiguity. Curious, creative, and analytical. Driven by solving meaningful problems for real users. Enjoys building greenfield products that shape the future of an industry. LEAP is an inclusive, people-first company committed to breaking down institutional barriers that keep people from reaching their potential. If you meet some, but not all the requirements above, we encourage you to still submit your application. Why join LEAP? Your work matters. Helping lawyers help people sits at the heart of everything we do. We solve real world problems that improve and support local, everyday law firms. So they can do their best work for the people in the communities they serve. Make an impact. You won’t be another ‘cog in the wheel’ here. We give full trust and autonomy for you to be heard, to work on big & complex projects – and to make a real difference. Work with a group of authentic, passionate people who love what they do. Well-funded and global. LEAP is the leading provider of Legal Practice Management Solutions across Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and New Zealand. We're part of ATI – one of the largest international LegalTech companies. Flexible and hybrid working. We'd like to find this person in Sydney, but we want you to work in a way that suits you and we're open to flexible arrangements that support you. Grow your career with us. Our founder Christian Beck has been building legal tech businesses for over 30 years. There are opportunities galore to expand your career based on where your interests lie. We're not afraid to pivot based on market conditions - you will always have the opportunity to stay ahead of the curve and do your best work here. Have fun with us. Celebrations. Socials. Sports teams. Access to sailing and yacht events. We value your well-being - enjoy an additional paid wellbeing day every year, free gym membership, corporate dental plan and weekly massages in the office. Work in a new, beautiful office space – with a catered lunch and breakfast every week, fully stocked kitchen and an on-site barista. Access to LEAP Home - a program unique to LEAP to support you in buying your primary residence. #LI-MB1