Team Lead - Python Infrastructure and Performance

Channable (Headquarters: Utrecht, Netherlands)

Python Infrastructure Performance Reliability Security Team Lead Management Mentoring OKRs SQL PostgreSQL Redis Nix Terraform Nomad Ansible Linux Git Static Typing Testing Optimization DevOps Haskell Rust Back End Engineer Staff Engineer Management

**About Channable:**
Channable is one of the fastest-growing B2B SaaS scale-ups in the Netherlands, located in Utrecht. We provide a platform for online marketers to manage and optimize their product marketing, processing billions of products daily. We have a strong engineering culture focused on quality and collaboration.

**The Role:**
Lead the Python Infrastructure and Performance (PIP) team, a crucial team of 3 software engineers dedicated to providing reliable Python infrastructure for other teams. The PIP team focuses on improving codebase maintainability, optimizing performance, enhancing reliability, and bolstering the security of our Python code. This involves tasks like improving/replacing abstractions, enhancing static typing, optimizing the test suite, implementing security measures, and tackling performance bottlenecks. You'll collaborate closely with product, Infra, and DevOps teams. As Team Lead, you will balance leadership (approx. 50%) with hands-on development (approx. 50%), reporting directly to the CTO.

**Responsibilities (Team Lead):**
- Develop new processes for the team.
- Organize work, manage priorities, and plan sprints.
- Plan quarterly OKRs for the team.
- Conduct progress reviews for team members.
- Mentor and support team members in their growth.
- Establish team culture and foster a collaborative environment.

**Responsibilities (Development):**
- Provide reliable Python infrastructure for other teams.
- Continuously improve the maintainability of the Python codebase.
- Enhance reliability by investigating issues and implementing solutions.
- Implement performance improvements for Python code.
- Work on security improvements and provide security-focused reviews.
- Note: Building new features is not the primary focus, but smaller Python projects may be undertaken.

**Ideal Candidate:**
- Previous experience leading an engineering team OR a senior engineer eager to step into leadership.
- Values high software engineering standards.
- Capable of detailed code reviews (high-level and low-level).
- Technical depth to mentor team members (strong backend experience, comfortable with Python, PostgreSQL, Linux, git).
- Ability to create incremental plans for structural codebase improvements.
- Excellent communication skills.
- People-oriented, open, approachable, pragmatic, and empathic.
- Skilled at helping the team focus on priorities aligned with company goals (OKR framework).
- EU citizenship or a valid work permit for the Netherlands (preference for those already living in NL).
- Available for at least 32 hours per week.

**Tech Stack Snippet:**
Python, Haskell, Rust, PostgreSQL, Redis, Nix, Terraform, Nomad, Ansible, Linux, Git. Focus on Python infrastructure, performance optimization, reliability, security, static typing, and testing frameworks.

**What We Offer:**
- Competitive salary and benefits (details below).
- Stock Appreciation Rights.
- Hybrid working model (min 2 days in Utrecht office).
- Annual L&D budget (€1000), pension scheme, company performance bonus (up to 10%).
- Travel coverage, home office supplies.
- Beautiful office in central Utrecht, flexible hours, generous vacation/reload days, workcation policy.
- Excellent parental leave, wellness perks (Urban Sport Club, OpenUp mental health access), company events (Channaweekend), free healthy meals, massages, Channabar, sports teams, and more.