Lead Software Engineer (Machine Learning)

About Meedan: Meedan is a global nonprofit focused on building open source digital tools and community-led programs that enhance the accessibility, reliability, and distribution of information - when and where people need it most. We also strive to make online ecosystems safer, more inclusive, and more equitable, so that existing pathways for content production and distribution can better serve the needs of all communities, regardless of their location, language, or income.

About the Role: You’ll be responsible for leading the design and development of a Python-based backend service integrating AI/ML models and structured data systems. The role will require you to design scalable APIs, data ingestion pipelines, and real-time query services that serve AI-powered features across our platform. You will operate with significant autonomy, define the technical architecture, and deliver production-ready systems.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own the architecture, design, and development of Python backend services integrating AI/ML models with structured data
• Lead all aspects of system design, including API architecture, data ingestion, scalability, fault tolerance, observability, and performance
• Deliver production-quality code while driving high engineering standards, best practices, and code reviews
• Collaborate with product managers, ML researchers, program managers, and other engineers to translate product goals into technical solutions
• Work independently while keeping stakeholders aligned on progress and priorities

What We’re Looking For:

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience
• Strong track record of independently designing and delivering complex backend systems
• Deep expertise in Python, particularly for backend API services and AI/ML integration
• Hands-on experience with FastAPI or comparable modern Python web frameworks
• Experience integrating AI/ML models into production systems (LLMs, transformers, fine-tuning, etc.)
• Strong system design, data modeling, and architectural thinking
• Familiarity with scalable ingestion pipelines, asynchronous processing, and event-driven architectures
• Experience with cloud infrastructure (e.g., AWS), CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, and observability

Nice-to-Haves:

• Experience with knowledge graphs or graph databases (e.g., Neo4j)
• MLOps experience (model deployment, pipelines, monitoring, retraining workflows)
• Prior collaboration with ML research teams
• Experience in early-stage, product-driven environments
• Prior technical leadership or engineering management experience

About Meedan: Meedan is a nonprofit focused on building digital tools and community-led programs that enhance the accessibility, reliability, and distribution of information. We codesign open-source tools and programs, enabling communities — especially those that have been historically underserved — to access the information they need to organize and mobilize. We also strive to make online ecosystems safer, more inclusive, and more equitable, so that existing pathways for content production and distribution can better serve the needs of all communities, regardless of their location, language, or income.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement: We actively recruit and encourage applications from individuals from historically underrepresented communities, including those who identify as LGBTQ+, women, people of color, and people with disabilities.

This role offers the opportunity to make a significant impact in the field of information equity while working with a passionate and diverse team. If you are excited by the chance to build cutting-edge AI/ML systems that serve communities worldwide, we encourage you to apply.