Freelance Microsoft Full Stack Developer Jobs in Santa Rosa, CA

Tech Lead Manager/Staff Engineer - Full Stack

About the Compan

yWe are an AI-Powered workforce management software redefining how enterprises plan, monitor, and optimize their most valuable resource: their people. We're looking for a Tech Lead Manager (TLM)/Staff Engineer to own and drive a full-stack engineering team building the core product experiences our customers rely on every day

.
About the Ro

leThis is a hybrid IC/management role where you'll spend approximately 80% of your time on hands-on technical work and 30% on people management and team leadership. On the technical side, you'll write and review production code across the frontend and backend—designing full-stack features, driving architectural decisions, and setting the bar for engineering quality. On the management side, you'll build, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of engineers, owning their career development, performance, and day-to-day delivery. The ideal candidate thrives at the intersection of technical depth and people leadership—comfortable context-switching between writing code and coaching engineers. You'll set the technical direction for your team, partner closely with Product and Design, and ensure your squad delivers reliably at a pace that matches our growth trajector

y.
Responsibilit

• ies
  Technical Leadership & Execution (~
• 80%)Own the architecture and delivery of full-stack features—from ReactJS/TypeScript UIs to backend services, APIs, and data pipeli
• nes.Design and build highly-scaled data processing pipelines (batch + streaming) and distributed backend syst
• ems.Drive engineering excellence: lead architecture discussions, set standards for code quality, scalability, and performance, and participate in the full software lifecycle from design through deployment and on-c
• all.Make pragmatic technical decisions that balance short-term delivery with long-term system hea
• lth.Leverage modern infrastructure including PostgreSQL, Redis, Kubernetes, and streaming technologies to power our metrics and AI workfl
• ows.Engage in hands-on coding, code reviews, and performance optimizations, setting the standard for technical excellence across the t
• eam.Champion frontend quality—performance, accessibility, and an intuitive, seamless user experie
• nce.Implement best practices in testing, observability, and performance monitoring to ensure reliability and upt

• ime.
  People Management & Team Leadership (
• ~20%)Manage, mentor, and grow a team of full-stack and specialized engineers, owning their career growth, performance reviews, and professional develop
• ment.Conduct regular 1:1s, provide timely and constructive feedback, and create individual development plans for each re
• port.Foster a culture of psychological safety, trust, accountability, and continuous improve
• ment.Own team planning: scope work with Product and Design, participate in sprint planning and Agile ceremonies, and remove bloc
• kers.Drive hiring for the team—defining roles, conducting interviews, and making hiring decisions to build a world-class engineering
• team.Maintain team health by monitoring workload, preventing burnout, and ensuring sustainable deli
• very.Cross-Functional Collabor
• ationPartner with Product Managers and Designers to translate product vision into well-defined technical p
• lans.Communicate progress, risks, and trade-offs clearly to engineering leadership and stakehol
• ders.Collaborate across teams to drive alignment on shared systems, APIs, and platform capabili

ties.
Qualific

• ations
  B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent expe
• rience.7+ years of hands-on software engineering experience with a strong full-stack background spanning modern frontend frameworks (React, TypeScript) and backend s
• ystems.2+ years of engineering management or tech lead experience, including direct reports, mentorship, and team-level delivery own
• ership.Strong proficiency in TypeScript/JavaScript and at least one backend language (Ruby, Python, or No
• de.js).Deep understanding of HTML, CSS, modern frontend tooling, component-based architecture, and state mana
• gement.Proven experience designing, building, and operating scalable distributed systems in data-heavy enviro
• nments.Solid grasp of software engineering best practices: testing, code review, CI/CD, design documen
• tation.Experience with RESTful APIs, relational databases (PostgreSQL), and cloud-native architecture (Kubernetes, containerization, microser
• vices).A systems-level thinker who balances technical excellence with pragmatic, business-aware decision-
• making.Excellent communication skills—you can translate complex technical concepts for both engineers and non-technical stakeh
• olders.Demonstrated ability to balance technical execution with people leadership—comfortable context-switching between writing code and coaching eng
• ineers.Early-stage startup experience (Seed to Series C) preferred—comfortable wearing multiple hats and building in fast-moving enviro

nments.
Preferr

• ed Skills
  Experience with React Native for mobile de
• velopment.Familiarity with Redis, Apache Pinot, or other real-time analytics infra
• structure.Background in AI/ML systems or data pipeline orch
• estration.Experience building and scaling teams in a high-growth startup en
• vironment.Knowledge of testing frameworks such as Jest, Cypress, or React Testin

g Library.
Pay range and compensa

tion packageBenefits: Competitive compensation, meaningful equity, world-class medical/dental/vision coverage, and a flexible remote-first culture with team events, offsites, and