Lead Product & AI Focus Engineer

Engineering Manager And Acting Product Owner

About Us eQuip (a division of AssetWorks USA, Inc.) develops and implements asset management solutions for defense manufacturers and others with complex asset tracking and compliance needs. We're a passionate and innovative team based between Austin, TX and Washington, DC. Our culture is built on curiosity, a drive for impact, and a belief that emerging technologies, especially AI, are key to building smarter products and better development processes. We're looking for a leader who shares this vision to help guide our product and our team to the next level.

The Opportunity This isn't your typical management role. We are looking for a true product leader to be the vital link between our customer's needs, our product vision, and our technical execution. As an Engineering Manager and acting Product Owner, you will be a player-coach who both leads a talented engineering team and steers the product direction. You will have a high degree of autonomy and accountability, owning the "what," the "why," and empowering the team with the "how." If you are driven by a deep need to understand your work's real-world impact and have a passion for seeing customers thrive using a product you helped build, this is the perfect role for you. Due to the nature of our work with U.S. Department of Defense contractors, this position requires eligibility for a U.S. security clearance. Therefore, U.S. citizenship is a legal requirement. Candidates must be willing and able to undergo the security clearance process.

US Citizenship required. Due to the nature of our work with U.S. government entities, this role requires eligibility for a security clearance, which in turn requires U.S. citizenship.

What You'll Do

• Lead the Team: Mentor, coach, and support a high-performing team of software engineers, fostering a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Own the Product: Define and manage the product roadmap and backlog. Translate high-level business goals and customer feedback into clear, actionable user stories and technical requirements.
• Champion AI Innovation: Actively research, prototype, and champion the integration of AI tools (like GitHub Copilot, internal LLMs, code generation tools, etc.) to enhance our development lifecycle and unlock new product capabilities.
• Drive the Process: Prioritize features, bug fixes, and technical debt to ensure the team is always working on what matters most. Facilitate agile ceremonies and ensure a smooth, efficient development process from planning to deployment.
• Be the Bridge: Serve as the primary point of contact between stakeholders and the engineering team, ensuring everyone is aligned and communicating effectively.
• Engage with Customers: Work closely with our Head Project Manager to participate in customer demos and feedback sessions, gathering firsthand insights to inform your product decisions.

What We're Looking For

• Experience: 4+ years of experience in software development, with experience leading projects or mentoring other engineers and a strong desire to continue to grow as a leader.
• Proven AI Curiosity: You have a demonstrable passion for leveraging AI in software development. You can point to specific projects you've worked on or processes you've improved where you personally introduced or utilized AI tools to achieve a better outcome.
• Extreme Ownership: You have a profound sense of accountability and a track record of delivering high-quality products. You don't wait for instructions; you take initiative, anticipate needs, and drive the project to completion.
• Passion for Impact: You are genuinely motivated by the end-user. You're not satisfied with just shipping code; you have a deep-seated interest in seeing the firsthand impact your work has on customers and are eager to engage with them.
• Product Mindset: You have experience acting as a Product Owner, Product Manager, or a similar product-focused role within an agile environment. You know how to say "no" and can articulate the "why" behind your decisions.
• Excellent Communicator: You can clearly articulate a complex technical concept to a non-technical stakeholder and translate vague customer feedback into precise requirements for your engineering team.

Is This Role Right for You? A Few Things to Consider

We're committed to finding the best mutual fit, not just for us, but for you. To help save time and ensure alignment, here are a few reasons this high-autonomy, hybrid role might no be the best match:

• You prefer a narrowly defined role. This position blends engineering management with product ownership. If you prefer a role with a narrow focus, specializing in either people management or product strategy but not both, you might not enjoy the daily context-switching.
• You thrive with a high degree of structure. We are looking for someone who can create the roadmap, not just follow one. If ambiguity and open-ended problem solving do not energize you, this role may feel frustrating.
• You are skeptical of emerging AI development tools. We are looking for someone to lead the charge, not follow the trend. If you believe the current generation of AI tools are more hype than substance and prefer to wait until they are fully mature, this may not be the right environment.
• You prefer to be shielded from customers. We believe that direct customer interaction is key to building a great product. If you find customer-facing work to be a distraction and prefer to have all feedback filtered through others, this role may not be a fit.

Why You'll Love Working Here

• Direct Impact: You will see your decisions and your team's work directly influence our product and the success of our customers.
• Culture of Curiosity: We encourage and budget for experimentation, especially with new AI tools and technologies.
• Autonomy and Trust: We will trust you to own your domain, manage your team, and make the right decisions for the product.
• Competitive Compensation: We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for growth.
• Sustainable Work-Life Balance: We are a results-oriented team that values your life outside of work. We trust you to manage your time and aim for a sustainable 40-hour work week.
• Excellent Health Benefits: We have generous, complete benefits packages and are happy to discuss them at length.
• Generous Time Off: We have generous amounts of PTO that we encourage you to actually use.

Worker Type: Regular

Number of Openings Available: 1