About 2 Arrow Labs
2 Arrow Labs is a New York engineering studio for deep tech teams. We take on the technical work other teams gave up on.
We build hard systems and hand them over with tests and docs. We read codebases nobody fully understands and write down what they should do. We set up AI coding agents and measure how they do on real code.
The role
We are hiring a Staff Engineer to lead technical work on our hardest client projects. You will set the technical direction, write code, and make the calls that decide whether a project succeeds.
This is a hands-on role. You will review designs and code, and step in when a project needs senior depth.
You will also shape how the studio works. That means how we scope projects, how we test, and how we use our own AI tools.
What you'll do
- Lead technical delivery. Own the quality of each project you lead, from the written scope through the handover.
- Set the approach. Choose the architecture, the testing plan and the order of work on complex builds.
- Write code yourself. Build the hardest parts with your own hands and keep your judgment sharp.
- Run client conversations. Work with client CTOs and lead engineers on scope, risk and tradeoffs.
- Raise the bar on each project. Review the designs and code of engineers on your projects, and help them grow.
- Shape our methods. Decide where we invest in tools and methods, including our own AI tooling.
How this role fits the team
You lead the technical side of your projects. You decide how to split the work and when to pull in more help. Most projects run about eight weeks, for a fixed quote.
What success looks like
- Projects you lead ship on scope, on time and within the fixed quote.
- Clients bring you their next hard problem.
- Engineers on your projects do strong work and learn from you.
- The methods and tools you set up make the next project faster.
What you'll bring
The following are requirements for this role.
- Long experience. Ten or more years building software, with several years leading technical work.
- Recent hands-on work. You wrote production code within the last year.
- Architecture judgment. You have designed systems that others built on and ran for years.
- Leading engineers. You have led engineers through complex projects and helped them grow.
- Client conversations. You explain tradeoffs to CTOs and make decisions they can defend.
- Languages. Fluency in at least three of Python, TypeScript, Rust, Go, C++ or Java.
- AI coding tools. You use them in your own work and know their limits.
Nice to have
These are not day-one requirements. They help you contribute sooner or grow the role over time.
- Experience running projects at a consultancy or studio.
- Founding or early engineering experience at a startup.
- A research background, papers, open source work or talks.
- Experience with ML systems, compilers or distributed systems.
Compensation
The base salary range for this role is $300,000 to $400,000. Contract work is paid at roughly $175 to $250 an hour. Pay depends on experience, scope and location. These figures are starting pay for candidates based in the United States. If your number is outside the range, write to us anyway.
Benefits
Full-time roles include four weeks of paid time off each year.