Lead Developer

Lead Front-End & Product Engineer (Founder-Level)Location: Belgium / Europe (Hybrid or On-site in Sint-Truiden)Stage: Seed → Series AIndustry: Construction Tech / Aerial Data / SaaSAbout AirocollectAirocollect is a fast-growing Construction Tech startup making aerial data usable for roofing and construction professionals. Our SaaS platform turns drone imagery, LiDAR, and geospatial data into clear, actionable insights—without requiring pilot licenses or complex workflows.We're trusted by leading construction companies across Europe and are entering our next growth phase: scaling product maturity, user experience, and engineering execution toward Series A.To support this, we're looking for a Founder-level Lead Developer with a strong front-end and product focus, deep understanding of UI/UX and user workflows, and the ability to translate real-world problems into scalable product solutions—while still grounding decisions in solid architecture, AI systems, and spatial data fundamentals.The RoleThis is a builder-first engineering leadership role.You will own how Airocollect feels, works, and scales—from translating customer pain points into intuitive interfaces, to leading the engineering team, to ensuring our technical foundations (architecture, AI pipelines, spatial processing) support long-term growth.You won't be "just" a front-end developer.You'll be the person who connects users, product, and engineering, making complex aerial and spatial data feel simple, fast, and reliable.You'll work closely with the founders, product, and commercial teams to turn construction workflows into a best-in-class SaaS experience.What You'll Be Responsible ForFront-End & Product Experience (Primary Focus)Own the front-end architecture and implementation of our SaaS platformTranslate customer problems and workflows into clear, intuitive UI/UX solutionsCollaborate with product and design to shape user journeys, interaction patterns, and feature prioritizationBuild scalable, maintainable front-end systems using Angular / TypeScriptEnsure performance, usability, and clarity when visualizing complex spatial and 3D dataContinuously improve product quality through user feedback, metrics, and iterationProduct Thinking & Problem TranslationTurn ambiguous business and customer needs into concrete product and technical solutionsBalance speed of execution with long-term product and architectural qualityAct as a bridge between commercial, product, and engineering teamsHelp define what should be built—not just howTechnical Leadership & ArchitectureOwn and evolve the overall system architecture of the platformEnsure front-end decisions align with backend, AI, and data-processing constraintsMake informed trade-offs between accuracy, performance, scalability, and development velocityMaintain high standards for code quality, testing, and technical documentationAI, Spatial Systems & Domain Understanding (Supporting Focus)Maintain a strong conceptual understanding of AI/ML pipelines used for roof detection and measurementCollaborate on or review implementations related to:Feature extraction from spatial and point-cloud dataGeometry fitting and classification modelsDevelop and maintain a working understanding of photogrammetry, LiDAR, and geospatial dataEnough to make sound product, UX, and architectural decisionsNot necessarily owning low-level algorithm development day-to-dayTeam Leadership & CultureHire, mentor, and lead a high-performing engineering teamLead by example with hands-on contributions where it matters mostBuild a pragmatic, ownership-driven, product-minded engineering cultureSet clear expectations, technical direction, and execution standardsWhat We're Looking ForCore Strengths (Must-Have)Strong front-end engineering background (Angular / TypeScript)Proven ability to translate real-world problems into great product experiencesSolid understanding of UI/UX principles, not just implementationExperience leading or owning engineering direction in a startup or scale-upComfortable operating in a Seed → Series A environmentStrong communication skills across technical and non-technical teamsStrong Supporting ExperienceGood understanding of software architecture and system designFamiliarity with AI/ML systems and how models integrate into productsBasic working knowledge of: photogrammetry concepts, LiDAR / point-cloud data, geospatial systems and projections (EPSG)Experience working with 3D or data-heavy visualizations (e.g. Three.js)Nice to HaveExperience in construction, roofing, or geospatial productsExperience with Node.js, Python, or C++ in production systemsCloud-based processing or scalable data pipelinesOpen-source contributionsWhat We OfferFounder-level impact on product, UX, and technical directionOwnership of how a complex technical platform translates into a simple user experienceA real-world product solving hard problems in a traditional industryA fast-moving, ambitious team building for long-term scaleCompetitive compensation with meaningful equity upside