Tech Lead/Engineering Manager (EM)
Quick facts
- Pay
- $250K-$300K
- Type
- Full-time
- Location
- San Francisco, California
- Skills
- Engineering, TypeScript, Node.js, AWS
- Industry
- Information Technology — 671 open jobs
- Visa in listing
- H-1B, OPT
- Apply
- Free to apply — never pay anyone for a job offer or visa sponsorship
Job description
Our client is a fast-growing audio data research company building high-quality datasets for frontier AI labs and leading technology companies. Founded in 2024 by former large-scale AI data engineers and operators, the company has grown to roughly 50 employees, serves most major AI labs and technology leaders, generates eight figures of revenue, and has raised $80M from top-tier investors.
We are hiring a hands-on Tech Lead and Engineering Manager to lead and grow a product-focused engineering team. Reporting directly to the CTO, you will shape technical direction, ship the core products behind an audio data research platform, and build a high-performing organization.
What you'll do
- Hire, structure, mentor, and grow the engineering team while maintaining high performance standards
- Remain hands-on technically and write code regularly, especially during the early months
- Scope and ship products that help researchers use high-quality audio data
- Build scalable processing pipelines that extract useful information from terabytes of audio data each day
- Architect systems for dramatically higher capacity across data collection, curation, and delivery
- Partner with the CTO to set technical direction and execute an ambitious product roadmap
- Lead zero-to-one product work and scale successful systems
Requirements
- At least six years of product-focused engineering experience
- Strong web development fundamentals and experience shipping user-facing products end to end
- Experience leading technical teams through rapid growth at a high-growth startup or scale-up
- A track record of building zero-to-one products and scaling them successfully
- Comfort solving ambiguous, previously unsolved problems with clear customer impact
- A bias toward action paired with detailed, reliable execution
- Willingness to work five days per week from the San Francisco office
Bonus points
- At least two years of formal engineering management experience
- Experience as a founder or early technical leader
- Experience with large-scale data pipelines, audio systems, or AI infrastructure
- Familiarity with Next.js, TypeScript, Node.js, PostgreSQL, AWS, WebRTC, or FFmpeg
Benefits
- Base salary of $250K-$300K
- Competitive equity
- Unlimited paid time off
- 100% health coverage
- Daily meals and fitness benefits
- Visa transfers, including OPT or H-1B transfers, are available
- On-site five days per week in San Francisco, California
- Full-time position
Visa sponsorship record
No public sponsorship records foundWe didn't find H-1B, H-1B1, E-3 or green card (PERM) filings under the name Raydar in the Department of Labor and USCIS data. That doesn't mean the job can't be sponsored — the company may file under a different legal name, be new to sponsorship, or sponsor a visa that isn't in these datasets (for example H-2B or J-1).
Tip: ask the recruiter early, in writing, which visa they sponsor and whether they cover the legal and filing fees.
Which visas can work for this job
Occupation: Computer and Information Systems Managers (SOC 11-3021) — estimated from the job title.
- Mentioned in the listing
H-1B, OPT
- H-1B cap-exempt employer
Regular cap-subject employer — a new H-1B needs to win the lottery in March (unless you already hold cap-counted H-1B status).
- TN (citizens of Canada and Mexico)
This role doesn't clearly match a profession on the USMCA (TN) list.
- E-3 (Australia) and H-1B1 (Chile, Singapore)
Same degree requirement as H-1B, but no lottery and a separate quota that is rarely filled.
- O-1 (extraordinary ability)
For candidates with awards, publications, press, a high salary or critical roles at distinguished organizations. No cap, no lottery; the employer files a petition.
- STEM OPT extension (F-1 students)
Requires an E-Verify employer. We didn't find this company in the E-Verify list — ask HR.
Salary vs prevailing wage
Level III (experienced)Computer and Information Systems Managers · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Annual prevailing wages set by the Department of Labor (OFLC).
| Level | Prevailing wage | H-1B lottery odds* |
|---|---|---|
| Level I | $167,565 | ~15% |
| Level II | $208,104 | ~31% |
| Level III | $248,643 | ~46% |
| Level IV | $289,182 | ~61% |
This job pays $250,000–$300,000 a year — that's Level III (experienced). In the wage-weighted H-1B lottery a Level III registration gets 3 entries; estimated selection chance about 46% — better than average.
* Odds are DHS projections for the FY2027 wage-weighted lottery (actual results vary by year and employer). Since the FY2027 cap season the H-1B lottery is weighted by wage level: Level I = 1 entry, II = 2, III = 3, IV = 4. The level is set by the offered wage against the prevailing wage for the occupation and worksite. Separately, a $100,000 fee for new H-1B petitions for workers outside the US was announced in 2025; as of September 2026 a federal court ruling keeps it unenforceable while appeals continue — check the current status.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor OFLC disclosure data (H-1B/H-1B1/E-3 LCA, PERM), OFLC prevailing wage data, USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, E-Verify participating employers. Data loaded: LCA FY2024–FY2026, PERM, USCIS Data Hub, OFLC wages; updated 2026-10-03. Employers are matched by name, so records of companies with similar names can occasionally be mixed up. This is general information, not legal advice — talk to an immigration attorney about your case.