Senior Associate

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Sector: Technology, Information & Media

Company Size: 500 - 1,000 Employees

Employment: Full-Time, Permanent

Experience: 10 - 14 Years (Engineering Leadership)

Level: Engineering Manager / Group EM

ABOUT THIS MANDATE :

Recruiting Bond has been exclusively retained by one of India's most prominent and well-established digital platform organisations operating at the intersection of Technology, Information, and Media to identify and place an exceptional Engineering Manager who can lead engineering teams through an enterprise-wide AI adoption and digital transformation agenda.

This is a high-impact, hands-on leadership role at the nexus of people, product, and technology. The organisation is executing one of the most ambitious AI transformation programmes in its sector and this Engineering Manager will be a core driver of that change. You will lead multiple squads, own engineering delivery end-to-end, embed AI tooling and practices into the team's DNA, and shape the engineering culture of tomorrow.

We are seeking leaders who code when it matters, who build systems and teams with equal conviction, and who view AI not as a trend but as a fundamental shift in how great software is built.

THE OPPORTUNITY AT A GLANCE :

AI-First Engineering Culture :

• Own AI adoption across your squads - from LLM tooling integration to automation-first delivery workflows. Make AI a default, not an afterthought.

Hands-On Engineering Leadership :

• Stay close to the code. Lead architecture reviews, unblock engineers, and set the technical bar - not just the management agenda.

People & Org Builder :

• Grow engineers into leaders. Build squads of 615 across functions. Drive hiring, career frameworks, and a culture of psychological safety.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES :

1. Hands-On Technical Engagement :

• Remain deeply embedded in the technical work participate in design reviews, architecture decisions, and critical code reviews
• Set and uphold the engineering quality bar : performance benchmarks, security standards, test coverage, and release quality
• Provide technical direction on backend platform strategy, API design, service decomposition, and data architecture
• Identify and resolve systemic technical debt and architectural risks across team-owned services
• Unblock engineers by diving into complex problems debugging, pair programming, and system analysis when it matters
• Own key technical decisions in collaboration with Tech Leads and Principal Engineers; balance pragmatism with long-term sustainability

2. AI Adoption, Integration & Transformation (2026 Mandate) :

• Define and execute the team's AI adoption roadmap - from developer tooling to product-facing AI features
• Champion the integration of GenAI tools (GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT) across the full engineering workflow coding, testing, documentation, incident response
• Embed LLM-powered capabilities into the product : recommendation engines, intelligent search, conversational interfaces, content generation, and predictive systems
• Lead evaluation and adoption of AI-assisted SDLC practices : automated code review, AI-generated test suites, intelligent observability, and anomaly detection
• Partner with Data Science and ML Platform teams to productionise ML models with robust MLOps pipelines
• Build team literacy in prompt engineering, RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), and AI agent frameworks
• Create an experimentation culture : run structured AI pilots, measure productivity impact, and scale what works
• Stay ahead of the AI tooling landscape and advise senior leadership on strategic AI investments and engineering implications

3. People Leadership & Team Development :

• Lead, manage, and grow squads of 6 - 15 engineers across seniority levels (L2 through L6 / Junior through Staff)
• Conduct structured 1 : 1s, career growth conversations, and development planning with every direct report
• Design and execute personalised AI upskilling programmes ensure every engineer develops practical AI fluency by end of 2026
• Build and maintain a high-performance team culture : clarity of ownership, accountability, fast feedback loops, and psychological safety
• Drive performance management fairly and rigorously recognise top performers, manage underperformance constructively
• Lead technical hiring end-to-end : define job requirements, conduct bar-raising interviews, and make data-driven hire decisions
• Contribute to engineering career frameworks and level definitions in partnership with the VP / Director of Engineering

4. Engineering Delivery & Execution Excellence :

• Own end-to-end delivery for multiple product squads from planning and scoping through production release and post-launch stability
• Implement and refine agile delivery frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, Shape Up) calibrated to squad needs and product cadence
• Drive predictable delivery : maintain healthy sprint velocity, manage WIP limits, and ensure dependency resolution across teams.
• Establish and own engineering KPIs : DORA metrics (deployment frequency, lead time, MTTR, change failure rate), uptime SLOs, and velocity trends
• Lead incident management : build blameless post-mortem culture, own RCA processes, and drive systemic reliability improvements
• Balance technical debt repayment with feature velocity negotiate prioritisation transparently with Product leadership

5. Strategic Leadership & Cross-Functional Influence :

• Serve as the primary engineering partner for Product, Design, Data, and Business stakeholders translate ambiguity into executable engineering plans
• Participate in quarterly roadmap planning, capacity forecasting, and OKR definition for engineering teams
• Represent engineering in leadership forums articulate technical constraints, risks, and opportunities in business terms
• Contribute to org-wide engineering strategy : platform investments, build-vs-buy decisions, and shared infrastructure priorities
• Build relationships across geographies (Mumbai HQ + distributed teams) to maintain alignment and delivery cohesion
• Act as a culture carrier and ambassador for engineering excellence, innovation, and responsible AI use

AI TRANSFORMATION LEADERSHIP 2026 EXPECTATIONS :

In 2026, Engineering Managers at this organisation are expected to be active architects of AI transformation not passive observers. The following outlines the specific AI leadership expectations for this role :

AI Developer Productivity

• Drive measurable uplift in developer velocity through AI tooling adoption. Target : 30%+ reduction in code review cycle time and 40%+ increase in test coverage automation by Q3 2026.

LLM & GenAI Product Features

• Own delivery of GenAI-powered product capabilities : intelligent content, semantic search, personalisation, and conversational UX in production, at scale.

AI-Augmented Observability

• Implement AI-driven monitoring and anomaly detection pipelines. Reduce MTTR by leveraging predictive alerting, intelligent runbooks, and auto-remediation scripts.

Team AI Fluency :

• Build mandatory AI literacy across all engineering levels.
• Every engineer understands prompt engineering basics, AI ethics guardrails, and responsible AI deployment practices.

Responsible AI Governance :

• Partner with Security, Legal, and Data Privacy to ensure all AI deployments meet compliance standards, bias mitigation requirements, and explainability benchmarks.

TECHNOLOGY STACK & DOMAIN FAMILIARITY REQUIRED :

• Languages: Java/ Go/ Python/ Node.js /PHP /Rust (must be hands-on in at least 2)
• Cloud: AWS / GCP / Azure (multi-cloud exposure strongly preferred)
• AI & GenAI: OpenAI / Anthropic / Gemini APIs /LangChain /LlamaIndex / RAG / Vector DBs / GitHub
• Copilot: Cursor /Hugging Face
• Containers: Docker /Kubernetes /Helm /Service Mesh (Istio / Linkerd)
• Databases: PostgreSQL /MongoDB / Redis / Cassandra / Elasticsearch / Pinecone (Vector DB)
• Messaging: Apache Kafka /RabbitMQ /AWS SQS/SNS /Google Pub/Sub
• MLOps & DataOps: MLflow /Kubeflow / SageMaker / Vertex AI /Airflow /dbt
• Observability: Datadog /Prometheus /Grafana /OpenTelemetry / Jaeger /ELK Stack
• CI/CD & IaC: GitHub Actions ArgoCD / Jenkins / Terraform /Ansible /Backstage (IDP)

QUALIFICATIONS & CANDIDATE PROFILE :

Education :

• B.E. / B.Tech or M.E. / M.Tech from a Tier-I or Tier-II Institution - CS, IS, ECE, AI/ML streams strongly preferred
• Demonstrated engineering depth and leadership impact may complement institution pedigree

Experience :

• 10 to 14 years of progressive engineering experience, with at least 3 years in a formal Engineering Manager or equivalent people-leadership role
• Proven track record of managing and scaling engineering teams (615+ engineers) in a fast-growing SaaS or digital product environment
• Hands-on backend engineering background must be able to read, write, and critique production code
• Direct experience driving AI/ML feature delivery or AI tooling adoption within engineering organisations
• Exposure across start-up, mid-size, and large-scale product organisations, preferred adaptability is a core requirement
• Strong CS fundamentals: distributed systems, algorithms, system design, and software architecture
• Demonstrated career stability minimum of 2 years of average tenure per organisation.

The Ideal Engineering Manager in 2026 :

• Leads with context, not control, empowers engineers while maintaining accountability and quality
• Is fluent in both people language and technical language, switches registers naturally with engineers and executives alike
• Sees AI as a force multiplier for the team, not a threat. Actively experiments with and advocates for AI tooling
• Measures success by team outcomes, not personal output. Takes pride in what the team ships, not what they build alone
• Creates feedback loops obsessively between product and engineering, between seniors and juniors, between metrics and decisions
• Has strong opinions, loosely held, brings conviction to discussions but updates on evidence
• Invests in engineering excellence as seriously as delivery velocity knows that quality and speed are not opposites

WHY THIS ROLE STANDS APART :

AI Transformation at Scale :

• Lead one of the most significant AI adoption programmes in India's digital media sector.
• Our decisions will shape how hundreds of engineers work in 2026 and beyond.

Hands-On & Strategic Balance :

• A rare EM role that actively encourages technical depth.
• Stay close to the code while owning the people agenda - the best of both worlds.

Established Platform, Real Scale :

• 5001,000 engineers, proven product-market fit, and the org maturity to execute.
• This is not a greenfield startup gamble it is a serious company with serious ambition.

Clear Leadership Growth Path :

• A visible, direct path toward Director / VP of Engineering.
• Senior leadership is invested in growing its next generation of technology executives.

About Company:

Our client is in the business of delivering cutting-edge software solutions, hardware systems, and IT services. It lends the right technological edge to governments and businesses. This enables them to achieve their organizational objectives efficiently and effectively to scale their businesses to newer heights.

Minimum Requirements/Qualifications:

(i) Minimum education qualification of MCA/ MSc (Computer Science)/BE/BTech (computers/ IT).

(ii) Must have at least 2.5 to 5 years of experience in application development, deployment, and testing. He/ She must possess a valid MySQL Developer or Java Developer certification, which is obtained at least six (06) months prior to the date of award of the contract to the firm.

(iii) Knowledge of Software Management Life Cycle and Software Testing viz unit testing, system testing & Integration Testing, etc.

(iv) Knowledge & hands-on experience of PHP & My SQL is a must. Additional knowledge of Post GreSQL, Typescript & Lit element, Java with Hibernate and Springs, SQL Server, Apache Tom Cat Server & relevant open-source technologies is required.

(v) Individuals must have hands-on experience in server operating systems viz Windows Server OS and RHEL. Knowledge of security concepts of web applications & Networking for undertaking necessary troubleshooting wrt applications accessibility.

(vi) Knowledge of Mobile Application Development

Key Responsibility Areas:

1. Creation of new Course No, Term, and Term type at the beginning of each term. All associated Database tables and software procedures and functions are updated and recompiled.
2. Management of Data Entry and Information access right to various users.
3. AMC includes bug fixing, updating of application for any small policy changes.
4. Regular Patch/update installation and coordinating with MIS team for identification and resolution of issues wrt application functioning and deployment
5. Implementation of Cyber security policies and hardening of application
6. Development of New functionalities in the application
7. Regular Testing of running application functionalities and undertaking unit and integration testing of newly developed components.
8. Support for making changes in the NDA internet web portal.
9. AMC includes backing up of software, and database and storing it in other locations every week
10. Online Multimedia Management System
11. Software Wise Charter of Duties
12. Cadet Suggestion/ Complaint Management System

Job Title: Senior Software Engineer

Division/ Department: Technology

Reports to: Engineering Manager

Work Location: Noida

Desired Work Experience: 4+ years

Weekly Off: Saturday & Sunday

About Aakash Technology Innovation Lab

Are you passionate about transforming the field of education as we know it?

The way education is imparted has been disrupted massively due to forces such as ed-tech digital revolution, the advancement in artificial intelligence technology and the pandemic. Given the rapid pace of transformation, the vision of the Technology Innovation Lab at Aakash is to make the education of the future a reality. The Technology Innovation Lab aims to leverage state-of-the-art technologies to develop industry-defining bleeding-edge solutions for a student-first world-class hybrid learning experience. This involves -

• Reimagining and conceptualizing how education will be imparted in the future in the omni-channel and immersive learning environment
• Building data platforms such as Power BI dashboards to facilitate students, parents, teachers and the business 
• Creating applications to support the futuristic tech-enabled smart classrooms
• Conceptualizing and developing mobile and web applications for seamless customer experience
• Developing Internet of Things (IoT) driven integrations into applications to build futuristic learning experience
• Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to identity interventions to boost student performance

If this excites you, we might have the perfect opportunity for you in the world’s most valued ed-tech company!

About Aakash - AESL

Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL), commonly known as Aakash, is one of the most leading educational services institution providing comprehensive test preparatory services for students preparing for medical and engineering entrance examinations, school/board exams and competitive and scholarship exams such as NTSE, KVPY, and Olympiads. 

AESL also partnered with Blackstone, a global investment management firm. 

With more than 32 years of operational experience in the test preparatory coaching industry, the company has a pan India network of 220+ Aakash centres with an annual student base 2,50,000+ students and an employee count of more than 4700.

Purpose of the Role

Develop software solutions that enable the students, parents and teachers to have superior learning and teaching experiences, both inside and outside the classroom.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop state-of-the-art high performance and low latency software applications for mission critical systems
• Contribute in all the phases of the software development lifecycle
• Craft a well-designed, testable, efficient code
• Perform object-oriented analysis and design using common design patterns.
• Effectively and seamlessly manage communication with all stakeholders.
• Manage and provide live support to the developed applications

Qualification/ Experience

Must-Have Preferred

Education B.E / B.Tech Information Technology / Computer Science/ Information Science

• Experience 4+ years of hands-on experience in designing and developing applications using Java EE, Spring, Spring MVC, Spring Boot Frameworks
• Experience with test-driven development
• Experience with relational databases (MySql, Oracle, Postgres) or NoSql Databases (Cassandra, MongoDb, CouchDb) .
• Agile programming (Sprint, Scrum) experience
• Skills Understands version control branching strategies
• Understands different major language paradigms (object oriented /functional /reactive)
• Understanding and some experience in programming with AWS SDK
• Knowledge of Kafka and Redis

Competencies

Behavioral Competencies Level Functional Competencies Level

1 Team Player Written and Verbal Communication

2

What We Offer

As a technology professional in Aakash Technology Innovation Lab we offer you an opportunity to - 

• Become a pioneer of the education of the future by reimagining and building innovative solutions for the ed-tech industry leading hybrid learning experience
• Be a force of technological disruption as a part of a passionate and high growth team on an exciting endeavor to transform the education industry
• Belong to an upbeat, flexible and relaxed work culture with a specific focus on collaboration
• Craft an excellent career at Aakash through a broad realm of career tracks and opportunities
• Excel in your chosen stream and become a renowned technologist in the ed-tech industry with heavy investment from the business into your learning, exposure and growth
• Have a highly competitive compensation and benefits package 

✔️ 8+ years of overall software development experience

✔️ 5+ years of relevant experience in Azure Integration using Logic Apps, Azure Functions, and .NET C#

✔️ Work closely with the Integration Architect. Understand and review requirement with Integration Architect for Biztalk/Foresight/Azure interface integrations.

✔️ Implement (Code in Azure Logic Apps, C#, Azure functions), modify integrations interface as per the interface specification.

✔️ Perform and document unit testing for implemented interfaces.

✔️ Assess and manage risk with leads and discuss possible recommendations.

✔️ Follow best practices, standards, and policies in implementation.

✔️ Perform code review sessions, and follow the coding guidelines.

✔️ Perform and support Integration & UAT testing; fix issues and defects.

• Job Title:- Microsoft Tech Developer
• Job Location:- CG Road, Ahmedabad(Mobile and flexible), WFH is available, sometime you have to come attend business meetings
• Desired Skills:- ASP.Net, C#, Database Design, MySQL, MSSQL, Bootstrap, SQL Server

Job Description

Responsibilities:-

• To understand the specifications and programmed it.
• To articulate unit test case and unit test the programmer
• Producing clean, efficient code based on specifications.
• Verify and deploy programs and systems.
• Gather and evaluate user feedback.
• Recommend and execute improvements.

Job Requirement:-

• Experience in Microsoft ASP, C#, SQL server, and github.
• Experience with software design and development in a test-driven environment.
• Experience with databases.
• Ability to learn new languages and technologies.
• Good communication skills.

Who can Apply:-

Education:- No bar

Experience:- Good to have:-BFSI domain and professional certification