R&D Team Leader

Who are we? 

Planck, now a part of Applied Systems Inc., is revolutionizing the insurance market with its advanced use of Generative AI (GenAI). Our state-of-the-art platform turns unstructured data into real-time, actionable insights, enabling insurance companies to make smarter, faster decisions. As the AI hub for Applied Systems, we are uniquely positioned at the forefront of the industry, driving significant advancements and delivering exceptional value to our clients. 

Joining Planck means working in a dynamic startup environment while benefiting from the resources and maturity of a market leader like Applied Systems. We foster an inclusive culture that supports professional development and work-life balance. At Planck, you'll be at the cutting edge of technology, shaping the future of insurance while advancing your career within the larger framework of Applied Systems. 

What are we looking for?

We’re seeking an experienced technical leader to oversee the end‑to‑end orchestration and operational management of our platform. You will ensure the reliability, scalability, and performance of a distributed microservices architecture, drive the seamless integration of LLM‑based services (including retrieval‑augmented generation), and support the delivery of our external APIs and user‑facing UI components. Your focus will be on maintaining high availability, operational excellence, and continuous improvement across all system layers. 

As a Team Leader at Planck, you will: 

• Lead & mentor a team of engineers, promoting code quality, reliability, and ownership 
• Integrate & optimize core RAG pipelines-working with various LLMs, refining retrieval layers, prompt workflows, and embedding stores 
• Own API & UI delivery, focusing on backend API development and service reliability, collaborating with Product and external stakeholders to define requirements, ship data‑driven features, and ensure a seamless user experience 
• Drive R&D strategy as an active member of Planck’s R&D leadership team, influencing technical direction and fostering innovation 
• Cultivate culture that balances agility, technical excellence, and continuous learning 

Requirements

• At least 2 years of experience leading engineers in backend‑focused environments 
• Proven track record designing, implementing, and operating production‑grade microservices architectures 
• Hands‑on background with SaaS platforms and distributed systems 
• Practical familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) for deploying and managing services  
• Strong communication skills and full‑ownership mindset—translating requirements into technical plans, driving projects into production, and resolving operational issues promptly 
• A passion for problem-solving and a readiness to tackle challenges in a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment. 
• Extensive Java or Python development experience (advantage) 
• Experience with retrieval‑augmented generation pipelines and LLM frameworks (advantage) 

Benefits

• Team events, fully-stocked kitchen, yoga, and more 
• Great work-life balance 
• Hybrid work environment 
• Generous amount of PTO days