New‑Style Developer

Key Responsibilities

Why this role exists

We are a next‑generation software company that has fully embraced AI as a core part of how we build products. This is not an experiment or a side project. AI is central to both how we build software and what we build.

Traditional developer roles over‑emphasize writing code. We do not.

Our internal mental model ("Placesters Pyramid of Value") makes this explicit:

Tier 1 – Writing code: Near‑zero human value. AI does this extremely well.

Tier 2 – Domain knowledge & software architecture: Extremely high human value.

Tier 3 – Business context & outcomes: Where humans provide the most leverage.

We are recruiting 2–3 senior, AI‑native developers who are excited by this shift and want to operate at the highest‑leverage layers of software development.

What this role is (and is not)

This role is:

A senior engineering role focused on software quality, system design, and business alignment

A role where AI (Cursor and similar tools) writes most or all production code

A role with direct interaction with leadership, including the CEO

A role for people who enjoy guiding systems, not manually producing artifacts

This role is not:

A traditional heads‑down coder position

A role for someone whose identity is tied to typing code all day

A role focused on morale, platitudes, or resisting technological change

Core responsibilities

1. Guide AI to produce production‑grade software

You will use tools like Cursor to generate code, but your value is in preventing bad software from reaching production.

You must deeply understand what good software looks like in the real world, including:

CI/CD pipelines and deployment safety

Logging, metrics, and observability

Performance considerations and scalability

Environment variable and secrets management

Retry strategies and handling transient failures

Defensive coding and failure‑mode thinking

You have felt the pain of poorly written software in production, and you actively ensure that AI‑generated code does not repeat those mistakes.

2. Translate business goals into technical execution

You will regularly receive high‑level business goals and outcomes, not detailed technical specs.

You are expected to:

Understand business intent

Translate outcomes into product and technical features

Help shape solutions collaboratively (this is not a pure Product Manager role, but it requires strong product instincts)

This is not a role for someone who avoids people. You must be comfortable communicating clearly with senior leadership and navigating ambiguity.

3. Own system‑level thinking

You are responsible for:

Ensuring systems make sense end‑to‑end

Preventing architectural entropy

Keeping AI‑generated changes aligned with long‑term maintainability

You act as a human governor on fast‑moving, AI‑accelerated development.

Qualifications

Experience

7+ years of professional software development experience

Hands‑on experience using Cursor or similar AI tools to write most or all code

Experience shipping and operating production systems

Technical familiarity

Our current stack includes:

Angular 21

Node.js

NestJS

Some Java

Some projects involve direct integration with LLMs (e.g., OpenAI APIs, Runware image models), though not all do. In all cases, AI generates the majority of the code with human oversight.

Cultural expectations (read carefully)

This role requires maturity and intrinsic motivation.

You are not entitled to write code manually

You are excited about AI fundamentally changing software development

You are motivated by being on the cutting edge, not by preserving old workflows

You do not need morale‑boosting narratives to stay engaged

The ability to work with AI — and to think at a higher level because of it — should be the primary motivating factor for you.

If you believe manual code writing will remain the core value of software engineers long‑term, this role is not a fit.

Who will thrive here

This role is ideal for someone who:

Is tired of manual coding and ready to move up the value chain

Thinks in systems, not files

Enjoys shaping outcomes more than implementing details

Is comfortable letting AI do the work while they do the thinking

How recruiters should position this role

When speaking with candidates, emphasize:

AI is central, not optional

Human value = judgment, context, and experience

This is a senior, leverage‑heavy role, not a traditional dev job

Avoid selling this role as:

Cutting‑edge but otherwise normal

Coding with a bit of AI help

That is not what this is.

Final note

We are intentionally building the future of software development.

We are looking for people who want to be there first, not people who need convincing that the future is coming.