JetBrains
AI Technical Lead - Developer Tooling
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Senior Technical Leader – AI-Powered Developer Tools for C++ (CLion)
Location: Flexible (Inclusive of remote & office), Coalition Office (UK)
About the Role
AI is fundamentally changing how developers write, understand, debug, and maintain software.
At JetBrains, we're shaping an AI-native development experience for C++ developers. We’re seeking a senior technical leader to design and build AI-powered workflows, integrate coding agents into developer tools, and define how CLion can become a first-class environment for AI-assisted software development.
This highly hands-on role focuses on technical leadership rather than management. You’ll spend most of your time prototyping, implementing, and validating AI-powered workflows while influencing technical direction through direct engineering contributions. You’ll work at the intersection of developer tools, AI agents, IDE architecture, and product strategy—helping define how developers collaborate with AI in the future.
Key Responsibilities
You will:
- Shape and deliver AI-powered features for CLion and C++ development workflows
- Design the architecture for AI integrations, agent tools, and C++-specific AI capabilities
- Build practical benchmarks and evaluation frameworks for AI-assisted C++ development scenarios
- Prototype and validate new AI workflows, including:
- AI-powered debugging
- Code understanding
- Refactoring
- Project navigation
- Collaborate with:
- Product managers
- ML engineers
- QA engineers
- Stakeholders
- Senior developers to shape and deliver the technical roadmap
- Work closely with JetBrains’ AI, ML, and product teams to define AI strategy for the C++ ecosystem
- Evaluate and prioritise AI initiatives, bringing new ideas aligned with JetBrains’ AI strategy
- Contribute hands-on to:
- Technical design
- Software architecture
- Implementation in a large, mature codebase
- Help define a technical roadmap for AI agent and tool integrations in C++ development
- Build trust and alignment across C++, AI, Product, QA, and ML organisations
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Example Challenges You’ll Address
- How can coding agents become more effective with large C++ codebases?
- How can CLion’s debugging, code understanding, and navigation integrate with AI-assisted workflows?
- What criteria should define evaluation and benchmarking for AI-powered development tools?
- How should AI agents leverage IDE capabilities for seamless developer interaction?
- How can CLion better support developers already collaborating with AI tools and agents?
Requirements
Mandatory
- Significant software engineering experience at the level of Staff Engineer, Principal Engineer, or Technical Lead
- Strong grasp of Kotlin, Java, or another JVM language, with the ability to ramp up quickly on JVM-based tooling
- Experience with:
- Builds AI-powered products
- Developer tools
- Coding assistants or LLM-based workflows
- Modern coding agents (focused on tool calling, context management, policy chains, and evaluation)
- Demonstrated ability to drive technical direction in ambiguous, fast-evolving areas
- Strong product instincts to balance innovation with practical delivery
- Exceptional communication skills and the ability to influence without formal authority
Nice to Have
- Hands-on C++ development experience, with knowledge of compilers, debuggers, tooling, or productivity frameworks
- Insight into IDE internals, language servers, code analysis, refactoring systems, or static analysis
- Experience leading cross-functional teams or acting as a technical lead
- Prior experience building AI-native developer products
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Why This Role Is Unique
Unlike generic chat-based AI experiences, your focus will be on highly specialised domains:
- AI-assisted debugging
- Agent-powered code understanding
- Developer workflow automation
- Evaluation systems for AI-powered IDEs
Your contributions will directly enhance a product used by millions of developers worldwide, shaping JetBrains’ vision for AI-native software development.
Why Join JetBrains?
We prioritise developers’ growth, well-being, and uniqueness in our workplace. Our benefits include:
Compensation & Flexibility
- Competitive salary based on skills and experience
- Flexible work location (office or remote)
- Up to 30 days remote work abroad per year
Work-Life Balance
- Extra days off for relaxation and personal development
- Generous medical insurance allowance for you and your family
Learning & Growth
- Access to conferences, courses, and language classes
- Fuel your day: lunches or meal stipend on workdays
Well-Being
- Mental health support (professional services)
- Sports benefit: on-site gym or club stipend
- Internal events: team gatherings and company celebrations
Some benefits may vary based on location.
“We’re an equal opportunity employer.” JetBrains fosters diversity and inclusion, uplifting a workplace where everyone is valued. Everyone’s ideas matter, regardless of background, identity, religion, age, accessibility needs, or orientation.
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