Fractional Technical Lead

Location: Remote (must be US-based)Type: Temporary / Independent Contractor (1099)Team: InnovationJob Level: ContractorStart Date: 6/2/2026Priority Application Review Deadline: 5/29/2026SummaryRelay Graduate School of Education (Relay) is an accredited not-for-profit institution of higher education serving thousands of educators from across the country, from pre-service teachers to system-level leaders. Our mission is to ensure that all students are taught by excellent educators, in order to build a more just world where every student has a clear path to a fulfilling life.Relay’s Innovation team is developing an AI-powered simulated classroom that allows teacher candidates to practice instructional scenarios with virtual students before entering real classrooms, grounded in Relay’s deliberate practice framework. The simulator is live and in use in early pilots, and the project is now moving into a phase of scaling existing pilots and evaluating development paths for a more fully-featured v2. Reporting to the Head of Product, the Fractional Technical Lead will provide engineering leadership during this transition and growth period, partnering on technical strategy while managing junior engineers and external development partners on a day-to-day basis. This role is well-suited to a player-coach who is equally comfortable reviewing code and shaping team structure decisions, and who can operate effectively in a small, fast-moving lab environment that mixes in-house and contracted technical work.Role’s Contributions (Duties and Responsibilities):The essential responsibilities of this position, while not limited to the following, will include:Engineering Management (40%)Manage two junior engineers on a day-to-day basis, including task scoping, unblocking, and code review.Translate product priorities into well-scoped engineering tasks appropriate for junior-level execution. Ensure contributions meet production quality standards before merging.Vendor and Partner Collaboration (35%)Serve as the primary technical liaison to external development partners.Monitor and evaluate external partners’ deliverables.Review and scope incoming technical requests before assigning to junior engineers or external partners, or taking on the work directly.Strategy and Planning (25%)Synthesize findings from ongoing prototypes and develop a considered point of view on tech stack options.Provide recommendations on team structure: internal hiring, continued outsourcing, or a mixed model.Prepare structured options analyses for leadership.Other duties, projects, or tasks as assigned in support of the team’s goals.QualificationsFirst and foremost, the Fractional Technical Lead must share the Relay community’s commitment to working together to improve student growth and achievement through phenomenal teacher preparation grounded in diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. This includes providing teacher preparation programs that set novice teachers up to succeed in the classroom from day one; leadership programs that train new and veteran school and district leaders to best serve their school communities; and teacher-facing professional education that provides ongoing learning to educators. Additionally, for this position we’re looking for candidates that possess a combination of the following skills:7 or more years of software engineering experience, including meaningful time in a lead or tech lead capacity.Demonstrated experience in a player-coach role: capable of conducting code review and mentoring junior engineers while also contributing to architectural and strategic decisions.Strong fluency in modern web stacks, particularly TypeScript, React, and Node.js. Familiarity with using and managing AI-enhanced coding pipelines, e.g. Cursor, Claude Code.Experience working with external development partners or contractors in a technical capacity, including the ability to evaluate code quality and scope technical work.Clear verbal and written communication skills; this role involves regular briefings for and collaboration with non-technical stakeholders.Preferred Qualifications:Experience building AI-integrated products, including familiarity with LLM APIs, image and video analysis, prompt architecture, and evaluation approaches.Familiarity with game engines or real-time interactive environments such as Babylon.js or Unity.Background in edtech, or demonstrated interest in education technology/serious games and their applications.Prior experience advising on or navigating in-house vs. outsourced team structure decisions.Existing network in edtech or game development.Relay prepares teachers and school leaders to teach students of all identities and backgrounds in order to push toward a time when this country no longer faces stark educational inequities. We recruit, develop, support, and retain a diverse staff, faculty, and graduate student body because we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and actively anti-racist institution. W