Focused Labs
Overview
At Focused, we move quickly to deliver quality software that achieves client outcomes and meets their customer’s needs. We strategically partner with clients to leverage our design and software expertise while clients contribute their domain knowledge. We work with a variety of clients across industries, collaborating as we bring new products to market, modernize legacy systems, or help teams learn the skills they need to be successful. Our values: Listen first
• We are experts in product practices and lifelong learners in our clients’ domains, researching, collaborating, and understanding. Learn why
• We ask questions and talk to users to understand problem spaces, objectives, and goals to drive client outcomes. Love your craft
• We love solving problems across domains, delivering value, communicating progress, and guiding our clients to success. At Focused, our Engineers are practitioners and experts in their craft. This role shapes and implements engineering best practices and ensures successful delivery of complex software projects. With clients, we build trust and influence; with colleagues, we set the standard for delivering client success. Responsibilities
Build AI-enabled applications leveraging LangChain and LLMs to deliver production-ready outcomes for clients. Demonstrate deep expertise in LangChain, LangGraph and LangSmith. Lead teams through end-to-end delivery across the stack, from backend services to modern web UIs. Pair program daily with teammates and clients to share knowledge, improve code quality, and grow together. Practice TDD and continuous refactoring to ensure code is reliable, maintainable, and understandable. Guide architecture decisions to support scalability, observability, and performance. Collaborate closely with designers, product managers, and stakeholders to continuously deliver valuable software. Coach developers on the team through pairing, mentoring, and modeling healthy engineering culture. Influence technical direction beyond the team, working across client organizations and Focused’s internal practices to share lessons and raise the collective bar. Stay curious through experimenting with new patterns in the GenAI space, sharing what works (and what doesn’t), and evolving how we build AI-powered software. Qualifications
You’re a hands-on, full stack engineer with a strong track record of delivering software in collaborative, agile environments. You’ve worked with LangChain (or similar agentic frameworks) and understand how to architect AI-native systems responsibly and effectively. You believe code quality matters, and that TDD and pairing help build better systems and stronger teams. You’ve worked across multiple languages or frameworks (e.g., Python, Node, Java, React, Next.js) and are pragmatic about tool selection. You’re excited about AI but stay focused on delivering value. You have experience navigating complex organizations, building bridges across functions, and helping teams adopt modern development practices. You’re comfortable in both the code and client meetings, translating technical risks and wins into accessible language. You love sharing learnings and making the team around you better. What to know before you apply
This role requires being in the Chicago office three days per week and up to 20% travel within the United States. Focused is unable to sponsor or take over employment visa sponsorship at this time. The Chicago base salary range for this role is $120,000 - $175,000. Equal Employment Opportunity & Voluntary Self-Identification
Focused is an equal employment opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected status under applicable law. For government reporting purposes, we may ask candidates to respond to voluntary self-identification surveys. Completion of any such form is voluntary and will not affect hiring decisions. Information provided is confidential and used solely for compliance reporting.
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At Focused, we move quickly to deliver quality software that achieves client outcomes and meets their customer’s needs. We strategically partner with clients to leverage our design and software expertise while clients contribute their domain knowledge. We work with a variety of clients across industries, collaborating as we bring new products to market, modernize legacy systems, or help teams learn the skills they need to be successful. Our values: Listen first
• We are experts in product practices and lifelong learners in our clients’ domains, researching, collaborating, and understanding. Learn why
• We ask questions and talk to users to understand problem spaces, objectives, and goals to drive client outcomes. Love your craft
• We love solving problems across domains, delivering value, communicating progress, and guiding our clients to success. At Focused, our Engineers are practitioners and experts in their craft. This role shapes and implements engineering best practices and ensures successful delivery of complex software projects. With clients, we build trust and influence; with colleagues, we set the standard for delivering client success. Responsibilities
Build AI-enabled applications leveraging LangChain and LLMs to deliver production-ready outcomes for clients. Demonstrate deep expertise in LangChain, LangGraph and LangSmith. Lead teams through end-to-end delivery across the stack, from backend services to modern web UIs. Pair program daily with teammates and clients to share knowledge, improve code quality, and grow together. Practice TDD and continuous refactoring to ensure code is reliable, maintainable, and understandable. Guide architecture decisions to support scalability, observability, and performance. Collaborate closely with designers, product managers, and stakeholders to continuously deliver valuable software. Coach developers on the team through pairing, mentoring, and modeling healthy engineering culture. Influence technical direction beyond the team, working across client organizations and Focused’s internal practices to share lessons and raise the collective bar. Stay curious through experimenting with new patterns in the GenAI space, sharing what works (and what doesn’t), and evolving how we build AI-powered software. Qualifications
You’re a hands-on, full stack engineer with a strong track record of delivering software in collaborative, agile environments. You’ve worked with LangChain (or similar agentic frameworks) and understand how to architect AI-native systems responsibly and effectively. You believe code quality matters, and that TDD and pairing help build better systems and stronger teams. You’ve worked across multiple languages or frameworks (e.g., Python, Node, Java, React, Next.js) and are pragmatic about tool selection. You’re excited about AI but stay focused on delivering value. You have experience navigating complex organizations, building bridges across functions, and helping teams adopt modern development practices. You’re comfortable in both the code and client meetings, translating technical risks and wins into accessible language. You love sharing learnings and making the team around you better. What to know before you apply
This role requires being in the Chicago office three days per week and up to 20% travel within the United States. Focused is unable to sponsor or take over employment visa sponsorship at this time. The Chicago base salary range for this role is $120,000 - $175,000. Equal Employment Opportunity & Voluntary Self-Identification
Focused is an equal employment opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected status under applicable law. For government reporting purposes, we may ask candidates to respond to voluntary self-identification surveys. Completion of any such form is voluntary and will not affect hiring decisions. Information provided is confidential and used solely for compliance reporting.
#J-18808-Ljbffr