Your mission
Starting : 01.05.2026 Fixed - term : 31.12.2026 (we are always looking to extend contracts if project funding allows)
Place of work : remote (preferably residence in Germany)
Language : English (min. C1), German not mandatory but a bonus
This role can not be performed under a freelancer agreement!
As our Lead Engineer, you will play a crucial role in shaping and scaling both our product and engineering organization. You will take ownership of an existing internal solution and drive its transformation into a robust, scalable, SaaS-ready platform. In parallel, you will lead the integration and launch of innovative AI-driven products and services, helping to build a strong foundation for supporting children and young adolescents facing mental health crises.
Your tasks:
* Take ownership of the technical direction and architecture, guiding the evolution from internal tool to SaaS platform
* Design, build and maintain scalable applications, including user-facing AI solutions
* Collaborate closely with our Product team to translate strategy into a technical roadmap
* Mentor and support engineers, raising the overall level of technical decision-making
* Contribute to hiring and help shape the future engineering team
Your profile
* Computer science degree or degree in a similar field
* 7+ years of experience in a similar role including leadership responsibilities
* Strong experience with modern web technologies (Next.js, React, Tailwind, Prisma or comparable)
* Proven expertise in system design and development in brownfield environments
* Experience integrating reliable, production-grade AI features
* Strong leadership and mentorship capabilities
* Pragmatic decision-making with a focus on outcomes
* Ability to translate strategic decisions into technical roadmap
* Comfortable navigating uncertainty and ambiguities
Why us?
* Purpose : Together, we make a positive and lasting impact on children and young people in crisis situations and are constantly expanding krisenchat’s support services.
* Remote Work: Work flexibly from wherever suits you best - up to 100% remote.
* Top-Notch Equipment: Thanks to our generous remote work allowance, you can equip yourself exactly as you wish.
* Workflex: Love to travel? Enjoy up to 182 days of EU and 30 days of non-EU Workflex for maximum freedom and flexibility.
* Generous vacation: Relax with 27 days of annual leave (+ Dec. 24 & 31) and our flexible educational leave days.
* Corporate Benefits: Take advantage of exclusive perks through our Corporate Benefits.
* New Work: We focus on innovation and agile work methods, creating a dynamic environment that fosters your creativity and offers room for personal growth.
* Office: You’re always welcome at our office in Berlin Kreuzberg.
About us
krisenchat is a nationwide, free support service for children and young adults in need. We offer children and young people professional psychosocial counseling - every day, 24 hours a day, via web application or WhatsApp. krisenchat has been available 24/7 since May 2020 - since then, our many crisis counselors have been able to help in over 200,000 crisis situations. Since March 1, 2022, krisenchat has also been offering confidential crisis counseling for Ukrainians of all ages, providing support to those particularly affected by the war. In addition to chat counseling, krisenchat now reaches millions of young people every year through psychoeducational content on various social media platforms.
We are an interdisciplinary and agile non-profit organization and work flexibly in our beautiful office in Berlin or remotely.
krisenchat values diversity. We encourage all interested individuals, regardless of national or ethnic origin, age, religion, disability, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation, to apply. We look forward to hearing from you!
For the sake of transparency, we would like to point out that krisenchat is a project-funded service. Therefore, our job advertisements are always subject to the final approval of our project financiers.
Your qualifications are also very important to us. Therefore, we kindly ask you to send us your resume without a photo. Thank you very much!