Nicolas Gripont
Manager, Software Development @ Hootsuite
About
Results-driven software development manager with over six years of experience at Heyday by Hootsuite, leading high-performing AI and backend teams focused on conversational AI and large-scale backend systems. Played a key role in the success of heyday.ai, a startup acquired by Hootsuite for $60 million in 2021. Skilled in building and mentoring teams, defining technical roadmaps, and driving innovation in applied AI solutions. Experienced in designing scalable backend architectures and delivering production-ready AI features using the AWS cloud stack. Passionate about fostering collaboration across teams and leveraging AI to create impactful, data-driven user experiences.
Canada
Montreal
Computer Software
Change Management, REST APIs, Task Management, Serverless Framework, AWS Identity and Access Management (AWS IAM), AWS CloudFormation, Sprint Planning, Team Leadership, Team Management, Microsoft Visual Studio Code, API Gateways, Bash, Design Patterns, JavaFX, Project Management, Cloud Computing, Software Design Patterns, Software Testing, Automated Software Testing, Software Quality
Experience

Manager, Software Development
Montreal, QC
- Promoted manager of the Montreal AI team, overseeing 9 developers. - Contribute to quarterly AI roadmap definition and lead sprint planning, while remaining hands-on with development. - Designed the hiring process and recruited 4 new AI developers (Intermediate and Senior levels). - Lead initiatives to integrate agentic AI across Hootsuite, promoting AI adoption across the CTO organization and product lines. - Developed internal AI infrastructure, including LLM Proxy and Prompt Execution Service, enabling seamless access to large language models and LLM providers (OpenAI, Azure and Google Vertex AI). - Developed an SSE streaming API to connect Hootsuite Copilot/Assistant with our Luxembourg-based agentic engine, enabling access to analytics data via an MCP server, including an evaluation framework using MLflow. - Led the development of Smart Replies for Inbox and enhanced the Generative AI Agent, improving client self-service through social network integrations. - Delivered Post Analysis and Insights features including media (images and video) analysis to enhance data-driven engagement. - Lead the AI Guild, fostering collaboration across teams on AI feature development, knowledge sharing and AI tooling usage (Cursor, CLI tool like Codex, gemini CLI, Claude Code CLI) - Continue to drive innovation and operational excellence in applied AI initiatives.

Lead, Software Development II
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Continuity of my previous responsibilities until March 2024. Since March I have a double role: Team Lead AI & AI and Back-End Manager (Interim Manager, Software Developer) - Leading AI and Back-End teams, overseeing sprint planning, coaching, and providing continuous feedback. - Participating in the hiring process and assisting the product team with roadmap definition. Developing integrations with Hootsuite using Golang, Python, Terraform, Docker, and Kubernetes. - Developed a Generative FAQ Chatbot using LLM (OpenAI/Azure), integrated into Hootsuite inbox as a self-serve product. - Created AI Insight and recommandations using LLM (OpenAI/Azure) Maintaining Heyday products (scripted retail chatbot and inbox) until deprecation

Lead, Software Development
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Promoted from a Developer to Team Lead, Back-End Developer, growing the from 4 to 11developers. Heyday was acquired by Hootsuite in July 2021, becoming Heyday by Hootsuite. - Led sprint planning, coaching, and provided continuous feedback to team members. - Participating in the hiring process and assisting the product team with roadmap definition. Developed backend solutions using NodeJS and AWS services (Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB, S3, CloudWatch, SQS, IAM, Secret Manager) - Focused on retail chatbot backend development, supporting platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Google Business Messaging. - Integrated with external APIs (Shopify, Magento, Prestashop, Aftership, Algolia, Google My Business) to design and develop various scripted and generic flows inside the chatbot (product search and recommandation, order/shipment tracking, store locator, etc.) - Integrating with AI features developed by the Heyday AI team - Transitioned from an enterprise setup to a self-serve SaaS product, refactoring services to an API-first/micro-services approach. Conducted code reviews, API design, and developed internal admin dashboards. Devops: - Transitioned from Gitflow to trunk-based development with auto-tagging and feature flags to enhance continuous deployment. - Implemented CI/CD pipelines using GitLab CI, streamlining and improving the development process. - Migrated deployment stack from Claudia framework to Serverless with CloudFormation, optimizing deployment efficiency.

Développeur logiciels
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Transitioned from intern to full-time developer: internship from January to May and then full-time developer. Developing custom scripted chatbot back-end for retail clients using NodeJS, AWS (Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB, S3, CloudWatch). - Integrated APIs like Shopify to enhance chatbot functionality with product search features. - Implemented a notification system for product restock and price drop alerts. - Developed a generic training module using WIT.ai to detect user intents.

Master's Degree Student in Computer Engineering
Région de Montréal, Canada
Professional master's degree in computer science (and software) at Polytechnique Montréal. Courses: Software architecture and advanced design, IT security, Fixed and mobile network security, Design of dynamic and transactional websites, Mobile computing, Software quality engineering, Parallel computing systems, Patterns for program understanding, Artificial intelligence: methods and algorithms Côte : 3.83/4.0

Computer Engineering Student
INSA Lyon - Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon
Région de Lyon, France
Computer engineering degree from INSA Lyon, equivalent to the baccalaureate diploma from Polytechnique Montréal.

Backend/Frontend Developer
Remote
Provision of service as a micro-entrepreneur for the Lyon startup Eyesnap alongside classes. Developed software for massive photo recovery on social networks with object detection. Created backend solutions using NodeJS and Python (Scrapy). Built a frontend interface in AngularJS2 to automate data collection and visualize results.
Education

Computer and software engineering
Professional master's degree in computer science (and software) at Polytechnique Montréal. Courses: Software architecture and advanced design, IT security, Fixed and mobile network security, Design of dynamic and transactional websites, Mobile computing, Software quality engineering, Parallel computing systems, Patterns for program understanding, Artificial intelligence: methods and algorithms
Nicolas Gripont's Contact Information
Phone
Find the Right Leads
Find Verified Contact Data
What LeadContact does well
Find verified emails, phone numbers, and decision-makers with 98% accuracy.
Find Leads
Find the right people by company, role, industry, location, and more.
925M+ professional profiles

Find Emails
Access verified email addresses for your target contacts.
657M+ emails

Find Phone Numbers
Get cross-validated phone data from multiple top sources.
239M+ phone numbers

More Accurate. Lower Cost.
Find contact data in 1 tool with 98% accuracy
LeadContact integrates leading enrichment tools to deliver more accurate contact data—without paying for each one.
Great conversations start with the right contact.
It’s time to find yours.





