Head of Engineering

Location: Palo Alto, CA (3+ days/week onsite)

Domain: Early-stage, High-growth AI startup

I’m working with a client building a next-gen AI platform for complex workflows. They’re combining agent-based systems, real-time data infrastructure, and human-in-the-loop capabilities to tackle high-stakes, mission-critical operations.

They’re now looking for a Head of Engineering to lead technical execution, grow the team, and shape the architecture as they scale from early traction to enterprise-grade adoption.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of scalable backend and infrastructure systems for AI-powered agents.
• Build and manage a high-performing engineering team across backend, infra, and applied ML.
• Define engineering processes, KPIs, and a culture of technical excellence.
• Collaborate closely with the CEO and product leadership on roadmap, architecture, and delivery.
• Stay hands-on with architecture and code during critical phases of growth.

Ideal Background

• 8–10+ years in engineering, including 2+ years leading teams or workstreams.
• Strong experience with distributed systems, cloud infrastructure (AWS/Azure), and container orchestration (Kubernetes, Docker).
• Proficiency in Python and frameworks like FastAPI or gRPC.
• Experience with AI/LLM-based systems (e.g. agentic workflows, RAG, memory/tool use) is a strong plus.
• Startup experience preferred—comfortable with ambiguity and scaling from 0→1 and beyond.

If you're a senior technical leader excited about building AI infrastructure from the ground up and shaping the future of industrial automation, reach out to learn more.