VP Engineering - AI

VP Engineering

AI-First Platform | Cambridge, MA (Hybrid)

I’m working with a highly backed venture builder at the forefront of AI and scientific innovation. They create and scale AI-native companies across areas like life sciences, health, and sustainability - and are hiring a VP of Engineering to define and lead their core platform.

🚀 What makes this different

* You’ll lead a team made up entirely of Principal Engineers - no hierarchy, no hand-holding, just high-calibre technical operators

* Remain hands-on (~25%), contributing directly to architecture and complex system design

* Build systems used by scientists and domain experts, not just typical SaaS users

* Operate in a truly AI-native engineering environment, where AI tooling is central to how software gets built

🧠 The role

* Own technical strategy and architecture for a portfolio-wide AI platform

* Hire, lead, and develop a small, elite engineering team

* Make critical decisions on system design, scalability, and build vs. buy

* Work closely with product and research stakeholders to translate complex ideas into production systems

* Dynamically allocate engineering resources across multiple high-impact initiatives

🔧 What’s technically interesting?

* Building AI-first systems from scratch, not layering ML onto legacy infrastructure

* Designing platforms that enable rapid company creation and experimentation

* Solving complex, real-world problems in ambiguous, fast-moving environments

* Empowering engineers to act as true end-to-end technical owners

* Driving adoption of AI-augmented development workflows at scale

👤 What they’re looking for

* Experience leading senior/principal engineers in high-performance teams

* Strong system design and architectural expertise

* Background in startup or high-autonomy environments

* Ability to balance hands-on technical work with strategic leadership

* Nice to have: experience building products for scientific or research users

🌍 Why join?

* Shape the engineering foundation behind a portfolio of AI-driven companies

* Work with exceptional engineers, researchers, and founders

* High autonomy, high impact, minimal bureaucracy