VP R&D

VP of R&D

Location: Hoboken, NJ | Type: Full-Time, onsite | Reports to: CTO

About PLCs.ai

PLCs.ai is an AI-powered platform transforming industrial automation by analyzing and generating PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) code across multiple vendors. We work with some of the world's top manufacturers as design partners across multiple sectors including CPG, automotive, and medical devices.

Our platform converts complex PLC code into natural language, removes bottlenecks where single PLC experts become gatekeepers, and enables engineers to query complicated projects through conversational interfaces.

We've just closed our seed round and are building the foundational team that will scale this platform. This is a rare opportunity to join at the ground floor of a company solving a massive problem in a $50B+ industry.

About the Role

We're looking for a technical leader to own the delivery and evolution of our platform and product suite. As VP of R&D, you will be responsible for the full development lifecycle: architecture, feature development, quality assurance, integration, and release. You'll transform product vision into production-ready software that manufacturing teams rely on daily.

This is not a traditional R&D leadership role. We are building a cutting-edge engineering organization where AI-augmented development is the standard, not the exception. Every engineer on your team will use AI coding tools (Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot) as core parts of their workflow. We're looking for a 10x leader who will recruit and develop a team of 10x engineers, people who leverage AI to ship faster, think bigger, and build what would have been impossible just two years ago.

Our current stack (Next.js, React, PostgreSQL, etc) was built for speed by a small founding team. As we scale to serve enterprise manufacturers with demanding requirements for security, reliability, and compliance, you will be responsible for architecting and migrating to an enterprise-grade infrastructure. This includes evaluating and implementing cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), container orchestration, microservices patterns, observability systems, and the security frameworks required by Fortune 500 customers.

You'll report directly to the CTO and lead a cross-functional engineering team. You'll collaborate closely with the Head of AI (who owns AI agents, LLMs, RAG, and data infrastructure) and the Director of PLC Experts (who owns domain validation and vendor IDE integration). Together, this leadership triad will drive the technical execution of our roadmap.

This role requires a hands-on technical leader who can architect complex systems, write code when needed, and scale engineering processes as the team grows. You'll own not just our core platform but also adjacent products like our Runtime Values App and future tools that connect our AI capabilities to live manufacturing environments.

Key Responsibilities

* Build and lead a high-performance, AI-augmented engineering team where every developer leverages AI tools to maximize velocity and output quality

* Own end-to-end delivery of the PLCs.ai platform: architecture, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance

* Architect and execute the migration from startup infrastructure to enterprise-grade systems capable of serving Fortune 500 manufacturers

* Evaluate and select enterprise cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure), container orchestration (Kubernetes), and supporting services

* Implement enterprise observability, monitoring, and incident response systems (DataDog, Prometheus/Grafana, PagerDuty)

* Lead development of our full-stack application, evolving the current Next.js/React/TypeScript stack as requirements demand

* Establish engineering processes optimized for AI-assisted development: code review practices, testing standards, CI/CD pipelines, and release management

* Collaborate with the Head of AI to integrate AI services, agent architectures, and RAG systems into the platform

* Partner with the Director of PLC Experts to ensure platform features align with industrial automation requirements and vendor specifications

* Own adjacent products and future tools bridging AI with manufacturing systems

* Drive security and compliance initiatives required for enterprise customers (SOC 2, data residency, access controls)

Requirements

* Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field

* 10+ years of software engineering experience with at least 5 years in technical leadership roles

* Demonstrated experience using AI coding assistants (Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot) in your own workflow and a vision for how AI transforms software development

* Track record of building and scaling high-performing engineering teams that punch above their weight

* Deep expertise in modern full-stack development: React, Next.js, TypeScript, Node.js

* Proven experience architecting and operating enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure on AWS, GCP, or Azure

* Hands-on experience with container orchestration (Kubernetes, Docker), infrastructure as code (Terraform, Pulumi), and CI/CD systems

* Strong experience with relational databases at scale (PostgreSQL, managed database services, read replicas, connection pooling)

* Experience implementing observability stacks: logging, metrics, tracing, and alerting

* Track record of delivering complex software products from concept through production at enterprise scale

* Understanding of AI/ML integration patterns and working with LLM-powered features

* Hands-on mentality: willing to write code, debug production issues, and lead by example

* Startup mentality: comfortable with ambiguity, excited to build from the ground up

Nice to Have

* Experience with industrial automation, manufacturing systems, or OT (Operational Technology) environments

* Background in microservices architecture, event-driven systems, or message queues (Kafka, RabbitMQ)

* Experience with security compliance frameworks (SOC 2, ISO 27001) and enterprise security requirements

* Familiarity with vector databases, RAG architectures, or AI agent frameworks

* Experience with desktop application development (Electron, Python) for enterprise tools

* Prior experience scaling a startup from early stage to growth phase

* Advanced degree (MS) in Computer Science or related field

What We Offer

* Competitive compensation: Base salary commensurate with experience plus meaningful equity

* Comprehensive benefits: Health, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k); flexible PTO

* Professional development: Budget for conferences, courses, certifications, and AI tooling

* Cutting-edge environment: Work with the latest AI development tools and shape how modern engineering teams operate

* Growth opportunity: Build and lead the R&D function from the ground up with direct line to founding team

How to Apply

Send your resume and a brief note about what excites you about this role to [email protected]. Include links to any relevant projects or contributions. We review every application and respond within a couple of days.

PLCs.ai is an equal opportunity employer.