My client is an early-stage AI and automation company building an end-to-end industrial platform for heavy industries including manufacturing, energy, and logistics. They are looking for a hands-on VP of Engineering to serve as the technical leader of the company, effectively acting as CTO.
What You Will Do
- Owning end-to-end platform architecture from edge connectivity (sensors, cameras, PLCs) through cloud orchestration, data ingestion, and enterprise system integrations
- Leading technical strategy and key architecture decisions for a mission-critical industrial platform supporting real-time sensor fusion, anomaly detection, and operational planning
- Staying hands-on in the codebase regularly, implementing and refactoring core components, debugging production issues, and pairing with engineers across Python and TypeScript
- Guiding product direction alongside the founders, translating factory-floor realities into a clear technical roadmap from prototype through production
- Building, mentoring, and leading a small, high-performing engineering team in a flat, accountable organization
- Representing the company's technical vision externally through customer demos, investor presentations, and industry events
What You Bring (Must-Haves)
- 8+ years of experience in senior engineering leadership roles (VP of Engineering, CTO, Head of Engineering)
- Engineering leadership experience in heavy industry (manufacturing, defense, energy) or at a company providing products and services to heavy industry (e.g., industrial integrators, automation providers, OEMs)
- Experience building products from zero to one in a startup or early-stage environment, whether as a founder, co-founder, or early technical leader at a VC-backed company
- Currently close to the code with recent, demonstrable hands-on technical involvement, able to articulate specific architectural decisions and engineering trade-offs you have personally owned in the past 12-24 months
- Currently owning technical architecture decisions for complex, distributed systems and guiding product direction, not engineering decisions alone
Bonus Points
- Experience building high-fidelity data platforms, simulation environments, or digital twin systems
- Extensive experience with IoT, edge computing, and sensor-driven systems
- Background in autonomous systems, robotics, or computer vision applied to industrial environments
- Located in Texas (Austin or Dallas preferred), though this role is fully remote
Why Join
- Shape the technical foundation of an industrial AI platform from the ground up, with 3-4% equity and a direct path to significant compensation growth post-Series A (expected within 12 months)
- Work alongside an elite, deeply technical team with backgrounds spanning industrial robotics, autonomous driving, and applied AI research
- Full technical ownership with zero bureaucracy: you make the architecture decisions that define how this platform works at scale
- Solve real problems in the physical world, connecting industrial sensors and operational data to AI systems that improve maintenance, quality, and operations for major enterprises
Logistics
- Location: Remote, with preference for candidates in Texas
- Interview process: 2-3 rounds including culture fit, technical situational assessment, and possible follow-up
My client is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive team. We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, or any other protected characteristic.
