VP of Engineering
Defcon AI
full-time
Posted on:
Location Type: Remote
Location: United States
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Salary
💰 $250,000 - $290,000 per year
Job Level
Tech Stack
About the role
- Lead and grow a high-performing engineering team of 10+ senior software engineers, with a strong focus on mentorship, technical excellence, and healthy delivery practices.
- Set technical vision and execution strategy across our full stack—frontend, backend services, data platforms, and integrations with AI/optimization systems.
- Drive experimentation and thoughtful innovation, encouraging teams to explore unconventional approaches while maintaining reliability, security, and healthy delivery practices.
- Partner closely with optimization researchers and analytics teams to translate complex algorithms and models into scalable, reliable production systems.
- Own engineering delivery: roadmaps, execution plans, engineering standards, and architectural decisions that balance speed, quality, and long-term maintainability.
- Oversee complex, multi-layered systems end-to-end, making high impact technical decisions that account for architecture, data, algorithms and operations together rather than in isolation.
- Drive engineering excellence establishing high standards for code quality, system design, testing and reliability.
- Champion engineering at the leadership level, ensuring the team has the tools, clarity, and focus to do their best work.
- Partner with Security and Compliance to ensure engineering systems, processes and environments support CUI handling, NIST SP 800-171, CMMC, DFARS and customer security requirements
Requirements
- Proven experience leading and scaling high performing engineering teams in a high-growth or startup environment
- Strong technical background across modern web architectures, APIs, distributed systems, and cloud platforms.
- Experience bringing complex AI, optimization, or data-intensive systems into production environments.
- Track record of setting technical direction while also getting things shipped.
- Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in ambiguous problem spaces and translate abstract business or mission goals into concrete technical strategies and execution plans.
- Clear, compelling communication skills—able to translate complex technical concepts for both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Comfort operating in a fast-moving, evolving environment with real ownership and influence.
- Experience operating in DoD, IC, federal or similarly regulated environments.
- Working knowledge of CUI handling, NIST SP 800-171, CMMC, DFARS252.204.7012
- Experience with secure SDLC/DevSecOps, vulnerability management, logging, hardening, and auditability
- This role requires US Citizenship and all work to be performed within the United States
Benefits
- A fully remote, results-based environment
- Competitive salary, bonus, and equity package
- 100% employer paid, comprehensive health insurance including medical, dental, and vision for you and your family
- Unlimited PTO, with your manager’s approval
- Flexible work environment where you manage your work day
- 14 weeks of fully-paid parental leave
Applicant Tracking System Keywords
Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.
Hard Skills & Tools
software engineeringweb architecturesAPIsdistributed systemscloud platformsAI systemsoptimization systemsdata-intensive systemssecure SDLCDevSecOps
Soft Skills
mentorshiptechnical excellencecommunicationleadershipproblem-solvinginnovationteam collaborationadaptabilityclarityfocus