VP of Engineering

About this Role

We’re looking for a highly proactive VP of Engineering to lead and scale a high-performing team building cutting-edge AI enabled technology. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can balance technical vision, team building and execution – and thrives in a fast-moving, start-up environment delivering systems that perform reliability in real-world, high stakes environments. 

This role goes beyond building scalable products – you'll lead the development of secure, resilient, and auditable systems deployed in demanding customer environments, including government and defense contexts. This role owns the eovlution of a complex platform spanning planning engines, backend services, data and AI systems, secure cloud infrastrcure and user-facing applications. 

What You’ll Do 

• 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 

What We’re Looking For 

• 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 

Nice to Have 

• Experience integrating production systems with Python-based analytics or AI workflows.
• Familiarity with modern DevOps, observability, and reliability practices.
• Familiarity with real-time systems, asynchronous processing, and data-intensive applications  
• Experience supporting live exercises, demonstrations, operational test events, or time-sensitive deployments
• Experience with mathematical optimization and machine learning.
• Experience with RMF, ATO, or cATO processes
• Experience with ITAR/EAR or export-controlled environments 

Why DEFCON AI 

• Direct impact on company strategy and technical direction
• Opportunity to lead and shape a world-class engineering team
• Meaningful AI-driven problems with real-world applications
• You’ll have both strategic influence and hands-on impact. 

 

What We Offer: 

• 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

Salary Range: $250,000-$290,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience, skills, and other factors.

 

About this Role

We’re looking for a highly proactive VP of Engineering to lead and scale a high-performing team building cutting-edge AI enabled technology. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can balance technical vision, team building and execution – and thrives in a fast-moving, start-up environment delivering systems that perform reliability in real-world, high stakes environments. 

This role goes beyond building scalable products – you'll lead the development of secure, resilient, and auditable systems deployed in demanding customer environments, including government and defense contexts. This role owns the eovlution of a complex platform spanning planning engines, backend services, data and AI systems, secure cloud infrastrcure and user-facing applications. 

What You’ll Do 

• 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 

What We’re Looking For 

• 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 

Nice to Have 

• Experience integrating production systems with Python-based analytics or AI workflows.
• Familiarity with modern DevOps, observability, and reliability practices.
• Familiarity with real-time systems, asynchronous processing, and data-intensive applications  
• Experience supporting live exercises, demonstrations, operational test events, or time-sensitive deployments
• Experience with mathematical optimization and machine learning.
• Experience with RMF, ATO, or cATO processes
• Experience with ITAR/EAR or export-controlled environments 

Why DEFCON AI 

• Direct impact on company strategy and technical direction
• Opportunity to lead and shape a world-class engineering team
• Meaningful AI-driven problems with real-world applications
• You’ll have both strategic influence and hands-on impact. 

 

What We Offer: 

• 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

Salary Range: $250,000-$290,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience, skills, and other factors.