Head of Engineering

The learning from these relationships drives upstream improvements to the runtime and helps us develop our proprietary enterprise control plane.Help us push the limits of Kubernetes‑native infrastructure.Engineering productivity, processes and execution strategyOwn delivery, quality, reliability, and focus across services + product engineeringTurn company priorities into clear plans, milestones, and shipped outcomesBalance speed and pragmatism in a pre-PMF environmentDesign lightweight execution systems that help the team ship faster with less coordination overheadStakeholder management for Engineering function, interfacing with Management Team, Product, Go-to-Market, etc.Engineering org growth strategyFull ownership of: hiring, onboarding, performance management, feedback loops, standardsRun 1:1s, address issues early, prevent “management/culture debt”Set and enforce operating norms (communication, accountability, professionalism)Design the org and team for where we’re going, not where we’ve beenOwn interview loops, leveling, offers, and close strategyBuild a team optimized for ownership and customer impact (not bureaucracy)Working with ProductPartner closely with the product manager and Founders to translate priorities into executable plansProvide clear input on feasibility, trade‑offs, and sequencingPush back when scope, timelines, or priorities create execution riskActively shape priorities by bringing engineering perspective. Not just execute on priorities.Ensure engineering has strong ownership, not just ticket execution.Open source strategyWork collaboratively with the Founders to continuously update Pipekit’s open source strategyOwn stewardship + execution of our open‑source strategy (what/when/how)Develop close relationships with key stakeholders & partnersBe a senior technical voice externally (community, partners, key users)What Success Looks Like (first 90 days)Team delivers consistent weekly progress against clearly prioritized goals (visible plan, low thrash)Every initiative has a directly responsible engineer; fewer escalations and handoffsLightweight planning + tracking (e.g., weekly planning, simple milestones, fast feedback loops) that increases throughputExplicit standards for code quality, reviews, and reliability are followedCalibrated hiring bar, active pipeline, and a repeatable interview & onboarding loops in motionFounders trust engineering execution without needing to intervene dailyPM Eng collaboration produces realistic scopes, fewer re‑plans, and faster decisionsWho You AreSenior engineering leader who has built and led high-performing startup teamsEnjoys leadership work on a small teamCredible technically to earn trust quickly across strong engineersStrong people manager who likes leadership work (standards, coaching, hard calls)Comfortable in ambiguity and early‑stage, pre‑PMF realityPragmatic, low ego, decisive, and direct communicatorExperienced with building open source and open‑core productsThis Role Is Not a Good Fit for You IfYou prefer stable roadmaps over evolving prioritiesYou default to adding process instead of simplifyingYou are uncomfortable making decisions with incomplete informationYou prefer purely managerial roles without technical involvementCompensation Range: $175K - $275K#J-18808-Ljbffr