Head of Engineering

THRYVE; Köln; Hybrid; EUR 100.000 - 130.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

THRYVE is seeking a VP of Engineering based in Cologne to lead the engineering function with a focus on hands-on leadership and talent development. In this remote-first role, the successful candidate will manage a team of 15+ engineers, set engineering direction, and ensure high-quality delivery.

Your mission will be to influence how we build and hire, all while remaining close to the technology that drives our success. Ideal candidates are passionate about technology and thriving in fast-paced startup environments.

Qualifikationen

• Experience leading engineering teams in a B2B startup environment.
• Strong technical and architectural knowledge.
• Ability to hire, develop, and retain engineering talent.

Aufgaben

• Lead and grow a team of 15+ engineers across multiple squads.
• Set engineering direction including architecture and process.
• Recruit and develop exceptional engineering talent.
• Own and maintain a high-quality engineering roadmap.

Kenntnisse

Leading engineering teams

Technical credibility

Communication

People leadership

Problem-solving

Agility in ambiguity

Jobbeschreibung

VP of Engineering — Cologne (Hybrid)

B2B SaaS · €20M+ funded · Mostly remote · 1–2 days/month in office

The role

We're a well-funded B2B startup on a mission — and we're looking for a VP of Engineering who still loves the craft. Not a career politician. Not a slide‑deck leader. Someone who gets genuinely excited by great technology and isn't afraid to roll up their sleeves.

As VP of Engineering, you'll own the entire engineering function — leading multiple teams across product, platform, and infrastructure. You'll report directly to the founders and play a defining role in how we build, hire, and scale. This is a seat at the table, with the autonomy to make real decisions.

But here's what makes this role different: we don't want someone who's fully moved on from the tech. We want a leader who's close enough to the code to command respect, catch problems early, and keep the bar high — even as the team grows.

On flexibility:

We're a remote‑first team. You'll be based near Cologne and expected in the office once or twice a month — the rest is yours to manage. We care about output and ownership, not face time.

What you'll do

• Lead and grow a team of 15+ engineers across multiple squads, with clear scope to scale
• Set engineering direction — architecture, technical standards, tooling, and process
• Partner with Product and Design to ship things that actually matter to customers
• Recruit, retain, and develop exceptional engineering talent
• Stay hands‑on enough to review critical decisions, unblock teams, and occasionally dive into the code
• Own the engineering roadmap and ensure consistent, high‑quality delivery
• Build a culture where engineers do their best work

Who you are

• You’ve led engineering teams before — ideally at a B2B startup or scale‑up — and you know what good looks like
• You’re technically credible. You may not be writing production code daily, but you can hold a deep architectural debate, spot a bad abstraction, and earn the respect of strong engineers
• You get genuinely excited about technology — new tools, emerging patterns, better ways to build
• You’re a natural people leader who also gets things done. You hire well, give honest feedback, and develop engineers into great ones
• You thrive in ambiguity and move with urgency. Startup pace suits you
• You communicate clearly — with engineers, founders, and customers alike
• You don’t delegate your way out of hard problems. You’re willing to get your hands dirty

Nice to have

• Experience in B2B SaaS — you understand the product dynamics and customer expectations
• You’ve scaled a team through a growth phase before, ideally Series A to B and beyond
• Familiarity with modern cloud‑native infrastructure and development practices

A note on culture

We're past the scrappy phase but still very much a startup. You'll have real influence here — over how we build, how we hire, and how engineering fits into the broader company story. We want someone who sees that as exciting, not daunting.