VP of Engineering

Rotterdam Innovation City; Tilburg; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Whispp is looking for a VP of Engineering to lead real-time voice AI development, overseeing the delivery of SDKs aimed at OEM partners. The position requires a hands-on leader with over 10 years in software engineering and proven success in scaling engineering teams in a high-growth environment.

The role is hybrid, based near Leiden in the Netherlands, inviting candidates to submit their CV and a note on a notable SDK they've worked on.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in software/AI engineering, 5+ years in leadership in deep-tech, ML/AI.
• Proven track record shipping SDKs or embedded software.
• Hands-on experience with speech/audio ML or real-time media.

Responsibilities

• Own delivery of the Whisper-to-Speech SDK.
• Build and lead a multidisciplinary engineering organization.
• Translate the roadmap into executable engineering plans.

Skills

Software/AI engineering

Leadership in deep-tech

SDK development

Speech/Audio ML

Real-time communications

Job description

Whispp is hiring a VP of Engineering to take our real‑time, on‑device voice AI from award‑winning prototypes into SDKs that ship on millions of devices.

The opportunity

We are now scaling from research and PoCs into product‑driven, SDK‑first implementations of our technology to drive, build and grow a technology licensing business.

What you’ll do

• Own delivery of our Whisper‑to‑Speech (W2S) SDK (Android first, then PC/other platforms) to GA, including licensing server and integration tooling.
• Build and lead a multidisciplinary engineering organization (ML/speech, DSP/audio, SDK/platform, infra/DevOps, QA, and testing).
• Support conversion of flagship PoCs into NRE and license agreements by making Whispp a reliable, OEM‑grade technology partner.
• Translate our 2026–2029 roadmap into executable engineering plans and milestones.
• Work closely with the CAIO to take models from research to production: mobile CPU/NPU implementations, noise robustness, multi‑lingual support, personalization, and bone‑conduction input.
• Ship OEM‑ready SDKs and codecs: performance‑optimised, secure, well‑documented, with strong integration UX for device and platform partners.
• Build and scale the engineering team and practices: hiring, org design, CI/CD, testing, performance benchmarking, cost‑efficient AI infrastructure (OVH → GCP/Azure).
• Partner with Sales/BD on PoCs and NREs including scoping, estimates, and technical commitments.
• Contribute to Whispp’s IP strategy and help us reach our goal of 3–5 core patents in the near term.

What we are looking for

Must have

• 10+ years in software/AI engineering, 5+ years in leadership in deep‑tech, ML/AI, audio/speech, or real‑time media.
• Proven track record shipping SDKs, developer platforms, or embedded software to OEMs or B2B partners.
• Hands‑on background in at least one of: speech/audio ML, DSP, real‑time communications, or on‑device/edge AI.
• Experience with OEM/chipset/platform ecosystems.
• Demonstrated ability to build and scale high‑performing engineering teams in a startup or high‑growth environment.

Nice‑to‑have

• Experience in assistive tech, accessibility, telco, or similar regulated environments.
• Familiarity with low‑bitrate codecs, secure communications, or connectivity‑constrained environments.
• Exposure to IP/patent creation and privacy/AI regulation constraints.

Who you are

Mission‑driven; comfortable from architecture to execution; pragmatic, collaborative, and low‑ego.

Location

Hybrid in the Netherlands near our headquarters in Leiden.

If this sounds like you, please send your CV and motivation to [e-mail], including a brief note on a shipped SDK/platform you’re proud of, and the team you built around it.