Chief Product Engineering & AI Systems Leader

Sarah Smith Fund; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 260,000 - 380,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health benefits

Stipends

Company retreats

Collaborative leadership

Job summary

Pika, based in Palo Alto, CA, seeks a Head of Engineer, Product Engineering to provide visionary leadership for the strategy, architecture, and execution of our core product engineering initiatives. You will define and drive the technical roadmap for all user-facing products.

You will lead and mentor high-performing engineering teams, working with product, design, and ML leadership to deliver robust, scalable features for millions of users, while upholding engineering standards and prioritizing

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive engineering experience, with significant time spent managing and scaling product engineering teams.
• Strong record of technical leadership in developing and launching complex, high-impact, user-facing products (web/mobile).
• Proven experience in building and scaling distributed systems, APIs, and cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP, Kubernetes, etc.).
• Mastery of system and software architecture for high-traffic, media-rich, or AI-powered applications.
• Emotional intelligence and mentorship skills, with a track record of developing engineering leaders and high-performing teams.
• Deep experience collaborating with executive leadership to shape organizational vision and drive business outcomes.
• Outstanding communication and organizational abilities, thriving in a collaborative, dynamic environment.

Responsibilities

• Set and communicate the technical vision and strategy for product engineering across all Pika platforms and user-facing features
• Lead, mentor, and scale multiple engineering teams, fostering a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and innovation
• Architect and oversee the delivery of scalable, high-performing systems, ensuring best practices in system reliability, security, and efficiency
• Partner deeply with product, design, and ML teams to define technical solutions aligned with business and user needs
• Guide technical decision-making at both strategic and architectural levels, including technology selection and process improvement
• Champion standards for software quality, rapid iteration, and best-in-class product experience
• Own the technical roadmap, including resource planning and milestone delivery for major product launches and iterations
• Represent engineering in executive discussions and drive cross-functional alignment

Skills

Engineering leadership

Product engineering

Distributed systems

Cloud infrastructure

System architecture

Executive collaboration

Tools

AWS

GCP

Kubernetes

Docker

Node.js

Python

Go

PostgreSQL

Job description

About Pika

At Pika, we’re building the next generation of AI creative tools to empower human creativity. Our mission is to make video creation seamless, intuitive, and accessible to everyone, leveraging the power of advanced AI. We believe that AI should amplify creative expression—enabling everyone to create, collaborate, and communicate across media. Our team includes engineers, artists, and product thinkers, all passionate about building tools that unlock new creative possibilities.

Pika has raised significant funding and is backed by leading investors, with a collaborative culture based in Palo Alto, CA. We prefer hybrid in-office, sharing ideas and launching products together.

About the Role

We are seeking a Head of Engineer, Product Engineering, to provide visionary leadership for the strategy, architecture, and execution of Pika’s core product engineering initiatives. In this executive-level role, you will define and drive the execution of our technical roadmap for all user-facing products.

You will lead and mentor high-performing engineering teams, working closely with product, design, and ML leadership to deliver features that are robust, scalable, and innovative for millions of users. Your technical expertise and leadership will shape product direction, ensuring exceptional engineering standards and prioritizing team growth and cross-functional alignment.

What You’ll Do

• Set and communicate the technical vision and strategy for product engineering across all Pika platforms and user-facing features

• Lead, mentor, and scale multiple engineering teams, fostering a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and innovation

• Architect and oversee the delivery of scalable, high-performing systems, ensuring best practices in system reliability, security, and efficiency

• Partner deeply with product, design, and ML teams to define technical solutions aligned with business and user needs

• Guide technical decision-making at both strategic and architectural levels, including technology selection and process improvement

• Champion standards for software quality, rapid iteration, and best-in-class product experience

• Own the technical roadmap, including resource planning and milestone delivery for major product launches and iterations

• Represent engineering in executive discussions and drive cross-functional alignment

What We’re Looking For

• 10+ years of progressive engineering experience, with significant time spent managing and scaling product engineering teams

• Strong record of technical leadership in developing and launching complex, high-impact, user-facing products (web/mobile)

• Proven experience in building and scaling distributed systems, APIs, and cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP, Kubernetes, etc.)

• Mastery of system and software architecture for high-traffic, media-rich, or AI-powered applications

• Emotional intelligence and mentorship skills, with a track record of developing engineering leaders and high-performing teams

• Deep experience collaborating with executive leadership to shape organizational vision and drive business outcomes

• Outstanding communication and organizational abilities, thriving in a collaborative, dynamic environment

Nice to Have

• Experience with generative AI, creative tools, or large-scale collaboration platforms

• Background in high-growth startups or high-ambiguity environments

• Open source, hackathon, or competitive coding experience

Our Stack

Python, Go, Node.js, Postgres, Redis, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS/GCP

What We Offer

• Competitive executive-level salary in the AI industry

• Substantial equity in a fast-growing startup defining the future of AI and creativity

• Comprehensive health benefits, monthly stipends, and company retreats

• A collaborative leadership environment—we’re all building and launching together