Computational Design Lead

Sage Recruiting Inc.; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity stake

Annual bonus (10%)

Comprehensive benefits (medical, etc.)

HSA up to $2,000

401(k) plan

Unlimited PTO in the US

Job summary

Sage Recruiting Inc. is supporting a fast-growing AEC tech startup building generative and computational design software for energy sectors. You will lead a team of computational designers and coordinate with backend engineers, while maintaining hands-on involvement with delivery work.

You’ll report to the VP of Product and Customer Strategy and help scale operations, processes, and the team’s effectiveness as the company expands globally.

Qualifications

• Must have education in architecture, engineering, or product development.
• Hands-on experience with computational design in the AEC or built environment space.
• Proficiency with Grasshopper and Rhino; project experience enough to be productive.
• Programming exposure in C#, Python, or VBA and collaboration with dev/product teams.
• Solid leadership experience and 8–10+ years of professional experience.
• Comfort with ambiguity and startup pace; willing to travel 1–2x per month.

Responsibilities

• Own delivery: assess progress, remove blockers, assign appropriate team members.
• Serve as the primary post-sale contact for clients and drive delivery momentum.
• Travel to client sites for milestones and contract progression (1–2x/month).
• Coordinate between computational designers and backend engineers across time zones.
• Contribute to pre-sales demos when needed and help build scalable processes.
• Help establish playbooks and habits for a scalable delivery organization.

Skills

Leadership

Delivery management

Time-zone coordination

Client relationship

Startup navigation

Education

Education in architecture, engineering, or product development

Tools

Grasshopper

Rhino

C#

Python

VBA

Job description

Our client is a fast-growing AEC tech startup building generative and computational design software for the energy sector — think data centres, transmission and distribution, and renewables. They’ve got a strong technical team, a rapidly expanding client base, and a genuine need for someone to step in and lead the delivery side of the operation.

This isn’t a pure people manager role, and it isn’t a pure IC role either. It’s a 50/50 split — you’ll manage a team of computational designers and coordinate with backend engineers, while staying close enough to the work to meaningfully support technical delivery. As the company scales, the expectation is that management becomes a bigger share of your time.

What You’ll Be

• Doing Own delivery: assess project progress, identify blockers, and match the right team members to the right workServe as the primary point of contact for clients post-sale — you’re the face of delivery from month two onwards
• Travel to client sites for key milestones, reviews, and contract progression (roughly 1–2x/month)
• Partner with the VP of Product and Customer Strategy to improve processes and build the operational foundation the team needs to scale
• Coordinate between computational designers and backend engineers across multiple time zones
• Jump in on pre-sales activities like demos when needed
• Help build the structure, playbooks, and habits a scaling team needs — this is a build-as-you-go environment

The Team

You’ll lead a team of five computational designers (four full-time, one part-time) distributed across different geographies and time zones, and coordinate closely with a junior and senior backend engineering team. You’ll report to the VP of Product and Customer Strategy, and sit at the same level as the senior manager in construction management and customer success.

The broader company is 45 full-time employees plus roughly 12–15 independent contractors. It’s a real startup — lean, ambitious, and moving fast.

What We’re Looking For

Must-Haves

• Education in architecture, engineering, or product development
• Hands‑on experience with computational design in the AEC or built environment space
• Working knowledge of Grasshopper and Rhino (you don’t need to be a power user — a couple years of project experience is enough)
• Programming exposure in C#, Python, or VBA plus experience working with development or product teams
• Solid, real management or leadership experience — not just informal “team lead” stuff
• 8–10+ years of professional experience
• Strong instincts for workload management, root cause analysis, and workflow optimisation
• Comfort with ambiguity — you can navigate a startup environment where not everything is figured out yet
• Entrepreneurial mindset: you’re hungry to take ownership and aren’t waiting to be told what to do
• Comfortable in front of clients and willing to travel roughly 1–2x per month

Nice‑to‑Haves

• Experience in energy, data centres, T&D, renewables, or solar — this is the highest-priority nice-to-have
• Background in consulting, software implementation, or product management
• Experience as an architect or mechanical engineer using computational design
• Track record transitioning from enterprise to startup environments
• 10% annual bonus
• $40,000 in equity shares
• Full medical, dental, and vision coverage (starting the first of the month after your hire date)
• HSA up to $2,000
• 401(k) plan
• Unlimited PTO in the US

Why This Role

• You’re walking into a foundational moment — the company expects orders‑of‑magnitude growth in clients over the next 3–4 months, and this role exists to make that possible
• Real ownership from day one: you’ll shape how the team operates, not inherit someone else’s playbook
• Cutting‑edge work at the intersection of computational design and high‑growth sectors (energy, data centres, renewables)
• Strong, talented technical team that needs leadership, not hand‑holding
• Growth potential as the company scales — this could evolve into managing multiple teams
• Entrepreneurial environment where you can move fast and make decisions

What to Expect (Honestly)

• Rapid pace: the workload is growing quickly and timelines are tight
• A distributed team across time zones and cultures — you’ll need to be a thoughtful, adaptable manager
• Ambiguity is part of the job — you’ll be building structure while also using it
• Regular travel to client sites (roughly once or twice a month)
• A team with mixed experience levels — you’ll be coaching junior and senior people simultaneously