Director of Engineering

Cryptic Vector; Kentucky; Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Cryptic Vector in Kentucky seeks a Director of Engineering to lead and scale our engineering organization, owning talent management and high-quality execution across programs.

You'll partner with Program Managers and Division Directors to place the right engineers on the right projects, establish standards, and foster a culture of collaboration, technical excellence, and mission impact.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive engineering experience with significant leadership
• Proven track record building and scaling high-performing engineering teams
• Experience owning talent management processes (hiring, performance, development, retention)
• Ability to drive engineering execution against quality, schedule, and standards

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the engineering organization across programs
• Own talent management: hiring, development, mentoring, performance, retention
• Allocate engineers to programs, IRADs, and proposals
• Establish consistent engineering processes, standards, tools, and metrics
• Drive execution focusing on quality, schedule, and technical rigor
• Identify gaps and develop recruiting or training plans
• Develop technical leaders and clear career paths
• Balance resources across competing priorities
• Partner with Program Managers and Division Directors for resources
• Own engineering metrics and organizational health (utilization, retention, attrition)
• Foster culture of collaboration, technical excellence, and mission impact

Skills

Leadership

Engineering management

Talent management

Cross-functional collaboration

Security clearance (active or ability)

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or Computer Science

Master’s degree (preferred)

Job description

Description

At Cryptic Vector, we are dedicated to mission success. We take the time to understand our customers' needs, delivering products that perform when our nation needs them most. We understand that properly supporting the most unique missions of the United States government requires the nation’s best. Our focus is on creating a culture where the best and brightest want to grow, learn, and stay. If coming up with out-of-the-box solutions is your specialty, then you’ll feel right at home at Cryptic Vector. We are solving the country’s most unique problems in an environment where problem solvers and hard workers thrive. We've replaced corporate red tape with transparency and servant leadership. Honestly, it’s hard not to love this culture!

We value the individual experiences that our team members add to our culture and capabilities. Please don't hesitate to apply even if you don't meet the exact qualifications! We are interested in varying levels of experience.

Director of Engineering

We’re looking for an experienced, people-focused Director of Engineering to lead and scale our engineering organization. In this role, you’ll own engineering talent management, drive high-quality technical execution, and build the processes and culture that enable mission success. You’ll partner closely with Program Managers and Division Directors to ensure the right talent is in the right places while developing the next generation of technical leaders.

You’ll have the opportunity to shape how engineering operates across the company-establishing consistent standards, balancing resources across competing priorities, and fostering a culture of collaboration, technical excellence, and mission impact.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the engineering organization
• Own engineering talent management: hiring, development, mentoring, performance, and retention
• Ensure the right engineering talent is assigned to programs, IRADs, and proposals
• Establish consistent engineering processes, standards, tools, and best practices across locations and divisions
• Drive engineering execution with a focus on quality, schedule, technical rigor, accountability, and follow-through
• Identify skill and capability gaps and develop recruiting or training plans to address them
• Develop technical leaders and create clear career paths for engineers
• Balance engineering resources across competing program and business priorities
• Partner with Program Managers and Division Directors to ensure programs have the technical resources needed to succeed
• Own engineering metrics and organizational health (utilization, staffing, attrition, recruiting needs, skill mix, etc.)
• Foster a strong engineering culture focused on collaboration, technical excellence, innovation, and mission impact

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive engineering experience, including significant leadership experience
• Proven track record of building, leading, and scaling high-performing engineering teams
• Experience owning talent management processes (hiring, performance management, development, and retention)
• Demonstrated ability to drive engineering execution against quality, schedule, and technical standards
• Experience establishing engineering processes, standards, tools, and metrics
• Strong ability to partner with program and business leadership in a matrixed environment
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field
• Active security clearance (or ability to obtain one) preferred depending on program needs

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a technical or related field
• Experience leading multi-site or multi-division engineering organizations
• Background in defense, intelligence, or government contracting environments
• Experience with resource planning, capacity management, and organizational health metrics
• Demonstrated success developing technical leaders and career frameworks
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders

This role requires use of technical data subject to U.S. Government contract restrictions, therefore this posting is only for U.S. Citizens.

Cryptic Vector is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.