Head of Engineering

Staffing Science; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

4-day on-site workweek

Job summary

Staffing Science in San Francisco is seeking a Director/Head of Engineering to lead a growing, on-site engineering team. This hands-on leader will shape engineering direction, scale systems, and integrate Generative AI into product experiences.

You’ll own architecture across backend, frontend, and AI, mentor 8+ engineers, and drive fast yet secure delivery in a 4-day workweek environment. The role requires 3–5+ years leading teams in startups, strong React/Python experience, and a track record

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years leading engineering teams in startups or growth-stage environments.
• Proven full-stack experience with React and Python.
• Hands-on leader who codes, reviews PRs, and guides architecture.
• Experience delivering AI-driven or high-growth SaaS products.
• Strong product/design partnership mindset and execution discipline.

Responsibilities

• Own architecture across backend, frontend, infra, and AI systems.
• Define scalable, secure foundations for 10x growth.
• Make critical technical decisions with trade-off analysis.
• Partner with product and design to bring Generative AI features to life.
• Operationalize LLMs and data pipelines for reliable experiences.
• Lead and mentor a team of engineers and foster learning culture.
• Drive fast shipping with long-term maintainability and security.

Skills

Leadership

Architecture design

Full-stack development

React / Python

Mentoring

Tools

CI/CD pipelines

Observability

Secure infrastructure

Job description

Director / Head of Engineering (On-Site, San Francisco – 4-Day Workweek)

US Citizen Required.

Must have experience working for Series-backed startups and ideally stints within \"big tech\".

Series A company needing a highly technical leader who can dive into technology with a small but expanding engineering team in San Francisco.

About the Opportunity

We’re partnering with a fast-growing Series A startup that’s using Generative AI to reinvent how complex organizations operate. They’re looking for a hands‑on technical leader who can shape engineering direction, scale a growing team, and help define how modern AI integrates directly into real‑world product experiences.

What You’ll Do

• Own architecture across backend, frontend, infrastructure, and AI systems.


• Define and deliver scalable, secure, and performant foundations for 10x growth.


• Make critical technical decisions with strong trade‑off analysis and execution clarity.


• Partner with product and design to bring Generative AI capabilities to life.


• Operationalize LLMs and data pipelines to deliver intelligent, reliable, high‑impact user experiences.


• Translate emerging research into differentiated, durable product features.


• Lead and mentor a team of 8+ engineers, with plans to nearly double in the next year.


• Cultivate an engineering culture built around speed, ownership, and continuous learning.


• Model technical excellence while creating an environment people love to build in.

Delivery & Quality

• Implement modern CI/CD pipelines, observability tools, and pragmatic workflows.


• Balance fast shipping with long‑term scalability, maintainability, and security.

What Great Looks Like

• 3–5+ years leading engineering teams (Director/VP/Head level) in startup environments.


• Proven ability to manage full‑stack development — ideally in React / Python or similar open‑source stacks.


• Hands‑on leader who still codes, reviews pull requests, and guides architectural design.


• Experience delivering AI‑driven or high‑growth SaaS products.


• Strong partnership mindset with Product and Design; outcome‑driven thinker.


• Deep understanding of scalable architecture, system design, and performance trade‑offs.

Nice‑to‑Have

• Exposure to LLM integration, AI/ML pipelines, or Gen AI features.


• Familiarity with modern DevOps, observability, and secure infrastructure practices.


• Experience across both startup and larger‑brand environments.

Why This Role

• 4-day on‑site workweek (San Francisco)


• High‑growth Series A company with strong funding and momentum.


• Opportunity to lead end‑to‑end architecture, grow a world‑class team, and ship transformative AI‑driven software.