Head of Engineering - Life Sciences

Open Select; New York (NY); On-site; USD 225,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity options

Flexible work environment

Impactful work in high-growth startup

Job summary

A venture-backed startup in New York City is seeking a Head of Engineering to join their founding executive team. The role involves setting the technical vision, leading an elite team, and driving the product roadmap in a dynamic AI-driven environment. Ideal candidates possess over 6 years of experience in engineering leadership roles and are skilled in modern tech stacks like React, TypeScript, and NodeJS. This position offers a competitive salary and equity in a firm that aims to revolutionize decision-making in the pharma industry.

Qualifications

• 6+ years as an engineering leader with experience hiring and mentoring teams.
• Proven track record in fast-paced, high-growth, or startup environments.
• Strong communicator, comfortable representing technical strategy externally.

Responsibilities

• Set the technical vision and drive the product roadmap.
• Recruit, mentor, and manage a high-performing team.
• Integrate emerging AI techniques and set best practices.

Skills

Hands-on with React

Hands-on with TypeScript

Hands-on with NodeJS

Hands-on with PostgreSQL

Hands-on with Python

Experience with advanced AI techniques

Leadership skills

Education

Degree from a top university or equivalent experience

Tools

PostgreSQL

React

NodeJS

Python

Job description

Head of Engineering

Location: New York City (On-site)

Salary: Up to $250k + equity

Industry: AI / Life Sciences

What You’ll Drive

Join the founding executive team at a venture-backed startup transforming decision‑making in biopharma. With $5.5M in funding, years of runway, and partnerships with top pharma companies, you will work alongside a tight‑knit team building AI‑powered tools that help bring life‑changing therapies to patients faster, all from a collaborative Flatiron office.

As Head of Engineering, you will set the technical vision, drive the product roadmap, and build an elite engineering culture from the ground up. You will blend hands‑on leadership with strategy, own the rollout of innovative AI features, and play a key role in hiring, mentoring, and shaping the future of both the product and the team.

What You’ll Focus On

• Define and execute technical and product vision, aligning engineering, product, and business goals
• Lead product cycles, deliver new features, and ensure robust, scalable infrastructure
• Integrate emerging AI techniques (retrieval, LLMs, agentic AI, RAG systems, vector DBs) and set best practices in architecture, code quality, testing, and DevOps
• Recruit, mentor, and manage a high‑performing team, fostering a culture of accountability, curiosity, and collaboration
• Represent the company to customers, partners, and investors, and collaborate with leadership on strategic initiatives

Who You Are

• 6+ years as an engineering leader (Head of Engineering, CTO, founder, tech lead, or engineering manager) with experience hiring, mentoring, and managing early‑stage teams
• Led development of user‑centric products with a focus on performance, scalability, and rapid iteration
• Hands‑on with React, TypeScript, NodeJS, PostgreSQL, Python, and best practices in architecture, testing, and DevOps
• Experienced with advanced AI techniques (agentic AI, RAG systems, multi‑step agents, vector DBs)
• Proven track record in fast‑paced, high‑growth, or startup environments, building products from 0 to 1, ideally as part of a small or founding team
• High agency and ownership, with a bias for action and delivering high‑quality solutions that improve with feedback
• Degree from a top university or equivalent experience, and/or background in high‑caliber technical settings
• Strong communicator, comfortable representing technical strategy externally

Tech Stack

React, TypeScript, NodeJS, PostgreSQL, Python, LLMs, RAG, agentic AI

Why You’ll Thrive Here

• Recently raised $5.5M with 3–4 years of runway, backed by YC, Wireframe Ventures, and Crosslink Capital
• Strong early traction with partnerships at top pharma companies and a healthy pipeline for growth
• Make a real impact by helping bring drugs to patients faster through transforming how pharma companies make decisions
• Founding executive role in a high‑ownership, five‑person team in Flatiron, New York

This role is open to US citizens, Green Card holders and TN visa holders only.