Head of Software Engineering

Stealth Startup; Redwood City (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Stealth Startup is seeking an experienced Senior Engineering Manager to lead and scale a growing software team focused on consumer-facing AI-enabled products. You will set technical direction, uphold engineering standards, and ensure rapid delivery with sustainable quality.

You will manage a hands-on, high-performing group, partnering with product and design to align roadmaps with ambitious milestones while fostering a culture of mentorship and excellence.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of software engineering experience.
• At least 3+ years leading engineering teams.
• Experience shipping consumer-facing software with strong product sense.
• Fluent with AI/ML-integrated systems as core to the product.
• Proven track record in building engineering culture and mentoring engineers.

Responsibilities

• Lead, grow, and retain a world-class software engineering team across consumer software and AI.
• Own engineering execution—sprint planning, resourcing, delivery, and team health.
• Set and enforce engineering standards: code quality, architecture patterns, review culture, and on-call practices.
• Partner with product and design to scope work, surface tradeoffs, and hit milestones.
• Recruit aggressively—you’ll be a key part of building the team around you.
• Serve as the connective tissue between individual engineers and company leadership.

Skills

Software engineering

People management

AI/ML systems

Execution

Cross-functional leadership

System architecture

Job description

About Us

We’re building the intelligence layer for the home: ambient, proactive, and built into a family of devices, a central hub, accessories, and the software that ties them together. We’re a Series A startup backed by a tier‑1 VC & technology partners, with an ex‑unicorn founder. Early team, moving fast.

The Role

This is a player‑coach role at a critical moment. You’ll manage and scale a high‑performing team while staying close to the work — setting engineering standards, unblocking execution, and ensuring we ship fast without accumulating debt that slows us down later.

What You’ll Do

• Lead, grow, and retain a world‑class software engineering team across consumer software and AI
• Own engineering execution — sprint planning, resourcing, delivery, and team health
• Set and enforce engineering standards: code quality, architecture patterns, review culture, and on‑call practices
• Partner with product and design to scope work, surface tradeoffs, and hit milestones
• Recruit aggressively — you’ll be a key part of building the team around you
• Serve as the connective tissue between individual engineers and company leadership

You

• 8+ years in software engineering, with 3+ years managing engineering teams
• Deep experience shipping consumer‑facing software — you know what a polished, high‑quality product takes
• Fluent in AI/ML‑integrated systems — you’ve worked on products where models are core to the experience, not a bolt‑on
• Strong people manager: you develop engineers, give direct feedback, and build team culture
• Execution‑oriented — you keep things moving, resolve ambiguity, and protect the team from noise
• Technically credible enough to earn respect from strong engineers without needing to be in every design decision

Why Join

You’ll be building and leading the engineering team behind a product that’s genuinely new — an ambient AI presence in the home. Small team, real ownership, close to the decision‑making, and the opportunity to set engineering culture from scratch. We’re well‑capitalized and moving fast.