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Kismet Search · 1 month ago

Head of Engineering - AI Data Platform

United States

Full-time

Remote

Director/Executive

$210K/yr - $275K/yr

10+ years exp

Kismet Search is a profitable, fast-growth Series-B SaaS startup building an AI-driven, cloud-native data modeling platform. They are seeking a Head of Engineering to lead a talented team of engineers through a major product expansion cycle focused on AI and transformational modeling while optimizing the software development lifecycle.

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Responsibilities

Define technical charter, empower, and retain a high-performing team of 10+ engineers, 1 architect, and 1 DevOps professional

Mentor senior engineers to become technical leaders capable of owning systems end to end

Establish clear ownership, foster a culture where engineers proactively identify problems, propose solutions and execute

Implement and refine agile processes for sprint planning, story-pointing, and release quality tracking

Create visibility into engineering velocity, capacity, and defect trends

Serve as the final decision maker – manage technical tradeoffs, balance innovation with iteration - focus on MVP delivery, not perfectionism

Partner with Product and Leadership to translate business objectives into actionable technology initiatives

Develop and communicate 3–4 core product and engineering themes each year to guide development priorities

Establish a customer-facing roadmap aligned with company OKRs and product strategy

Set baselines for engineering velocity, empower teams to move fast while aligned to technical principles

Introduce a culture of measurable improvement and mentorship, driving both technical excellence and efficiency

Lead AI adoption across both our team and the product itself, driving next-gen architectural initiatives (“Cursor for data modelers”)

Qualification

C#/.NETCloud infrastructureAI/ML integrationSaaS experienceLeadership experienceAgile processesTeam mentoringCommunication skills

Required

10+ years of software engineering experience, including 3+ years in a senior leadership role (Senior Manager through VP level)

Up to date technical experience – you should have been directly involved in coding and architecture within the past 4 years

Deep technical background in C#/.NET (preferred) and cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP)

Proven success leading engineering teams in SaaS Series A/B+ startups (~$10–25M ARR up to $80M ARR range)

Demonstrated experience managing distributed/offshore teams

Current and strong knowledge of latest advances in AI or ML SaaS product integration

Strong communicator to bridge the gap between technical execution and strategic outcomes

Personality fit: No egos and politics. Fine to be the smartest person in the room as long as you don't say so. Good at herding cats and creating productivity and motivation through collaboration and supportive guidance – more carrot than stick. Bias toward action - pragmatic, data-informed, and driven by delivery