Director of Engineering - VC Backed Startups

At SignalFire, we partner with top early-stage startups that are shaping the future of technology. Our portfolio spans 200+ innovative companies across AI, cybersecurity, healthtech, fintech, developer tools, and enterprise SaaS.

We’re looking to connect with exceptional Directors of Engineering who are excited about leading teams, scaling engineering organizations, and driving technical execution at high-growth startups. By joining SignalFire’s Talent Network, your profile will be shared with our portfolio companies, giving you visibility into exclusive early-stage opportunities that may not be publicly listed.

💡 This is not an application for a specific job. Instead, this is a way to get on the radar of VC-backed startups that are actively hiring AI/ML talent. If you have any questions, please direct inquiries to [email protected].

We’re looking for leaders who are:
✔ Passionate about scaling engineering teams and building high-growth startup cultures
✔ Experienced in technical strategy, people management, and driving execution
✔ Excited to mentor and develop engineers while maintaining technical excellence

• Lead and scale engineering teams, ensuring strong hiring, mentorship, and team development

• Define and execute engineering strategy, aligning with product and business goals

• Partner with founders and executives to shape technical vision and long-term roadmap

• Oversee architecture, infrastructure, and best practices to build scalable and reliable systems

• Develop and implement engineering processes, CI/CD workflows, and operational excellence

• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement

• Drive cross-functional collaboration with product, design, and business teams

• Optimize performance, security, and cost efficiency across engineering initiatives

While each startup has its own hiring criteria, many director of engineering roles in our network look for:

• 8+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 3+ years in leadership roles

• Experience managing teams of engineers in fast-paced, high-growth environments

• Expertise in backend and/or full-stack development with modern languages and frameworks

• Strong knowledge of scalable architectures, distributed systems, and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)

• Experience leading engineering operations, security, and DevOps best practices

• Proven ability to hire, retain, and develop world-class engineering talent

• Strong understanding of Agile, Kanban, and engineering execution methodologies

• Experience in early-stage startups or rapidly scaling technology companies

• Languages & Frameworks: JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Ruby, Golang, Java, React, Node.js, Django, Flask, FastAPI, Spring Boot

• Cloud & DevOps: AWS (EKS, ECS, Lambda), GCP (GKE, Cloud Run), Azure, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, Jenkins, GitHub Actions

• Databases & Storage: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, DynamoDB, Redis

• Other Tools: GraphQL, REST APIs, Kafka, RabbitMQ, Elasticsearch

1. Submit your application to join SignalFire’s Talent Ecosystem.

2. We review applications on an ongoing basis to identify strong candidates.

3. If there’s a match, a SignalFire talent partner or a leader from one of our startups may reach out directly.

4. No match yet? We’ll keep your profile on file for future engineering leadership roles in our portfolio.