VP of Engineering

Team: Engineering

Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Commitment: Full-Time

Workplace Type: hybrid

Why This Could Be Your Dream Role

• You want to build something that matters.
• Zuma is solving real problems in a massive industry using cutting-edge AI. The impact of your work will be felt by thousands of property managers and millions of renters — not someday, but now.
• You want to help define the future of AI-human collaboration.
• At Zuma, we’re not just using AI — we’re reimagining how humans interface with intelligent agents operationally, every day. As VP of Engineering, you’ll be at the forefront of the AI revolution, building the infrastructure and experiences that shape how businesses and consumers interact with autonomous systems in the real world. This is your chance to build technology that doesn't just scale — it shifts paradigms.
• You’re energized by blank canvas moments.
• This is a unique chance to architect the engineering org from the ground up — to shape the systems, culture, and people that will define how Zuma scales to $100M+ ARR.
• You love turning complexity into clarity.
• You see messy infrastructure, growing teams, and technical debt not as obstacles, but as opportunities to simplify, streamline, and scale with intention.
• You believe engineering should lead, not follow.
• At Zuma, engineers aren’t ticket takers — they’re strategic partners in product development, customer discovery, and innovation. Your leadership will set that tone company-wide.
• You care deeply about people.
• You’re a magnet for top talent, a mentor at heart, and someone who builds high-trust, high-performance teams where people do the best work of their careers.
• You want to be part of a rocket ship — early.
• With strong product-market fit, incredible customers, and backing from a16z, YC, and more — Zuma is just getting started. Joining now means you get to help write the story, not just execute it.

Why You Should Think Twice

• You prefer to operate inside a fully mature org with clean systems, big teams, and lots of process.
• → We’re early. The systems you want probably don’t exist yet — you will help build them.
• You need a perfect roadmap before taking action.
• → We bias toward velocity, experimentation, and learning by doing — not months of planning.
• You prefer to lead from behind the scenes.
• → This is a highly visible role. You’ll be recruiting, coaching, setting strategy, jumping into customer calls, and occasionally rolling up your sleeves.
• You’re optimizing for work-life balance above all else.
• → We’re respectful of life outside work — but this is a high-intensity, high-ownership environment. We’re here to win.
• You want to manage, not build.
• → In this chapter, the best leaders are still operators. You’ll set strategy, but you’ll also get into the weeds when needed.

What We’re Looking For

• 12+ years of engineering experience, with at least 3+ years in a senior leadership role (VP, Head of Eng, or Director-level with VP-level scope).
• Experience scaling an engineering team from early-stage (Seed/Series A) to growth-stage (Series B+). You’ve built and led teams from 5 to 20+ engineers and understand what it takes to transition from startup to scale.
• A track record of attracting, hiring, and retaining top-tier engineering talent. You’ve built high-performing orgs and are known as someone great engineers want to follow.
• Strong technical fundamentals, with a background in modern web architecture, distributed systems, or AI-driven platforms. While you won't be coding daily, you can dive into system design or architecture discussions with confidence.
• Product-centric mindset. You think in terms of user impact, not just code. You’ve worked closely with PMs and designers, and you love when engineering helps simplify or reshape the product strategy.
• Proven ability to manage technical debt while maintaining velocity. You know how to thread the needle between fixing the foundation and shipping features that move the business.
• Experience building in high-intensity environments. Startups, scale-ups, or transformational roles where speed, ambiguity, and urgency were the norm.