About the Head of Engineering Role at Robert Half

Robert Half is thrilled to partner with an innovative AI startup in San Francisco, CA, seeking a visionary Head of Engineering to lead their technical transformation. This is a rare builder-first role where you'll fully own the codebase, technical roadmap, and engineering culture while operating extremely hands-on. Partnering directly with founders, you'll shape both the product and business trajectory in a high-growth environment focused on AI-native products. If you thrive on ownership, speed, and building from first principles, this position offers unparalleled impact.

In this full-time role, expect to write production code daily, architect scalable systems, and evolve into a player-coach who hires and mentors a small, elite engineering team. Located in the heart of San Francisco's tech ecosystem, this opportunity combines startup agility with Robert Half's backing for top-tier talent placement.

Key Responsibilities

Core Technical Ownership

• Fully own the entire codebase, ensuring quality, scalability, and maintainability.
• Develop and execute the technical roadmap aligned with business goals.
• Make end-to-end architectural decisions, from infrastructure to application layers.

Hands-On Building

• Write production-ready code daily across frontend, backend, and AI/ML components.
• Drive rapid iteration cycles, moving from idea validation to shipped product in weeks.
• Implement AI-native features using cutting-edge models and frameworks.

Team Leadership & Growth

• Act as player-coach: code alongside your team while setting rigorous standards.
• Hire thoughtfully for a lean, high-impact engineering organization.
• Mentor engineers, conduct code reviews, and raise the technical bar continuously.

Strategic Partnership

• Collaborate closely with founders on product strategy, roadmaps, and go-to-market plans.
• Influence business decisions through technical insights and feasibility analysis.
• Foster a culture of speed, experimentation, and first-principles thinking.

Required Qualifications

To succeed, you'll bring proven expertise in AI product engineering and leadership. Key qualifications include:

• 8+ years of software engineering experience, with 3+ years leading teams.
• Deep hands-on experience with modern stacks (Python, React, AWS/GCP, ML frameworks like TensorFlow/PyTorch).
• Track record of owning codebases in fast-paced startups.
• Strong architectural skills for scalable, AI-powered systems.
• Experience shipping AI/ML products from concept to production.
• Player-coach mentality: comfortable coding 50%+ of the time.
• Excellent communication to bridge technical and business worlds.
• Passion for AI innovation and startup hustle.

Bonus: Prior founder collaboration or experience at Series A/B AI companies.

Why Join Us?

Join a rocketship AI startup through Robert Half and enjoy:

• Compensation: Up to $249,000 base + equity in San Francisco, CA.
• Impact: Shape the company from the ground up with direct founder access.
• Growth: Rapid career progression as the first engineering leader.
• Culture: Builder-first ethos emphasizing speed, ownership, and innovation.
• Perks: Full benefits, flexible work, professional development, and SF tech network.

This Head of Engineering role is perfect for ambitious engineers ready to lead AI disruption. Apply now via Robert Half to secure your spot in San Francisco's next big thing. Robert Half specializes in placing top engineering talent—let us accelerate your career.

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