About the role

We're looking for an exceptional engineering leader to build the next generation of Rippling's Talent platform for the AI era.

This isn't a traditional engineering management role. You'll join at the ground floor of a strategic initiative focused on reimagining how companies attract, hire, develop, and retain talent through AI-native experiences.

You'll partner closely with Product and AI Platform leadership to define the vision, prototype new ideas, and build products that fundamentally reshape how organizations manage talent throughout the employee lifecycle.

Rather than inheriting a mature roadmap, you'll help create it.

This role is ideal for someone who loves ambiguity, enjoys building from first principles, and wants the opportunity to create category-defining products backed by one of the fastest-growing enterprise software companies in the world.

What you will do

• Lead the technical strategy and execution for Rippling's next-generation AI-powered Talent platform.
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing engineering organization, hiring exceptional engineers and engineering managers while fostering a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and velocity.
• Partner closely with Product, AI Platform, Design, and executive leadership to define product vision, roadmap, and long-term technical strategy.
• Drive the architecture and delivery of AI-native products spanning the employee lifecycle-from recruiting and onboarding to performance, engagement, and talent development.
• Remain deeply engaged in technical decision-making, architecture reviews, and product development, setting a high bar for engineering quality and execution.
• Create an environment where teams can move quickly, make sound technical decisions, and ship meaningful customer impact.
• Scale both the organization and the technology as the business grows, balancing near-term execution with long-term platform investments.
• Help shape the future direction of Rippling's Talent organization as it expands into new AI-powered experiences.

What you will need

• Experience leading high-performing engineering teams, including hiring, mentoring, and developing senior engineers and engineering managers.
• Proven success building and scaling engineering organizations while maintaining a high technical bar.
• Strong technical depth with the ability to lead architecture discussions, evaluate technical tradeoffs, and contribute meaningfully to complex engineering decisions.
• Demonstrated experience building and shipping complex software products from concept through large-scale customer adoption.
• A builder mindset with the ability to thrive in ambiguous, fast-moving environments and create clarity where none exists.
• Strong product intuition and experience partnering closely with Product and Design to define strategy-not just execute against requirements.
• Excellent cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to influence across engineering, product, and executive stakeholders.
• Curiosity about AI and excitement for applying emerging technologies to fundamentally reshape enterprise software.

Additional Information

This role will receive a competitive salary + benefits + equity. The salary for US-based employees will be aligned with one of the ranges below based on location; see which tier applies to your location here.

A variety of factors are considered when determining someone's compensation-including a candidate's professional background, experience, and location. Final offer amounts may vary from the amounts listed below.

The pay range for this role is:

207,000 - 345,000 USD per year (US San Francisco Bay Area)