Head of Engineering - Life Sciences

Open Select

Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 6+ years in engineering leadership roles (CTO, Head of Engineering, etc.)
  • Experience in hiring and mentoring early-stage teams
  • Proficient in user-centric product development with high scalability
  • Hands-on expertise in React, TypeScript, NodeJS, PostgreSQL, Python
  • Knowledge of advanced AI techniques (agentic AI, RAG systems)
  • Strong communication skills for representing technical strategies externally
  • Degree from a top university or equivalent experience

Responsibilities

  • Define and execute technical and product vision aligning engineering and business goals
  • Lead product cycles, ensuring robust and scalable infrastructure
  • Integrate emerging AI techniques and establish best practices in code quality and DevOps
  • Recruit and manage a high-performing engineering team
  • Represent the company to customers and collaborate on strategic initiatives

Benefits

  • Backed by $5.5M in funding with 3-4 years of runway
  • Strong partnerships with top pharmaceutical companies
  • Opportunity to significantly impact the drug development process
  • Founding executive role within a small, high-ownership team
  • Collaborative work environment in a vibrant NYC location
Full Job Description
Head of Engineering

Location: New York City (On-site)

Salary: Up to $250k + equity

Industry: AI / Life Sciences

What You'll Drive

Join the founding executive team at a venture-backed startup transforming decision-making in biopharma. With $5.5M in funding, years of runway, and partnerships with top pharma companies, you will work alongside a tight-knit team building AI-powered tools that help bring life-changing therapies to patients faster, all from a collaborative Flatiron office.

As Head of Engineering, you will set the technical vision, drive the product roadmap, and build an elite engineering culture from the ground up. You will blend hands-on leadership with strategy, own the rollout of innovative AI features, and play a key role in hiring, mentoring, and shaping the future of both the product and the team.

What You'll Focus On
  • Define and execute technical and product vision, aligning engineering, product, and business goals
  • Lead product cycles, deliver new features, and ensure robust, scalable infrastructure
  • Integrate emerging AI techniques (retrieval, LLMs, agentic AI, RAG systems, vector DBs) and set best practices in architecture, code quality, testing, and DevOps
  • Recruit, mentor, and manage a high-performing team, fostering a culture of accountability, curiosity, and collaboration
  • Represent the company to customers, partners, and investors, and collaborate with leadership on strategic initiatives

Who You Are
  • 6+ years as an engineering leader (Head of Engineering, CTO, founder, tech lead, or engineering manager) with experience hiring, mentoring, and managing early-stage teams
  • Led development of user-centric products with a focus on performance, scalability, and rapid iteration
  • Hands-on with React, TypeScript, NodeJS, PostgreSQL, Python, and best practices in architecture, testing, and DevOps
  • Experienced with advanced AI techniques (agentic AI, RAG systems, multi-step agents, vector DBs)
  • Proven track record in fast-paced, high-growth, or startup environments, building products from 0 to 1, ideally as part of a small or founding team
  • High agency and ownership, with a bias for action and delivering high-quality solutions that improve with feedback
  • Degree from a top university or equivalent experience, and/or background in high-caliber technical settings
  • Strong communicator, comfortable representing technical strategy externally

Tech Stack

React, TypeScript, NodeJS, PostgreSQL, Python, LLMs, RAG, agentic AI

Why You'll Thrive Here
  • Recently raised $5.5M with 3-4 years of runway, backed by YC, Wireframe Ventures, and Crosslink Capital
  • Strong early traction with partnerships at top pharma companies and a healthy pipeline for growth
  • Make a real impact by helping bring drugs to patients faster through transforming how pharma companies make decisions
  • Founding executive role in a high-ownership, five-person team in Flatiron, New York

This role is open to US citizens, Green Card holders and TN visa holders only.

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