VP of Engineering

Satsuma

$150K — $200K *
Information Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 7+ years of engineering experience, including 3 years in senior leadership
  • Track record in building distributed systems and external-facing APIs
  • Experience with merchant-side systems like POS and product catalogs
  • Familiarity with the AI infrastructure ecosystem
  • Ability to operate strategically and tactically, including coding when necessary
  • Strong focus on data privacy, pricing control, and platform reliability
  • Proven capability to hire and manage technical talent
  • Based in Austin or willing to relocate

Responsibilities

  • Lead engineering efforts encompassing platform architecture and feature delivery
  • Translate product roadmap into engineering milestones and ensure fast, high-quality releases
  • Architect distributed systems and APIs for real-time data flows
  • Manage integrations with merchant systems like POS and commerce APIs
  • Hire, mentor, and grow a high-performance engineering team
  • Ensure system uptime, data control, security, and monitoring
  • Collaborate with the CEO and leadership on product and data strategy

Benefits

  • 401(k) Plan with employer contributions
  • Flexible healthcare reimbursement for medical expenses
  • Unlimited PTO for work-life balance
  • Fully covered gym membership for wellness
  • Free healthy meals at the office
Full Job Description
Requirements
About the Role

Satsuma AI is seeking a driven and experienced VP of Engineering to lead and scale our engineering team at one of the most exciting AI infrastructure companies in the data economy. As VP of Engineering, you'll be responsible for owning the engineering roadmap, delivering on product milestones, and ensuring the performance, reliability, and scalability of our core platform.

You'll work closely with the CEO and product leadership to define and execute the technical vision of the company. This is a foundational leadership role where you'll shape the architecture that powers high-value AI agents and enterprise integrations-helping Satsuma become the default infrastructure layer for real-time data access and actions.

We are a fast-moving, execution-focused team. We're looking for someone who can lead hands-on when needed, build a world-class engineering culture, and help us scale from startup to category-defining company.

What You'll Do

  • Lead all engineering efforts, including platform architecture, feature delivery, reliability, and scaling
  • Translate the product roadmap into engineering milestones and ship fast, high-quality releases
  • Architect distributed systems and APIs that support real-time data flows and downstream actions
  • Build and manage integrations with merchant systems such as POS, catalog, and commerce APIs
  • Hire, mentor, and grow a high-performance engineering team from the ground up
  • Ensure uptime, data control, security, and monitoring across all systems
  • Collaborate directly with the CEO and leadership team on product and data strategy


What We're Looking For

  • 7+ years of engineering experience, with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role (e.g. VP Engineering, Director of Engineering, Principal Architect) at a high-growth startup or technical organization
  • Strong track record building distributed systems and external-facing APIs
  • Experience with merchant-side systems, including POS, product catalogs, or commerce data flows
  • Familiarity with the AI infrastructure ecosystem, including how LLMs and AI agents interact with APIs
  • Able to operate at both strategic and tactical levels-you're comfortable writing code during crunch time
  • Thoughtful about data privacy, pricing control, and platform reliability
  • Proven ability to hire and manage strong technical talent
  • Based in Austin or willing to relocate and work in person with the founding team

Benefits
Benefits

At Satsuma AI, we believe in creating a work environment that supports high performance and personal well-being. As part of our team, you'll receive:
  • 401(k) Plan - Build for your future with employer-supported retirement savings.
  • Healthcare Reimbursement - Flexible reimbursement for your medical, dental, and vision expenses.
  • Unlimited PTO - Take the time you need to recharge, with a flexible and trusting vacation policy.
  • Free Gym Access - Stay active with a fully covered gym membership.
  • Free Meals - Enjoy delicious, healthy meals at the office every day.

We're an in-person team based in Austin, TX, committed to building ambitious technology with people who love to move fast, take ownership, and solve real problems.

Similar Jobs

More Information Technology Jobs

Find similar VP of Engineering jobs: