Head of Research And Development

Role Description

Beluga Health is seeking a hands-on Head of R&D / Head of Engineering to lead day-to-day engineering execution and delivery. This role is responsible for bringing structure, accountability, and predictability to how engineering work gets done, while actively staying close to the codebase, tools, and team.

This role focuses on execution and team leadership, working in close partnership with executive and technical leadership. Overall technical vision and long-term architecture are owned elsewhere; this role ensures priorities are translated into high-quality, on-time delivery.

Core Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day execution of engineering work across the team
• Translate product and business priorities into clear scopes, timelines, and milestones
• Actively manage sprints, backlogs, and delivery using Jira
• Stay hands-on as needed: discussing code, unblocking engineers, and diving into technical details
• Set clear ownership, expectations, and accountability across the engineering team
• Establish and maintain practical processes for scoping, development, QA, and deployment
• Proactively surface risks, dependencies, and delivery issues
• Partner closely with product, operations, and leadership to ensure clarity and alignment

What Success Looks Like

• Engineering work ships on time with fewer surprises
• Clear ownership and follow-through across all initiatives
• Improved quality, consistency, and delivery confidence
• A focused, well-managed, and accountable engineering team

Ideal Candidate Profile

• An engineering leader with hands-on experience managing delivery-focused teams
• Fluency in a dynamic, fast-paced startup environment and able to bring order to the chaos 
• Strong working knowledge of Jira and modern engineering workflows
• Exceptionally accountable and dependable 
• Able to lead execution without needing to own long-term architecture
• Based in Israel, but available to work occasional evenings to collaborate with colleagues in the U.S.

Company Description

Beluga Health is a physician-led virtual-care infrastructure company that empowers telehealth brands, retailers, and healthcare innovators across the United States. Offering a comprehensive suite of services, including a nationwide network of board-certified physicians, a white-label telehealth platform, and seamless prescription and lab management, Beluga Health provides everything needed to scale high-quality, compliant digital healthcare under any brand. Our team, composed of clinical and engineering experts, is committed to enabling efficient and safe virtual healthcare delivery at scale. We take care of the clinical and regulatory operations so that clients can focus on enhancing their brand, user experience, and growth strategies.