Vice President Research And Development

VP R&D | Stealth-Mode SaaS Startup

A well-funded, VC-backed SaaS startup operating in stealth mode is entering a critical growth phase following strong early market validation. The company is building a category-defining platform for the US market and is seeking a VP R&D to lead the next phase of scale.

The Role

Reporting directly to the CEO, the VP R&D will serve as a strategic business partner and a core member of the executive leadership team. The role involves leading the engineering organization through a period of rapid expansion, bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and market-driven execution. The VP R&D will be responsible for building a scalable management layer and ensuring the technical infrastructure supports massive growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Executive Strategy: Collaborate with the CEO and leadership team to align technical execution with business goals, product roadmap, and market demands.
• Scaling & Organizational Design: Lead the rapid expansion of R&D; responsible for recruiting, mentoring, and developing a strong mid-level management layer.
• Board & Investor Relations: Represent the R&D organization in board meetings and investor updates, communicating technical milestones, KPIs, and long-term strategic roadmaps.
• Customer & Market Engagement: Act as the technical face of the company in engagements with Tier-1 customers in the US market, ensuring the platform solves complex business challenges.
• Technical Leadership: Oversee the evolution of the platform’s architecture and infrastructure, ensuring it is built for massive scale, security, and high performance.
• Operational Excellence: Define and implement R&D methodologies, CI/CD processes, and engineering standards that foster a culture of speed, transparency, and quality.

Requirements

• Proven Executive Leadership: 5+ years of experience in senior R&D management (VP R&D or Director) within high-growth, fast-paced startup environments.
• Scale-up Experience: A track record of scaling engineering organizations from early stages to significant size, specifically by building and leading a management tier.
• Strategic & Business Acumen: Ability to think beyond the technology, with a deep understanding of business constraints, customer needs, and market dynamics.
• Technical Proficiency: Deep experience designing and scaling cloud-native SaaS platforms in high-growth environments.
• AI/Data Literacy: Hands-on leadership experience delivering AI-powered or data-intensive products into production, including model lifecycle, performance monitoring, and reliability at scale.
• SaaS & US Market Expertise: Proven track record delivering complex B2B SaaS solutions to US enterprise customers, with familiarity in security, compliance, and performance expectations.
• Executive Communication: Exceptional English communication skills, with the ability to represent the company’s technology to the Board, investors, and global customers.