AI Stealth Startup-Engineering Manager

About Us We're an AI-powered platform revolutionizing enterprise application development. Backed by Team8 VC and top-tier angels from the industry, our team of second-time founders brings proven experience in building and scaling successful tech companies. Small but mighty team with zero bureaucracy and maximum impact - where your code directly shapes the future of AI-driven solutions. About the Role We are looking for a Senior Tech Director who is both a strong technologist and an effective organizational leader. This role is responsible for owning technical execution and architecture, while also designing, building, and scaling the engineering organization. You will shape not only what we build, but also how we build and how the team operates, creating a structure that supports speed, quality, and long-term scalability.. In This Role You'll Team Structure & Building (Core Responsibility) Design and evolve the engineering team structure to support product growth and delivery needs. Define roles, responsibilities, and ownership areas as the organization scales. Build the team through hands-on recruitment, interviewing, and onboarding. Create clear working models between engineers, product, and other functions. Establish scalable development practices and communication flows that enable fast, predictable execution. Identify capability gaps and plan future hires accordingly. Ensure the team can grow without sacrificing quality, velocity, or accountability. Maintain up-to-date knowledge and application of AI within development, focusing on building AI-centric company products. Technical Leadership & Architecture Own overall system architecture and long-term technical strategy. Lead design discussions and make final technical decisions. Ensure high standards for code quality, scalability, security, and reliability. Define and improve engineering processes, tooling, and best practices. Hands-On Development Remain actively involved in development and critical technical work. Review code, guide implementations, and solve complex engineering problems. Support the team by removing technical and delivery blockers. Execution & Cross-Functional Collaboration Translate product and business goals into clear engineering plans and priorities. Work closely with founders, product, and customer-facing teams. Own delivery timelines, capacity planning, and execution quality. Balance speed and quality in a fast-changing startup environment. Requirements: Must have: 7+ years of software engineering experience, including leadership responsibility over teams or major initiatives. 3+ years of people management with proven track record Proven ability to design team structures and scale engineering organizations. Strong system design and architecture skills in production environments. Hands-on development experience with modern backend technologies and cloud platforms. Experience building and maintaining development processes (CI/CD, code reviews, testing, monitoring). Experience with AI/ML, data platforms, or developer tools. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills. High ownership, strong decision-making, and comfort operating in ambiguity. Nice to have: Experience scaling engineering teams in startups or growth-stage companies. Experience working with enterprise customers or customer-facing engineering teams. Previous responsibility for hiring strategy and org design. Team8: Team8