Vice President Software Engineering Jobs in California

Client Overview
Our client is an innovative, high-growth technology startup operating at a pivotal Series A/B inflection point within the applied AI, robotics, and industrial automation sectors. Known for developing cutting-edge, field-deployed AI and fleet solutions, they are transforming how operational technology is managed in the real world. This is a unique opportunity to join the executive team and build a world-class engineering organization that will scale the company's enterprise-grade AI platforms and support complex, industrial use cases.

Overview
This position exists to build, organize, and align a cohesive, cross-functional backend organization capable of supporting complex AI deployments at scale. By fortifying the remote-managed software stack, stabilizing the overall AI fleet, and establishing rigorous execution standards, this role directly reduces friction for customer-facing implementations while ensuring the core platform evolves strategically beyond reactive client demands.

Summary
We are seeking an authoritative and strategic VP of Engineering to lead a cross-functional team of approximately 20 professionals across backend software engineering, AI/ML, data operations, and product management. The primary focus of this role is to define a clear technical vision, mature internal operating rhythms, and architect scalable solutions for edge environments while supporting the Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) team. The ideal candidate is a high-agency technical leader with a proven track record of scaling engineering teams and navigating high-stakes architectural decisions within fast-paced Series A or B startup environments.

Responsibilities
Lead and scale a cross-functional engineering organization of 20+ professionals, encompassing AI engineering, data quality/annotation, product management, and backend software engineering.

Define and execute a compelling technical vision for backend, AI, data, and platform engineering that aligns with the company's broader strategic objectives.

Drive an independent engineering and product roadmap that proactively advances core platform capabilities separately from immediate, customer-specific field requests.

Direct backend technical operations to seamlessly support the customer-facing FDE organization, ensuring field implementations are scalable, reliable, and highly repeatable.

Architect robust technical solutions and operational processes capable of supporting edge environments, field deployments, and enterprise-grade industrial reliability requirements.

Establish rigorous execution standards, technical review mechanisms, and operating rhythms that continuously improve engineering velocity, quality, and accountability.

Recruit, mentor, and retain top-tier engineering and product leadership, raising the organizational bar for technical decision-making and cross-functional collaboration.

Partner with the executive leadership team to effectively translate high-level business strategy into actionable engineering priorities, resourcing plans, and measurable outcomes.

Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical discipline (or equivalent practical experience).

Years of Experience: Extensive progressive experience in senior technical leadership roles (Senior Director, Head of Engineering, or VP of Engineering), with a proven track record of managing cross-functional teams of 20 or more individuals.

Startup Experience: Demonstrated success operating effectively in fast-moving, ambiguous Series A to Series B stage startup environments.

Technical Skills: Deep expertise leading backend systems, data-intensive platforms, and production-grade software delivery. Familiarity with AI/ML production systems, data labeling pipelines, model evaluation workflows, and distributed/edge cloud environments.

Industry Experience: Strong background supporting customer-facing solutions or field engineering teams. Experience in industrial automation, edge AI, robotics, manufacturing technology, or fleet solutions is highly preferred.

Leadership Skills: Authoritative technical presence with the ability to distinguish between urgent customer needs and long-term platform leverage. Must be hands-on enough to challenge architectural plans while senior enough to lead through subordinate managers.

TRC Talent Solutions is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. At TRC, we take pride in fulfilling our opportunity to add value to our client's business as their staffing partner while connecting talented professionals with opportunities to grow their careers.