AI use among architectural and engineering managers is little observed so far. Measured exposure for architectural and engineering managers: 3% (little observed).

Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.

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About the job

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Director of Engineering | Autonomous Systems & Real-Time Software

Tempe / Phoenix, Arizona | ~$225k Base + Significant Equity

What if your next engineering leadership role gave you the opportunity to define the architecture, build the product, hire the team and put your fingerprints on an entirely new technology platform?

We’re partnering exclusively with an early-stage technology company building at the intersection of drones, autonomous systems, AI and physical security .

They’re looking for their first senior software engineering leader .

This is not a role for someone who wants to inherit a mature organization, manage from a distance or spend their days exclusively in meetings.

They need a genuine player-coach .

You’ll operate with Principal-level technical ownership while building the engineering organization around you. Initially, that means architecting systems, writing and reviewing code, shipping critical features and solving production problems yourself. As the company scales, you’ll recruit and develop the engineers who increasingly take ownership alongside you.

What You’ll Build

At the center of the opportunity is a real-time operational platform that enables security professionals to remotely monitor, pilot and ultimately automate physical systems across complex environments.

You’ll have the freedom to shape the platform end-to-end across:

Real-time, operator-facing interfaces

Drone control and remote operations

Live data and video

Cloud infrastructure

APIs and external integrations

Reliability, security and observability

Connected physical systems

AI-assisted and increasingly autonomous capabilities

One of your earliest challenges will be helping overhaul the existing product and enabling operators to pilot drones directly through the platform .

There is no predetermined technology playbook you’re being hired to follow.

You’ll determine what should be retained, what should be rebuilt, how the architecture should evolve and which engineers need to be hired next.

Who We’re Looking For

You may come from autonomy, robotics, drones, aerospace, gaming, simulation, geospatial technology, public safety, physical security or another environment where sophisticated software interacts with the real world .

Direct defense or drone experience is not required.

What matters more is that you’ve personally built and shipped complex software, understand real-time systems and production reliability, can architect across the full stack, and still genuinely enjoy being close to the technology.

You should also have experience hiring, mentoring or leading engineers . The ambition isn’t to remain a team of one. It’s to build an exceptional engineering organization around the platform you help create.

Experience using modern AI coding tools and software agents as part of serious production engineering would be particularly relevant.

Why This Opportunity?

Because genuine greenfield engineering leadership roles are rare.

You’ll work directly alongside product leadership, operators and customers. You’ll see how your software performs in real operational environments and have the authority to improve it.

You’ll help decide the architecture.

You’ll build critical parts of the product.

You’ll hire the team.

You’ll establish the engineering culture.

And you’ll have meaningful equity in what you’re helping create.

Most importantly, the mission has tangible human consequences: using technology to protect people, extend the capabilities of security professionals and reduce the need to put humans in harm’s way.

The company is establishing its engineering organization in Tempe/Phoenix . There is some flexibility during the initial build-out, but this is ultimately an onsite opportunity for someone who wants to build closely alongside the team.

Compensation: Approximately $225k base, with flexibility for exceptional candidates, plus a significant equity component.

If you’re an engineering leader who still considers yourself a builder and the idea of creating something from the ground up is more exciting than inheriting something already finished, I’d welcome a confidential conversation.

Please share your updated resume and upcoming availability.

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