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Director of Engineering

Austin, TX

KUNGFU.AI is a management consulting and engineering firm focused exclusively on artificial intelligence. We empower CEOs and senior executives to leverage the full potential of AI so they remain competitive in a rapidly evolving world.

Our expert team delivers AI strategy and bespoke production-grade solutions that allow clients to rapidly realize value. We stand apart because we implement our AI strategies into production quickly, safely, and responsibly.

Outside of our virtual walls we are painters, foodies, cocktail connoisseurs, musicians, crossword-doers, athletes, dungeon masters, non-profit board members, and more. We’d welcome the opportunity to meet you.

As a Director of Engineering, you will sit at the cutting edge of machine learning and software engineering. You will be responsible for instilling best practices and fostering the growth and success of our talented engineers. While we are a remote company, we are prioritizing someone in Austin, Texas for this role as there are ad-hoc and recurring leadership meetings that occur in person.

You will join a team of experienced engineers and entrepreneurs bringing practical AI solutions to the market.

Here's what you'll be doing:

  • Providing technical and non-technical leadership to a team of 5-8 engineers, including career development, performance evaluations, and regular one-on-one meetings
  • Collaborating with other Directors of Engineering to create new processes, implement engineering methodologies, identify best practices, define fiscal year budgets, etc.
  • Acting as a cultural steward by promoting team growth and innovation, while fostering a scalable engineering organization
  • Managing technical risks across various projects, as well as non-project internal initiatives and ensuring smooth execution
  • Communicating technical decisions to stakeholders, resolving blocking issues, and keeping the engineering team operating smoothly
  • Assisting with resource planning, hiring, and project staffing
  • Working collaboratively with other delivery leaders (project management, strategy, business development, account management) to ensure successful project outcomes, ongoing team well-being, and client satisfaction
  • Consulting with our Growth team to understand prospective client needs to accurately scope and successfully deliver solutions
  • Serving as the technical authority on client engagements, including attending meetings, managing relationships, and creating project artifacts
  • Giving direction on best practices related to software engineering, machine learning engineering and architecture design

What we'd like to see:

  • You have extensive hands-on experience building and deploying production AI/ML solutions, both traditional and modern
  • You have a growth mindset and an insatiable curiosity around AI and AI-related technologies
  • We believe that our clients and team are best served by “experts leading experts.” Therefore, you are an expert practitioner in the technologies the team builds. Typically we tackle a wide variety of natural language and computer vision applications (among others) using object-oriented code design, containerized deployments, cloud infrastructure, and common open source machine learning libraries. We don’t expect you to know every tool and technique imaginable, but you should be able to assist your team members when they need help
  • You’ve got some stories to tell about mentorship, management, and your hand in the growth of engineering teams that have built AI/ML systems
  • You deeply embody servant leadership and have a demonstrated ability to form trusting relationships with those on your team.
  • Culture means a lot to you. You are a steward of psychologically safe and team-first environments. You prioritize the responsible usage of AI and seek out perspectives that differ from your own
  • Ideally, you’ll have experience working in early-stage companies where you’ve seen and led engineering teams through significant growth
  • You’re an excellent communicator who is capable of conveying complex systems to technical and non-technical audiences

What’s in it for you:

This is a full-time position. Compensation includes competitive salary, company stock grant, top (‘gold’) level of health, dental and vision insurance (KUNGFU.AI covers 100% of your premiums and 50% for any dependents), health and dependent flexible spending accounts, short- and long-term disability insurance, unlimited vacation (that you're encouraged to take), paid parental leave, and more.

If this opportunity excites you, we can’t wait to meet you! Please send your resume along with a cover letter explaining why you’re passionate about the idea of joining KUNGFU.AI and a great fit for this role. Note: Due to ITAR compliance and regulations we are only able to hire US Citizens and Green Card Holders.

KUNGFU.AI Culture

We are committed to building an inclusive culture that’s professional and effective, while also fun, collaborative and open. We are proud to be the first company to take The Startup Diversity and Inclusion Pledge, which one of our co-founders started. We actively encourage people from underrepresented groups to apply. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce fosters more creative ideas, conversations, and results.
We also believe in using AI for Good in both our client projects and our corporate philanthropy.
Our values are incredibly important to how we show up for each other, our clients, and for society at large. We expect all of our team members to be:
Inquisitive, in that they have an innate desire to learn and teach.
Inventive, in that nothing (ego, fear, etc.) gets in the way of innovation.
Open, in that they willingly share their learnings and experience with all.
Caring, in that they prioritize self-care, empathy, and an understanding of others.
Trustworthy, as that underpins all of the above.

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