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Vice President, Engineering

Bristol, RI

About the Role

Vatn Systems is seeking a mission-driven Vice President of Engineering to lead our technical organization at a pivotal moment of growth. Embedded in the defense and government technology sector, we build the critical software and hardware systems that empower undersea superiority for the US and our allies. 

The VP of Engineering will serve as the senior technical leader, responsible for building and scaling high-performing teams, guiding system architecture, and ensuring reliable, secure product delivery. This role requires a strategic operator who can identify bottlenecks, improve organizational effectiveness, and provide cross-functional technical insight, while driving alignment across the company around shared goals, priorities, and execution.

What You’ll Own

Engineering Organization & Hiring

  • Build and lead a high-performing engineering organization across software development, hardware development, platform engineering, and QA/test.
  • Define and implement engineering career ladders, performance frameworks, and hiring processes to attract and retain exceptional talent.
  • Foster a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and continuous improvement.
  • Partner with HR and executive leadership on workforce planning, compensation benchmarking, and organizational design.
  • Serve as the primary engineering leader, driving recruiting efforts and fostering a culture of leadership and accountability. 

Technical Architecture

  • Advise and facilitate long-term technical vision and architecture for Vatn’s platform and products, ensuring decisions account for scale, security, and maintainability.
  • Advise on architectural reviews and establish engineering standards for system design, hardware, software, etc
  • Champion secure-by-design and security-first development practices.
  • Evaluate and guide technology adoption, including cloud infrastructure (AWS GovCloud, Azure Government), design tools, DevSecOps tooling, and emerging AI/ML capabilities.
  • Maintain appropriate technical depth to weigh in on critical architectural trade-offs and guide senior engineers.

Product Delivery

  • Drive disciplined, predictable software and hardware delivery across multiple concurrent programs and customer engagements.
  • Advise on engineering processes that enable speed without sacrificing quality.
  • Own cross-functional relationships with product managers and program leadership to align engineering capacity with roadmap priorities.
  • Advise on engineering KPIs (velocity, defect rates, deployment frequency, MTTR) and use data to continuously improve delivery performance.
  • Maintain awareness of technical debt and advise on sustaining long-term delivery health

Qualifications

Required

  • 10+ years of engineering experience, including 4+ years in engineering leadership roles managing teams of 15 or more.
  • Demonstrated experience building and scaling engineering organizations in defense, aerospace, robotics, or other complex electromechanical products.
  • Strong background and diverse technical background in hardware and software engineering.
  • Proven track record of delivering complex hardware and software products at scale.
  • Active TS/SCI clearance, or ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance.
  • Exceptional communication skills—able to brief program offices, government customers, and executive stakeholders with clarity and credibility.

Preferred

  • Prior experience at a high-growth robotics/drone company.
  • Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.

Why Vatn Systems

At Vatn, we operate with a clear sense of mission: the products we build matter. You will have the opportunity to shape the technical direction of a company at the leading edge of defense technology—with a leadership team that values both engineering excellence and real-world mission impact.

  • High-ownership, low-bureaucracy environment where your decisions drive outcomes.
  • Competitive compensation including equity participation.
  • Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, and 401(k) with company match.
  • A team of engineers and operators who are deeply committed to the mission.

Equal Opportunity

Vatn Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

U.S. citizenship is required. This position is subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

 

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