Director of Engineering - VC Backed Startups
Remote - No Preference
Join SignalFire’s Talent Network for Director of Engineering Roles at VC-Backed Startups
At SignalFire, we partner with top early-stage startups that are shaping the future of technology. Our portfolio spans 200+ innovative companies across AI, cybersecurity, healthtech, fintech, developer tools, and enterprise SaaS.
We’re looking to connect with exceptional Directors of Engineering who are excited about leading teams, scaling engineering organizations, and driving technical execution at high-growth startups. By joining SignalFire’s Talent Network, your profile will be shared with our portfolio companies, giving you visibility into exclusive early-stage opportunities that may not be publicly listed.
💡 This is not an application for a specific job. Instead, this is a way to get on the radar of VC-backed startups that are actively hiring AI/ML talent. If you have any questions, please direct inquiries to talentnetwork@signalfire.com.
Who Should Join?
We’re looking for leaders who are:
✔ Passionate about scaling engineering teams and building high-growth startup cultures
✔ Experienced in technical strategy, people management, and driving execution
✔ Excited to mentor and develop engineers while maintaining technical excellence
Typical Roles & Responsibilities
Lead and scale engineering teams, ensuring strong hiring, mentorship, and team development
Define and execute engineering strategy, aligning with product and business goals
Partner with founders and executives to shape technical vision and long-term roadmap
Oversee architecture, infrastructure, and best practices to build scalable and reliable systems
Develop and implement engineering processes, CI/CD workflows, and operational excellence
Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement
Drive cross-functional collaboration with product, design, and business teams
Optimize performance, security, and cost efficiency across engineering initiatives
Common Qualifications
While each startup has its own hiring criteria, many director of engineering roles in our network look for:
8+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 3+ years in leadership roles
Experience managing teams of engineers in fast-paced, high-growth environments
Expertise in backend and/or full-stack development with modern languages and frameworks
Strong knowledge of scalable architectures, distributed systems, and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)
Experience leading engineering operations, security, and DevOps best practices
Proven ability to hire, retain, and develop world-class engineering talent
Strong understanding of Agile, Kanban, and engineering execution methodologies
Experience in early-stage startups or rapidly scaling technology companies
💡 Technologies You Might Work With:
Languages & Frameworks: JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Ruby, Golang, Java, React, Node.js, Django, Flask, FastAPI, Spring Boot
Cloud & DevOps: AWS (EKS, ECS, Lambda), GCP (GKE, Cloud Run), Azure, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, Jenkins, GitHub Actions
Databases & Storage: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, DynamoDB, Redis
Other Tools: GraphQL, REST APIs, Kafka, RabbitMQ, Elasticsearch
What Happens Next?
Submit your application to join SignalFire’s Talent Ecosystem.
We review applications on an ongoing basis to identify strong candidates.
If there’s a match, a SignalFire talent partner or a leader from one of our startups may reach out directly.
No match yet? We’ll keep your profile on file for future engineering leadership roles in our portfolio.
Job Profile
Tasks- Define and execute engineering strategy
- Define engineering strategy
- Develop engineering processes
- Drive collaboration
- Foster innovation
- Lead and scale engineering teams
- Lead engineering teams
- Optimize performance
- Oversee architecture
- Partner with founders
Agile AI AWS AWS EKS Azure Backend Development Cloud Run Cybersecurity Developer tools Distributed Systems Django Docker DynamoDB ECS ElasticSearch Enterprise SaaS FastAPI Fintech Flask Full-stack development GCP Gcp gke GitHub Actions Golang GraphQL Healthtech Java Javascript Jenkins Kafka Kanban Kubernetes Lambda Leadership MongoDB MySQL Node.js PostgreSQL Python RabbitMQ React Redis REST APIs Ruby Scalable Architectures Software Engineering Spring Boot Terraform Typescript
Experience8 years