Chief Technology Officer

Kaizen Labs•New York, NY

3d•$300,000 - $350,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Government technology has failed the public for decades, and Americans have been conditioned to expect websites from the 90s for essential public services. Kaizen exists to strengthen trust in American public services by building technology that residents and public servants are proud to use. We partner with local, state, and federal agencies to replace legacy systems with modern, AI-native software that is worthy of the people they serve. We started in outdoor recreation, and now we're building toward something much larger — the software layer that powers how Americans access any government service. Our platform already reaches 40 million residents across 50+ agencies in 17 states. Founded in 2022 and based in New York City, Kaizen has raised $35 million from NEA, a16z, Accel, 776, and Carpenter Capital. We're builders, designers, and operators who believe that beautifully designed software shouldn’t be a luxury in government. It’s how you earn trust back.

Requirements

Deep federal technology experience — you've built or scaled production software at the intersection of modern engineering and government procurement (backgrounds like Palantir, Anduril, major federal integrators, or defense-adjacent tech companies are a strong signal)
The architectural credibility to make hard calls on platform discipline vs. delivery speed — and enough organizational authority to make those calls stick under pressure
A track record of running parallel technical workstreams across multiple high-stakes engagements without losing accountability on any of them
Native fluency with AI-native development — you build with AI tools yourself, you've thought seriously about agentic pipelines and AI-assisted delivery, and you set the standard rather than follow it
Experience leading both product engineering and delivery engineering, with a real understanding of what makes each culture different and why conflating them produces the worst of both

Nice To Haves

Have built or contributed to an internal AI tooling layer (agentic pipelines, AI-assisted scaffolding, or similar) that measurably accelerated team throughput
Have direct experience navigating FedRAMP authorization processes or DoD IL4/IL5 environments — the bureaucratic context, not just the acronyms
Have led a technical organization through a platform re-architecture under active delivery pressure, and have the scar tissue to prove it

Responsibilities

Command the Platform and Delivery organizations as distinct operating units — each with its own culture, mandate, and accountability structure — and be the single point of accountability for the output of both
Own the Kaizen 2.0 architecture: sequence the build of 12 core modules in the right order, hold the line on abstraction, and ensure the foundation compounds rather than fractures under delivery pressure
Lead the Blacksmith initiative — Kaizen's internal AI configuration harness that transforms agency requirements documents into runnable, pre-configured repositories and eliminates the time-to-first-commit tax on every new federal engagement
Define and enforce the Platform–Delivery interface: module readiness maps, API contracts, and Blacksmith handoff protocols that keep Delivery fast and Platform honest
Drive federal technical strategy — FedRAMP posture, DoD IL4/IL5 readiness, and procurement-aware architecture decisions that keep Kaizen competitive in federal BD conversations
Recruit, develop, and retain builders who operate at the frontier of AI-native government technology — and who understand that shipping for government is different from shipping for anyone else

Benefits

Comprehensive medical through Oxford/United — Gold and Platinum PPO plans, with 85% of premiums covered on the Platinum plan and a $0 employee premium option.
Dental through Guardian PPO and vision through Beam, with 99% of employee premiums covered and 50% for dependents.
$100,000 in fully paid life insurance.
FSA and Dependent Care FSA.
401(k) access through Guideline.
16 weeks of fully paid parental leave for birthing parents.
10 weeks fully paid for non-birthing parents.
Unlimited PTO, closed for all federal holidays, and company-wide winter break the week of Christmas.
Up to $750 one-time home office or desk setup stipend for NYC-based employees.
$500 for remote employees.
$50/month commuter benefit (company contribution).
Expensed lunch 3x a week while in the office.
Company-provided laptop.
Fully covered gym membership at Grindhouse — right across the street from our office at 47 W 17th St (and in Williamsburg). A $225/month value, on us.
For remote employees, $100/month dedicated to gym or physical fitness reimbursement.
$300/quarter pet care stipend.
$100/month utility stipend.
$500/year professional development.
$250/year recreation.