Head of Engineering, Core Application

Albert Invent • Oakland, CA

6d

About The Position

The Head of Engineering, Core Application will expand and lead the engineering team behind Albert OS’s core product. The role owns the full application layer, from front end through backend, including the core ontology that represents scientific knowledge and materials data. The goal is to evolve the product into a three-layer model covering what was executed, the context and plans behind it, and the scientific reasoning that drives it. This domain-native context graph is intended to help AI understand and extend scientific work, while enabling chemists and AI to work together through the product.

The role works alongside Albert’s AI organization, which builds agentic, molecular modeling, and inverse design capabilities. It is responsible for making the core product and these intelligence capabilities work seamlessly together. The role leads a team of 8 to 10 engineers, develops agentic development practices, and remains hands-on through prototyping and shipping. Success in the first 12 months means migrating the core product to the three-layer model and putting agentic experiences into production across primary workflows.

Requirements

• At least 8 years leading engineering teams.
• Built at least one product that would no longer work if its AI were removed.
• Experience working alongside teams building serious AI and building products that make AI usable.
• Experience shipping and scaling complex full-stack systems and rebuilding a production product without stopping it.
• Understanding of scientific or laboratory workflows sufficient to reason about how chemists work.
• Strong understanding of data models and how representations shape the systems built on top of them.
• Daily use of agentic development tools, high standards for their output, and ability to teach a team to use them effectively.
• Ability to hire and inspire high performers while remaining technically current.
• Fluency in AI-assisted development.

Responsibilities

• Develop product surfaces from first principles for a product with AI throughout, combining dynamically generated interfaces with designed experiences and deeply embedded AI.
• Own engineering execution of Albert’s ontology in partnership with the AI Knowledge Architect, VP of Product, Director of Agentic AI, and Head of Infrastructure & Security.
• Build and lead the Core Product engineering team, hiring senior engineers and developing tech leads as the team grows.
• Set standards for software development, including agentic development practices, quality, and delivery velocity.
• Own the core product’s APIs, backends, and front end, working with platform and infrastructure teams to shape their contributions.
• Remain hands-on by prototyping and shipping alongside the team while expanding leadership responsibilities.
• Migrate the core product to the three-layer model and deliver agentic experiences in production across primary workflows.

Benefits

• A positive employee environment and recognition of the importance of employees’ lives outside work.
• An international hybrid culture with offices and employees around the globe.
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion, including supporting employees in bringing their authentic selves to work.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed