VP of Engineering

Guidewheel•San Francisco, CA

165d•$250,000 - $275,000•Remote

About The Position

Guidewheel is looking for a VP of Engineering to lead a world-class organization that makes Guidewheel the default intelligence layer for manufacturing. This role requires a leader who is a true talent magnet—someone whose reputation attracts exceptional engineers and whose leadership keeps them. The ideal candidate is a builder who develops builders, balancing systems-level judgment with the ability to make fast, high-quality decisions. This leader will coach their team to operate independently, creating an environment where the best engineers do the best work of their careers.

Requirements

Proven record leading a lean, high-performing engineering team that shipped continuously and improved measurable delivery metrics.
Clear, concise writing and strong data-driven decision skills.
Ability to connect technical trade-offs directly to customer value and P&L outcomes.
Talent magnet: Attract exceptional engineers; top talent chooses to follow you across teams and companies because they grow faster working with you.
10/10 Operator: Calm under pressure, decisive under ambiguity, and relentlessly focused on outcomes.
Technical Horsepower: Track record of building resilient systems that handle unreliable networks gracefully. Willingness to break the "old playbook" and build aggressively with AI where relevant.
Performance multiplier: Maximize productivity via modern tools to aim for maximum output per engineer.
Exceptional Judgment: Combine pattern recognition and systems-level thinking to make smart trade-offs. Move fast without being reactive, grounding every major decision in data and first-principles reasoning.
Values-Driven: Model Guidewheel values—care, integrity, growth mindset, and data-driven truth-seeking.

Nice To Haves

Not a "Big Org" Manager: Prefers judgment and leverage over layers and extensive process.
Not an Architect Chasing Novelty: Values practical, reliable solutions over "shiny" ones.
Not a Tourist to the Plant Floor: Willing to engage with the plant floor and minimize customer contact.
Not a Perfectionist: Embraces shipping continuously and optimizing for progress over perfection.

Responsibilities

Build an Engine of Speed: Foster a culture where technical understanding supports fast, high-judgment decision-making, enabling the team to debate easily and move fast.
Deliver Elite Velocity: Establish baseline performance metrics and drive the team towards elite performance levels, including frequent deploys, short lead times, and low change-failure rates. Publish a visible velocity dashboard and consistently improve metrics.
Drive Net Revenue Retention (NRR): Ensure Engineering is a core driver of retention by making velocity and quality directly contribute to customer value, delivering features with a high-quality, customer-obsessed mindset.
World-Class Leadership & Management: Provide the necessary "pastoral care," coaching, and direction for the team to thrive. Ensure engineers have protected focus time, clear direction, and earn strong cross-functional respect from Product and Operations.