VP of Engineering

Paladin Drones•Houston, TX

51d

About The Position

Paladin is transforming public safety with autonomous technology, aiming to be on-site during emergencies within 90 seconds. When 911 is called, our systems launch to provide real-time intelligence to first responders, enhancing their ability to save lives. We develop and operate the software and infrastructure for Drone-as-First-Responder (DFR) programs nationwide. Our technology, including the Watchtower command platform and the EXT AI module, integrates seamlessly to ensure reliable, scalable autonomy for public safety. The VP of Engineering leads the entire engineering organization at Paladin - spanning software, hardware, robotics, systems, and QA. You'll own the technical architecture, develop the team structure, and drive execution for field-reliable, mission-critical systems that operate every day in live emergencies. You'll work closely with the executive team to align technical direction with company strategy, product goals, and operational realities. As both a strategic leader and a deeply technical systems thinker, you'll ensure Paladin's technology remains best-in-class while scaling the engineering organization to meet future growth.

Requirements

10+ years of engineering experience, with 5+ years leading multi-disciplinary teams
Strong background in robotics systems, IoT, autonomy, or mission-critical software
Experience building and scaling technical organizations (preferably in a startup or high-growth environment)
Deep understanding of systems integration, hardware-software interaction, and real-world deployment challenges
Proven ability to architect and deliver reliable distributed systems and field-operated robotics
Strong leadership, communication, and organizational design skills
Passion for building technology that directly impacts public safety and real-world outcomes

Nice To Haves

Experience in robotics integration, autonomy, or real-time communications
Familiarity with FAA, BVLOS, or public safety technology ecosystems
Exposure to high-reliability or safety-critical systems

Responsibilities

Technical Leadership: Define and maintain the architectural vision across autonomy, communications, data, and control systems. Ensure technical decisions support scalability, interoperability, and long-term reliability.
Team Management: Lead and mentor the leaders of Software, Hardware, Robotics, Systems, and QA. Establish strong management layers, clear accountability, and processes for execution and growth.
Organizational Scale: Design and build an engineering structure capable of scaling from a hands-on team to a 40+-person organization. Recruit, onboard, and develop high-performing engineers and managers.
Execution & Delivery: Oversee planning, sprints, and cross-team delivery for all engineering projects. Ensure on-time releases that meet safety, performance, and reliability standards required in public safety.
Reliability & Systems Quality: Implement processes for testing, validation, and continuous improvement. Drive incident-reduction and improve uptime across active deployments.
Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate with Product, Operations, Sales, and Customer Success leadership to translate field insights into architecture and roadmap decisions.
Culture & Mentorship: Build an engineering culture rooted in accountability, humility, and craftsmanship. Coach leaders and individual contributors to own their domains and grow into new challenges.
Long-Term Vision: Lay the technical foundation for scalable autonomy and AI-driven systems that power the next generation of emergency response technology.