VP of Software Engineering

Nooks

5d•$230,000 - $275,000

About The Position

Nooks is pioneering Classified-Infrastructure-as-a-Service (CIaaS), designing, building, and operating Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs) and other secured, classified environments for the defense and national security community. The company works with agencies, contractors, and mission-driven organizations, delivering physical infrastructure that enables classified work. The VP of Software Engineering will lead software engineering at Nooks and own the technical vision for software delivered under government contracts, the platform used by site teams and internal functions, and the company’s AI strategy. The role reports to the CEO, sits on the executive leadership team, and sets technical direction. The VP will build and run the engineering function, define its operating model and scaling plan, and adapt priorities as contracts and business needs change. The VP will lead and scale the engineering organization; drive AI strategy and adoption; own delivery and economics for awarded software contracts; support software pursuits; and set technology, architecture, platform, and investment strategy. The role partners with executives, Growth, Operations, site teams, IT/Cyber, Product, and Finance, and maintains technical relationships with government customers and software vendors and partners. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States and eligible for and committed to obtaining and maintaining a U.S. government security clearance as a condition of employment.

Requirements

At least 8 years of software engineering experience with progressive leadership responsibility, including ownership of a full engineering or software product function.
Experience leading software delivery to the USG, with direct exposure to federal customers and their constraints.
Command of modern AI practice, including large language models (LLMs), agentic frameworks, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), orchestration, and AI governance.
Experience owning delivery economics, including cost, staffing, and utilization against a fixed commitment, and building the business case for technology investment.
Experience building and leading an engineering organization, including defining its operating model, hiring, and shifting toward outcome-based delivery.
Demonstrable experience managing customer and cross-functional relationships at the executive level.
Authorization to work in the United States.
Eligibility for and commitment to obtaining and maintaining a U.S. government security clearance as a condition of employment.

Nice To Haves

Experience in defense, national security, or another regulated environment with clearance, compliance, or controlled-data constraints.
Software capture experience, including technical approach and cost input on federal proposals.
Experience delivering software for field-based or operational users.
Active security clearance.

Responsibilities

Lead, develop, and scale the software engineering organization, accountable for delivery, quality, security, reliability, and operational outcomes.
Define the operating model for moving the team from project-based execution to outcome-based ownership, including intake, prioritization, and delivery cadence.
Build the team through hiring, training, and retention, developing current engineers and adding needed capabilities.
Establish engineering metrics and reporting that provide executive visibility into velocity, quality, AI adoption, and business impact.
Own Nooks’ AI strategy across delivered products and internal company operations.
Drive measurable AI adoption across internal functions and ensure teams change how they operate.
Rebuild how Nooks captures, structures, and retrieves institutional knowledge.
Own AI governance for the software portfolio, including data handling, model use, and evaluation, in coordination with IT/Cyber on network security.
Own delivery of awarded software contracts, including scope, schedule, technical quality, and customer confidence.
Manage awarded work as a business line, owning cost, staffing, and utilization against commitments and EBITA expectations.
Represent Nooks’ engineering and AI capabilities to government customers in delivery reviews and pursuit conversations.
Support software pursuits by shaping technical approaches, staffing models, and cost inputs, and turn delivered work into past performance for future competition.
Set technology strategy and the architecture roadmap for team-built systems, including systems deployed in customer environments.
Own the platform used by site teams, Operations, and internal functions to manage spaces, members, and customer contracts.
Make and defend build-versus-buy decisions, integrating commercial systems where suitable and building where Nooks gains an advantage.
Build the business case for engineering investment, including headcount, tooling, and vendor decisions, and manage the portfolio against it.
Work with the CEO on technology and AI direction; Growth on pursuits and customer engagement; Operations and site teams on their needs; IT/Cyber on network and infrastructure dependencies; Product on physical and digital offerings; and Finance on delivery economics and engineering investment.
Manage vendor and partner relationships across the software stack and hold technical relationships with government customers.