[Hiring] VP of AI Engineering @Wonderly

Role Description

Wonderly is building the first enterprise grade dark software factory. We have 50 internal tools (and growing) built this way, and we are rapidly improving our own development methods based on feedback from this development process. We are extremely reluctant to use external vendors; with our internal tools factory, we have replaced ~50 vendors (and more will be replaced soon). We do this for three main reasons:

• Margin: Software is entering a low-margin era. Most of our customers’ margins are only 30-40%, and as a result, we cannot pay frivolously for vendors that we could easily replicate in-house ourselves.
• Operational excellence: Stitching together well-known tools can quickly bootstrap you to an MVP in terms of business and engineering processes, but as you scale, you’ll find yourself tied down to the lowest common denominator of what each of these tools allow you to do.
• Software revolution: As AI continues to eat software and its production lifecycle, we need to have a semi-production environment to push the boundaries. We need a place where we can experiment without risking customer outages.

Your role is the ultimate culmination of both the tinkering in internal tools and the maturity of actual production. We need both to co-evolve with each other. We’re looking for someone who is bringing technical excellence (real money is on the line here!) first and foremost, but can also peer into the future for what’s coming and position Wonderly for the AI native era.

You are capable of holding two opposing viewpoints simultaneously: AI is going to change everything, and yet, most of what it produces today continues to be slop. And your answer to the above paradox is ultimately going to be your roadmap in this company.

Qualifications

• Technologist at heart.
• Passionate about tinkering and building new projects.
• Strong interest in technology and keeping up with trends.
• Experience guiding engineering organizations.
• Deep understanding of engineering strategy and SDLC, especially in the age of AI.
• Practical mindset, able to work with the world as it is.

Requirements

• Ability to work startup hours because work is fun.
• Experience in building internal tools and improving development methods.
• Capability to experiment in a semi-production environment.
• Strong opinions about the future of AI and its impact on software development.

Benefits

• Opportunity to work in a diverse and inclusive workplace.
• Engagement in meaningful work that directly impacts small business owners.
• Collaborative environment with a focus on technical excellence.