VP of Engineering

Build the future of how humanity makes things. Guidewheel is on a mission to empower the world’s ten million factories to reach sustainable peak performance. Our leading AI-powered FactoryOps platform is the fastest and most scalable way for manufacturers to get more from every plant and machine. Check us out here: TED talk by our CEO, Lauren Dunford Series B: Led by BlackRock and Temasek’s Decarbonization Partners What do Guidewheel customers have to say? This role’s mission We are 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. You are a builder who develops builders . You balance systems-level judgment with the ability to make fast, high-quality decisions. You don’t just manage; you coach your team to operate independently, creating an environment where the best engineers do the best work of their careers. The outcomes you’ll drive Build an Engine of Speed: Build a culture where technical understanding supports fast, high-judgment decision-making. You ensure the team can debate easily, move fast, and you serve as an admired mentor who keeps a high bar for talent. Deliver Elite Velocity: Baseline and then drive the team toward elite performance levels (frequent deploys, short lead times, low change-failure rates). Publish a visible velocity dashboard and improve metrics consistently. Drive Net Revenue Retention (NRR): Make Engineering a core driver of retention. Ensure velocity and quality directly contribute to customer value, delivering features with a high-quality, customer-obsessed mindset. World-Class Leadership & Management: Provide the "pastoral care," coaching, and direction needed for the team to thrive. Ensure engineers have protected focus time, clear direction, and that you earn strong cross-functional respect from Product and Operations. What we’re looking for: Talent magnet. You attract exceptional engineers. Top talent chooses to follow you across teams and companies because they grow faster working with you. 10/10 Operator: You are calm under pressure, decisive under ambiguity, and relentlessly focused on outcomes. Technical Horsepower: You have a track record of building resilient systems that handle unreliable networks gracefully. You are not afraid to break the "old playbook" and build aggressively with AI where relevant. Performance multiplier: You maximize productivity via modern tools to aim for maximum output per engineer. Exceptional Judgment: You combine pattern recognition and systems-level thinking to make smart trade-offs. You move fast without being reactive, grounding every major decision in data and first-principles reasoning. Values-Driven: You model Guidewheel values—care, integrity, growth mindset, and data-driven truth-seeking. What this role is NOT Not a "Big Org" Manager : If you want layers and lots of process rather than judgment and leverage, this isn't for you. Not an Architect Chasing Novelty : We value practical, reliable solutions over things that feel “shiny.” Not a Tourist to the Plant Floor : We solve real problems for real people. If you avoid the plant floor or minimize customer contact, you won't succeed here. Not a Perfectionist : Growth mindset is a core Guidewheel value. We do not wait once a quarter to ship. We ship continuously and optimize for progress over perfection. Must-Have Experience 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. What we value: Integrity matters: We are honest, straightforward and sincere. With each other. With our investors. With our customers. We (actually) care: About each other. Abou