Job description

VP of Engineering About Shipwell At Shipwell, we are transforming logistics by turning supply chains into intelligent systems of action. We empower shippers to achieve unprecedented efficiency and service effectiveness at scale by putting artificial intelligence and automation to work. The Shipwell platform democratizes technology that was previously out of reach for many, combining transportation management (TMS), real-time multimodal visibility, procurement, and advanced machine learning into one comprehensive, intuitive solution. By leveraging autonomous digital agents—such as our Track & Trace AI Worker and natural-language AI Assistants—Shipwell automates the manual tasks that slow operations down. Built to adapt and scale alongside changing business demands, our platform enables shippers to proactively resolve freight exceptions, optimize costs, and manage the entire shipping process seamlessly. As Shipwell celebrates a decade of innovation, industry experts continue to recognize our market traction and distinguish us as a leading force in modern logistics technology. Highlighting this evolution, Shipwell was recently named a "Visionary" in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Transportation Management Systems (advancing from previous recognitions in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024). In 2026, the platform also won "Transport Management Platform of the Year" from SupplyTech Breakthrough and was named to the Inbound Logistics Top 100 Logistics & Supply Chain Technology List. These latest honors join a rich history of awards, including being named the fourth fastest-growing company in North America on the 2021, 2022, and 2023 Deloitte Technology Fast 500, winning FreightWaves’ 2021 and 2022 FreightTech Awards for Innovation and Disruption, earning Food Logistics’ 2022 Top Software & Technology Provider, and being recognized as a 2020 Forbes Next Billion-Dollar Startup. Our Culture Shipwell is a fast-paced, high-energy start-up that strives to build the future of shipping every day. Diversity of thought and cross-department collaboration is very important to us. We deliver open, honest, careful communication and work as hard as we play. We create & deliver solutions that are revolutionizing the industry, which brings excitement and purpose to our work. If you are looking for a place that will help you tap into your best work-self and give you hands-on experience building something big, then we invite you to come and build the future of shipping with us! About you The VP of Engineering will manage and continue to grow a world‐class software engineering team and drive the successful delivery of platforms and products while contributing to the product strategy, platform, and roadmap. This is an ideal opportunity for someone who is energetic and has a passion for building leading-edge software. You love growing highly productive, remote, technical teams, and are driven to build a successful SaaS product used by thousands of happy businesses. You’re excited to lead an AI transformation and have experience building mission critical infrastructure. We foster an environment that empowers small teams to collaboratively set the technical direction of our solutions. What you will do when you get here Engineering Organizational Leadership • Lead, develop, and scale a high-performing software engineering organization accountable for product delivery, technology evolution, security, reliability, and operational outcomes • Improve delivery predictability, developer productivity, software quality, resiliency, scalability, and cost effectiveness while balancing innovation, modernization, and commitments • Partner closely with executive leadership, product management, operations, and security to translate business strategy into executable technology priorities and investment decisions • Establish metrics and KPIs to measure strategic progress, software engineering effectiveness, AI adoption, and business impact • Evaluate emerging technologies and identify opportunities to create competitive advantage through innovation • Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on technology and AI-related opportunities, risks, and industry trends • Recruit world‐class engineering talent and participate in the recruiting flow including attracting, screening, and closing high caliber candidates. AI Strategy, Mission Critical Infrastructure, & Innovation • Execute the organization's AI-first transformation strategy across products, software engineering, and AI with a prioritized roadmap tied to measurable business and customer outcomes • Execute and continue to evolve the R&D department’s AI strategy incorporating industry best practices and new technology innovation to continue to increase engineering and process efficiencies through AI technology • Drive incorporation of AI-powered experiences into customer-facing products and enterprise workflows • Oversee planning, execution, governance, risks, dependencies, and resource allocation for strategic technology and AI initiatives across the product portfolio • Stay current on industry advancements across models, agent orchestration, best practices and other emerging technology innovations • Promote a SMART codebase (Simple, Maintainable, Agile, Refactored and Tested) for a SAFE product (Secure, Available, Fast and Easy). • Manage the delivery of software using Agile best practices including continuous deployment, continuous integration, and test-driven development. • Ensure the team fully understands the goals and objectives of Shipwell as a company and how their work fits into the bigger picture. What you need to have • BS, MS, or Ph.D. in Computer Science or related technical discipline • Proven experience leading engineering teams during the evolution of the Engineering function from start-‐up to the mid lifecycle. • Demonstrated track record of successfully hiring, managing, coaching and retaining world-class engineers. • Software development experience building mission critical enterprise SaaS, cloud-based solutions, or consumer web platforms supporting millions of users and billions of online transactions per month. • Demonstrated experience leading the design, development, delivery, and maintenance of large scale and high-performance platforms, including online web and data/analytics processing. • Recent experience using Agile methodologies. • Knowledge of release management and deployment workflow processes, from development release through staging and production deployment. • Exceptional interpersonal skills with a proven ability to build productive cross-departmental relationships and motivate team members. Must have a positive, can-do attitude and value collaboration. What we offer • Incredible growth opportunity at one of the fastest-growing companies in Austin • Competitive Pay • 401k • Amazing company culture • Room to grow and tons of mentoring • Gym reimbursement • Being a part of a startup company • Company-sponsored healthcare insurance and dental insurance • Receive an elite technology package to include a brand new MacBook Pro! • Remote work environment where everyone (even the new folks) has a voice The Salary Range for this role is between $175,000 - $200,000 USD including Variable Compensation based on Years of Experience, Skillset, and Location. Here at Shipwell, we are a Remote Forward company. We are located in Austin, TX but this position will be fully remote. Shipwell is an Equal Opportunity Employer and we will not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any sort. We do celebrate diversity and believe experience comes in different forms; many skills are transferable; and passion goes a long way. Diversity in our team makes for better problem solving, more creative thinking, and ultimately a better product and company culture. Even more important than your resume is a clear demonstration of impact, dedication, and the ability to thrive in a fast paced and collaborative environment. Shipwell strives to have an inclusive work environment; so if you are hard working & good at what you do then please come as you are. We want you to contribute, grow, & learn at Shipwell and we encourage you to apply if your experience is close to what we’re looking for. We are looking forward to adding new perspectives to our team!

Requirements

Must-haves

VP of Engineering
What you will do when you get here
Engineering Organizational Leadership
Lead, develop, and scale a high-performing software engineering organization accountable for product delivery, technology evolution, security, reliability, and operational outcomes
Improve delivery predictability, developer productivity, software quality, resiliency, scalability, and cost effectiveness while balancing innovation, modernization, and commitments
Partner closely with executive leadership, product management, operations, and security to translate business strategy into executable technology priorities and investment decisions
Establish metrics and KPIs to measure strategic progress, software engineering effectiveness, AI adoption, and business impact
Evaluate emerging technologies and identify opportunities to create competitive advantage through innovation
Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on technology and AI-related opportunities, risks, and industry trends
Recruit world‐class engineering talent and participate in the recruiting flow including attracting, screening, and closing high caliber candidates.
AI Strategy, Mission Critical Infrastructure, & Innovation
Execute the organization's AI-first transformation strategy across products, software engineering, and AI with a prioritized roadmap tied to measurable business and customer outcomes
Execute and continue to evolve the R&D department’s AI strategy incorporating industry best practices and new technology innovation to continue to increase engineering and process efficiencies through AI technology
Drive incorporation of AI-powered experiences into customer-facing products and enterprise workflows
Oversee planning, execution, governance, risks, dependencies, and resource allocation for strategic technology and AI initiatives across the product portfolio
Stay current on industry advancements across models, agent orchestration, best practices and other emerging technology innovations
Promote a SMART codebase (Simple, Maintainable, Agile, Refactored and Tested) for a SAFE product (Secure, Available, Fast and Easy).
Manage the delivery of software using Agile best practices including continuous deployment, continuous integration, and test-driven development.
Ensure the team fully understands the goals and objectives of Shipwell as a company and how their work fits into the bigger picture.
What you need to have
BS, MS, or Ph.D. in Computer Science or related technical discipline
Proven experience leading engineering teams during the evolution of the Engineering function from start-‐up to the mid lifecycle.
Demonstrated track record of successfully hiring, managing, coaching and retaining world-class engineers.
Software development experience building mission critical enterprise SaaS, cloud-based solutions, or consumer web platforms supporting millions of users and billions of online transactions per month.

Nice-to-haves

None flagged.

Application prep

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Keywords to mirror

machine learningaiagile

Platform: jazzhr
Effort: medium

Benefits

Benefits detected in the listing.

Dental

Vision

401k