Vice President of Software Engineering

VP of Engineering

$350,000–$400,000 Base Salary | New York City | 4 - 5 Days Onsite

SODA has partnered with a venture backed national security technology start-up to hire a VP of Engineering. You'll build the engineering team, shape technical direction and deliver software that protects some of the world's most sensitive technology.

This is a chance to take ownership during a major engineering expansion, with eight hires planned and direct exposure to leading AI, semiconductor and advanced technology companies.

The Opportunity

You'll lead engineering for a business building secure infrastructure for enterprise work. Its software sits across complex workflows, helping organisations prevent sensitive intellectual property from reaching unauthorised parties.

This isn't a traditional defence technology company. You'll help protect critical technologies while solving difficult engineering problems for some of the most demanding enterprise customers.

You'll have the freedom to make architectural decisions, shape hiring and remain close to the code. The challenge is building an engineering organisation without losing the ownership and speed that make startups successful.

What You'll Do

• Build and grow the engineering team, attracting engineers who thrive on ownership.
• Set technical direction across backend systems, frontend applications and secure enterprise workflows.
• Lead product development from problem definition through architecture, implementation and delivery.
• Stay hands-on with engineering challenges, particularly across backend development and system design.
• Make architectural trade-offs that balance delivery speed, quality and security.
• Establish engineering practices that support growth without adding unnecessary process.
• Work with enterprise customers to translate complex security requirements into working products.

What You'll Bring

Essential:

• Experience leading engineering delivery and building teams in a startup environment.
• Strong full-stack engineering background, with depth in backend architecture and system design.
• Experience with Python, React or comparable modern languages and frameworks.
• Proven ownership of complex technical projects, including architectural decisions and trade-offs.

Desirable:

• Experience building enterprise SaaS products for regulated or security-conscious customers.
• Exposure to GovCloud, CMMC, defence technology or government security requirements.
• Experience working directly with enterprise customers on complex technical implementations.

We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every requirement. The right mindset matters as much as the right resume.

What's In It For You

• $350,000 - $400,000 annual base salary.
• Ownership of engineering direction during an eight-person hiring expansion.
• The freedom to shape architecture, hiring decisions and engineering practices.
• Direct exposure to Fortune 500 customers and leaders in frontier technology.
• Work that helps prevent sensitive intellectual property from falling into the wrong hands.
• New York City office, with relocation support available.

Interested in Building Something That Matters?

If you've helped build engineering teams and still enjoy solving difficult technical problems, we'd welcome a conversation.

You'll need to meet US-person eligibility requirements for access to ITAR-controlled information.

The role is based in New York City, with an expectation of four to five days onsite each week.