VP Software Engineering

Location: San Francisco Bay Area /Oakland, CA preferred

Mission to reshape science

At Riffyn, we think beyond the conventional. We dream big. Our mission is to help accelerate the science that improves all of our lives and our planet’s quality and sustainability.

Riffyn believes there is a better way to approach research and development. And that is to empower scientists to make better decisions and faster discoveries by unlocking the power of data. Our technology and people change lives by driving advancements in biological research, medicines, sustainability, and more. If that inspires you, join us.

Life at Riffyn

Life at Riffyn is about working with teammates who are deeply passionate about what we do because we know that our work has the power to change lives. We approach our work with trust and honesty. And we’ve built a diverse team and culture fueled by collaboration and openness.

Our employees developed our five core principles  — our ethos, and these extend beyond the work we do and into how we support each other. We are continually evolving to ensure that every employee feels appreciated and encouraged to do what matters for themselves, the company, and each other.

Riffyn’s ethos

•        Get there honestly – have the courage to take the right path

•        Do what matters – own the why of the work we do

•        Make it fun – humor separates us from the machines

•        Work well together – trust builds the strongest teams

•        Keep evolving – challenge the status quo

The role

We are looking for a VP of Engineering to lead our company’s development efforts for our industry leading product, Riffyn Nexus. We develop distributed, enterprise grade, SaaS software that allows our users to design scientific processes and gather experimental data to enable analytics at scale, while keeping our customers compliant with industry regulations.

As the Vice President Engineering, you will have the opportunity to lead the technology development team and programs underpinning our rapidly growing business in innovative life science platform SaaS.  You will partner closely with the VP of Product Development to define and deliver Riffyn’s ambitious and ground-breaking product roadmap. You will also work with your engineering leadership team to define, refine, and implement Riffyn’s technical architecture, DevOps infrastructure, and QA operations to ensure our product scales to meet customer use patterns and performance requirements.   

You will also serve as a key connector between other departments in the company, mentor your engineering leadership team, recruit outstanding additional talent, and work with Riffyn Quality to bring software industry best practices to the organization. Importantly you will contribute to and champion our culture and rapid growth.

Responsibilities

• Drive and deliver Research and Development projects that fulfill Riffyn’s product roadmap priorities and requirements.
• Collaborate closely with the VP of Product to define and refine the product roadmap and technical infrastructure supporting it.
• Manage all Engineering teams in the organization including R&D, QA, & DevOps.
• Provide support and guidance to your Managers and Directors so they grow and feel inspired to perform at their best.
• Oversee and advise on the technical activities of the full stack software/SaaS engineering team.
• Model a culture of innovation and collaboration while prioritizing business value-based market feedback from our sales, marketing and scientific organizations.
• Actively recruit diverse high performers that deliver high-quality work and inspire others to the same.
• Work with the science and product teams to develop short- and long-term roadmaps.
• Serve as a key member of the Executive team that sets the company’s strategic direction and be an intentional culture champion.
• Present roadmaps to the Board and report on engineering milestones, performance metrics, and accomplishments.
• Foster long-term thinking and innovation in a complex space to ensure Riffyn Nexus can scale rapidly to meet growing demand. Validate architecture, technical plans, and roadmaps.
• Work with Riffyn Quality to bring software industry best practices to the organization that delivers efficiency and effectiveness through code quality, good planning, communication, collaboration, and personal accountability.

 Your background and skills

• 15+ years of industry experience with at least 5 years in senior engineering management roles.
• Thirst and excitement for building, leading, and managing fast-growing Engineering teams of 30+ people.
• Proven experience planning and delivering products on time, on spec, and within budget.
• History of delivering high-quality products built for scale and flexibility and that leverage large-scale data, complex backend systems, and integrations.
• Track record of building high-performing teams and delivering results in a fast-paced, quick-changing environment.
• Active participation in the development of engineering talent acquisition.
• Ability to interact with individuals and leaders across different business functions.
• Comfort guiding architecture and product feature discussions and decisions with software architects, engineers and product managers.
• Experience with large-scale SaaS architecture.
• Outstanding communication skills.
• Skilled in recognizing talent, hiring staff, actively onboarding new team members, developing training programs and structures, and providing inspiration and mentorship throughout the team.
• Advanced degrees in engineering or related discipline. MS or PhD is preferred.
• Must be based in the Bay Area and have the ability to be in the Oakland office 2-5 days a week.

Apply

If you thrive in a fast-paced, down-to-earth, collaborative, and mission-driven environment, Riffyn is the place for you. Join the journey of a lifetime and be at the forefront of the next revolution of scientific discovery. Apply with your CV, and, if applicable, a cover letter, and any portfolio of materials that illustrate your skills (presentations, websites, data analysis, etc.).