Role Description
UP.Labs is seeking a proven hands on Head of Engineering with a track record of scaling technical teams in a 0-to-1 or early stage environment to lead an AI-powered performance management solution aimed at revolutionizing B2C sales. The company has begun generating revenue with a growing customer base and robust support from the Up.Partners ecosystem. We will be scaling rapidly in 2025, and we’re looking for visionary leaders to join our founding team and help drive our mission to enhance human performance in the B2C sales industry. We are searching for a hands-on
Head of Engineering with deep experience in the retail industry, particularly with sales-focused products. This individual will lead the development and scaling of our AI-powered platform, leveraging machine learning, large language models (LLMs), and a robust tech stack. The incumbent will also manage off-shore or near-shore development teams while building and scaling an internal engineering team from a trusted network of professionals. As part of the founding team, the Head of Engineering will balance coding (up to 60%) with leadership, shaping our technical vision and executing a high-impact development strategy. You’ll be joining a well funded startup, which is part of the
UP.Partners ecosystem, and will have access to an expansive team across product, engineering, design, analytics, marketing, legal, talent, finance, and venture capital available to help advise & scale the portfolio organization quickly.
Key Responsibilities
- Leadership & Hands-On Coding: Act as a player-coach, balancing hands-on development with leadership responsibilities (60% coding / 40% team management).
- AI & Data Integration: Lead the development of AI-powered solutions, including machine learning sales predictions, LLM modeling, and real-time data integrations for retail performance management.
- Retail Technology Expertise: Build and maintain a “sticky” consumer or B2B2C app, tailored for the retail industry, with a focus on scalable infrastructure and seamless user experience.
- Mobile App Development: Lead and contribute directly to mobile app development, ensuring a smooth and intuitive user experience across devices.
- Team Building & Mentorship: Recruit, develop, and scale the engineering team from your network of trusted professionals, while also managing off-shore or near-shore development resources.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with product, design, and data teams to ensure technical and product alignment, driving seamless integration between engineering and business goals.
- Technical Vision & Strategy: Oversee technical architecture, infrastructure, and scalability, ensuring the platform’s ability to support rapid growth.
- P&L & KPI Management: Manage the technical budget and define essential KPIs, aligning engineering efforts with broader company objectives.
- Agile & Continuous Delivery: Champion agile practices, including continuous integration, automated testing, and multi-environment deployments.
Key Qualifications
- Experience: 5+ years of full-stack software engineering experience, with 5+ years leading and scaling engineering teams in a high-growth environment.
- Technical Stack: Deep expertise in JavaScript (Node.js, Nest.js, React, Next.js, React Native), Vercel, Azure or AWS, AWS Fargate, Lambda, Docker/Kubernetes, GraphQL, MongoDB, Snowflake, DBT, Fivetran.
- Retail Technology Background: Proven experience in the retail industry, particularly with sales-focused products or applications.
- Mobile App Development: Hands-on experience in developing and maintaining mobile applications across platforms.
- AI & Data-Driven Development: Experience leveraging AI, machine learning, and large data sets to drive product development and innovation.
- App Development: Demonstrated success in building and maintaining a "sticky" consumer or B2B2C app.
- Team Management: Proven ability to manage off-shore or near-shore development teams and scale an internal team from your own network of technical professionals.
- Leadership: Strong leadership in early-stage companies, with a hands-on approach to development and the ability to scale technical teams.
- Agile & CI/CD Expertise: Experience working with agile development practices, continuous integration, and deployment processes.
- Soft Skills: High emotional intelligence, strong communication skills, and a collaborative leadership style with a focus on mentorship.
We remove the typical risks of early-stage startups by partnering with Up.Labs and world-class investors, allowing us to offer competitive salaries, meaningful equity, comprehensive benefits, and an environment where leaders can focus on building an extraordinary business. As a founding team member, you’ll collaborate with industry-leading experts to drive rapid growth and market impact.
UP.Labs Summary:
We build high-growth tech startups. Our unique approach includes meaningful equity rewards, technology-driven products, and unprecedented industry access. We collaborate with corporate investors to launch and scale ventures
Our platform is unique in three ways:
- Risk: We reward our entire team and ecosystem of partners with meaningful equity
- Disruption: We build and launch scalable technology products that transform industries
- Industry Focus: We stay focused on the underlying fabric of retail
We work with corporate investors over a multi-year period to launch a portfolio of ventures. Our team is dedicated to the first year of a new venture’s life cycle: from ideation to minimum viable product build - and beyond.