Vice President of Engineering

Position: Vice President of Engineering

Location: Remote based in Poland 

Type: Full time B2B Contract paid in USD

Rate: $500k – $1.2m USD annual total compensation (including value of stock options)

Who we are

Focal Systems is the industry leader in retail AI solutions. We are a Silicon Valley based startup that has more than doubled in size every year since inception. We are a Deep Learning first company. Our mission is to automate and optimize brick and mortar retail using deep learning computer vision. We’ve been deployed at scale with the top retailers in the world – including Walmart Canada. We are looking for smart, creative and passionate people who want to help build a great and enduring company and deploy Deep Learning to the world! 

We have a strong team of engineers in Poland as part of our global engineering team, so you will need to support engineers in all geographies

What we are looking for

We seek a dynamic leader to oversee our engineering teams globally. As the VP of Engineering, you will be responsible for managing a team of backend and frontend engineers who develop and maintain the client facing infrastructure for our retail AI solutions. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter who enjoys taking ownership and can effectively manage engineers, tasks, projects, and problem-solve. 

What you will do

• Manage a team of engineers to ensure our technical infrastructure from backend to frontend is developed and maintained to the highest standard
• Help to build processes and tools that help create an outstanding developer experience for our engineering teams 
• Oversee the development of scalable data heavy backend infrastructure using Python, FastAPI, Kafka and more
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration of backend infrastructure with frontend UIs
• Set clear objectives, performance expectations, and development goals for your team, and provide regular feedback and coaching
• Recruit, hire and onboard new team members as needed
• Foster positive team environment encouraging creativity, innovation and continuous improvement

What you need to be successful 

• Advanced degree in Computer Science or related field
• 10+ years of experience in distributed systems 
• 10+ years of experience in software development
• 5+ years of experience leading top-tier engineering teams
• Strong experience in Python, experience in React is desirable
• Strong experience in deploying and maintaining scalable data heavy infrastructure
• Understanding of AI and machine learning techniques and tools is desirable
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, fluent English language skills
• Proven ability to lead, motivate and develop a high-performing team

Why Focal Systems

Values and Mission

We are a tightly-knit team with an ambitious mission and a strong set of core values, which define our approach to business and have successfully guided us since inception.

Exceptional Team

We are a team of hard-working, fun-loving professionals from some of the most eminent universities, research labs, and tech companies of our time. We pride ourselves on recruiting exceptional individuals to help us redefine the state-of-the-art.

Outstanding Partners

We work with 10+ of the largest retailers in the world and have a world-class roster of investors, advisors and partners to support & advise us in our endeavors.

What we offer

We care deeply about the health, happiness, and wellbeing of all of our employees. We offer:

• Competitive salary and attractive stock options
• Paid time off & sick leave
• Team retreats 
• Education grants