VP of Engineering - Remote

Overview

We’re looking for a hands-on VP of Engineering to lead Kerno’s engineering team through our next phase of growth: scaling the team, building an enterprise-grade product, and preparing the tech org for a US fundraise in 2026. This role is ideal for a technical leader who’s grown engineering functions from early-stage chaos to structured scale without losing the desire (or ability) to roll up their sleeves and build alongside the team.

In Short

• Lead and scale our distributed engineering team from 9 to 20+ over the next 12 months.
• Define and implement delivery processes that balance speed with technical excellence.
• Partner with the CEO on strategy, hiring, and roadmap prioritisation.
• Own the engineering budget and team resourcing across initiatives.
• Collaborate closely with Product to ship functionality quickly and reliably.
• Stay hands-on when needed - architecture reviews, prototypes, technical direction.
• Foster a high-performing, remote-first culture where engineers do the best work of their careers.
• Prepare the org for scale as we move toward a 2026 US fundraise and enterprise go-to-market.

Requirements

• A people-first leader who’s built, motivated, and scaled high-performing engineering teams.
• Proven experience scaling a startup from early product to enterprise-readiness.
• Comfortable in ambiguity, thrives in fast-paced environments, and knows when to be scrappy.
• Strong technical background; ideally familiar with Kotlin, JavaScript, AWS, Kubernetes, and modern AI tooling.
• Experience working with distributed teams; exceptional communicator and culture builder.
• Experience in building developer and/or infra products that have a product led growth backbone.
• A builder’s mindset with a strong product and customer orientation.
• A blend of strategic and tactical, able to zoom out or dive deep as needed.

Benefits

• Backed by top-tier investors
• Remote-first, async-friendly culture
• Competitive salary + generous equity
• Work from anywhere (UK, Ireland or Madrid preferred)
• Huge ownership, huge impact