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Jobs · Engineering · California

Director of Software Engineering

Cognichip · Redwood City, CA · 1 wk ago
On-siteEngineeringFull-time

About The Role

We are seeking a software engineering leader (Director or an experienced Sr. Manager ready to grow into this role) to join our US Headquarters. This is a high-impact opportunity to help shape the technical and product direction of a fast-growing, AI-driven SaaS company that is transforming semiconductor design.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead & Scale Engineering Teams

  • Build and grow high-performing engineering teams across multiple disciplines (frontend/IDE, backend/platform, ML/AI, devtools)

  • Establish and reinforce a strong, collaborative, high-performance culture

  • Recruit, develop, and retain top engineering talent; mentor technical leads and future managers

  • Stay Technically Engaged

  • Maintain technical credibility in modern SaaS, cloud-native, and AI/ML stacks

  • Participate in design and architecture reviews to ensure sound technical decision-making

  • Champion best practices for testing, modularity, documentation, and performance

  • Drive Product & Business Alignment

  • Partner closely with Product Management and business teams to shape roadmaps and ensure engineering delivery maps to customer and market needs

  • Translate product strategy into executable engineering plans with measurable outcomes

  • Balance technical innovation with business priorities and time-to-market pressures

  • Own End-to-End Delivery

  • Drive delivery across value streams: from roadmap planning and design through execution, launch, and adoption

  • Ensure scalability, reliability, and security are built into the product from day one

  • Foster engineering excellence and accountability across teams

  • Bridge Technical & Cross-Functional Teams

  • Collaborate with AI scientists, chip engineers, and product leaders to deliver cohesive solutions

  • Define engineering rituals, metrics, and collaboration practices that improve alignment across functions

Ideal Experience

  • Proven leadership experience (Sr. Manager, Director, or equivalent) leading teams of 15+ cross-disciplinary engineers, with demonstrated ability to scale organizations

  • 10+ years of professional experience, including progression from hands-on engineer → tech lead → organizational leadership

  • Technical awareness and credibility in modern software stacks (cloud-native, AI/ML, SaaS), even if not coding daily

  • Strong track record in end-to-end product delivery, including aligning engineering with product and business strategy

  • Excellent people leadership skills: hiring, mentoring, and developing engineers and technical leaders

  • Strong collaboration and communication skills; effective working across engineering, product, and business stakeholders

  • Prior experience in enterprise SaaS, developer tools, or AI/ML infrastructure is strongly preferred

What We Offer

  • A pivotal role in shaping Cognichip's core product and technical execution from the US HQ

  • Direct partnership with Product Management, business leadership, and cross-disciplinary engineering leaders

  • Work at the intersection of AI, semiconductors, and developer tools, solving technically challenging and high-impact problems

  • Competitive compensation package, including early-stage equity in a fast-growing AI startup

  • A high-trust, low-ego team culture that values ownership, curiosity, and collaboration

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