VP of Engineering

Build the future of how humanity makes things.

Guidewheel is on a mission to empower the world’s ten million factories to reach sustainable peak performance. Our leading AI-powered FactoryOps platform is the fastest and most scalable way for manufacturers to get more from every plant and machine.

Check us out here:

• TED talk by our CEO, Lauren Dunford
• Series B: Led by BlackRock and Temasek’s Decarbonization Partners
• What do Guidewheel customers have to say?

This role’s mission

We are looking for a VP of Engineering to lead a world-class organization that makes Guidewheel the default intelligence layer for manufacturing. This role requires a leader who is a true talent magnet—someone whose reputation attracts exceptional engineers and whose leadership keeps them.

You are a builder who develops builders. You balance systems-level judgment with the ability to make fast, high-quality decisions. You don’t just manage; you coach your team to operate independently, creating an environment where the best engineers do the best work of their careers.

The outcomes you’ll drive

• Build an Engine of Speed: Build a culture where technical understanding supports fast, high-judgment decision-making. You ensure the team can debate easily, move fast, and you serve as an admired mentor who keeps a high bar for talent.
• Deliver Elite Velocity: Baseline and then drive the team toward elite performance levels (frequent deploys, short lead times, low change-failure rates). Publish a visible velocity dashboard and improve metrics consistently.
• Drive Net Revenue Retention (NRR): Make Engineering a core driver of retention. Ensure velocity and quality directly contribute to customer value, delivering features with a high-quality, customer-obsessed mindset.
• World-Class Leadership & Management: Provide the "pastoral care," coaching, and direction needed for the team to thrive. Ensure engineers have protected focus time, clear direction, and that you earn strong cross-functional respect from Product and Operations.

What we’re looking for: 

• Talent magnet. You attract exceptional engineers. Top talent chooses to follow you across teams and companies because they grow faster working with you.
• 10/10 Operator: You are calm under pressure, decisive under ambiguity, and relentlessly focused on outcomes.
• Technical Horsepower: You have a track record of building resilient systems that handle unreliable networks gracefully. You are not afraid to break the "old playbook" and build aggressively with AI where relevant.
• Performance multiplier: You maximize productivity via modern tools to aim for maximum output per engineer.
• Exceptional Judgment: You combine pattern recognition and systems-level thinking to make smart trade-offs. You move fast without being reactive, grounding every major decision in data and first-principles reasoning. 
• Values-Driven: You model Guidewheel values—care, integrity, growth mindset, and data-driven truth-seeking.

What this role is NOT

• Not a "Big Org" Manager: If you want layers and lots of process rather than judgment and leverage, this isn't for you.
• Not an Architect Chasing Novelty: We value practical, reliable solutions over things that feel “shiny.”
• Not a Tourist to the Plant Floor: We solve real problems for real people. If you avoid the plant floor or minimize customer contact, you won't succeed here.
• Not a Perfectionist: Growth mindset is a core Guidewheel value. We do not wait once a quarter to ship. We ship continuously and optimize for progress over perfection.

Must-Have Experience

• Proven record leading a lean, high-performing engineering team that shipped continuously and improved measurable delivery metrics.
• Clear, concise writing and strong data-driven decision skills.
• Ability to connect technical trade-offs directly to customer value and P&L outcomes.

What we value: 

• Integrity matters: We are honest, straightforward and sincere. With each other. With our investors. With our custom