VP of Product and Engineering in SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

Next-Generation Digital Trust Platform – VP of Product & Engineering

Our client is a cutting edge early stage start up with over 30 years of industry expertise navigating the cybersecurity and network security ecosystem. They are pre revenue and in the near stages of securing their Series A funding but looking for a VP of Engineering and Product Co-Pilot to the CEO, to join who's eager to disrupt the $60B network security market with a never before seen distributed network security environment. They are building a groundbreaking platform for next-generation digital trust; a Distributed Network Security Platform (DNSP), built on a Distributed Security Enforcement Engine (DSEE) that makes every device a Security Enforcement Point (SEP). Enabled by the Digital Trust Layer (DTL), they are redefining how networks are secured, replacing VPN, SASE, and legacy identity with a new trust-based protocol and AI-driven enforcement.

Role Overview

As VP of Product and Engineering, you will lead both product strategy and engineering execution for a category-defining platform. This is a hands-on, strategic role that combines deep technical oversight with product leadership. You will translate customer needs into actionable technical requirements, execute the product roadmap, and build the engineering team to deliver world-class solutions.

You will act as the technical co-pilot for the product, leading architecture and execution across distributed systems, high-performance networking, and AI-powered security. You will not need to build out scripts and the product yourself, but great if you're capable to step in when necessary. You will be key in building a proper DevSecOps operation and steering the ship to stay on track. From early design and IP creation to recruiting, mentoring, and scaling the team, you will work side by side with the CEO to shape product-market fit and guide the entire lifecycle from design to launch and continuous improvement.

This is fully remote, preference for bay area or PST candidates**

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Technical Leadership

Define and own product operations strategy and execution across all components of the platform (DTL protocol, 1Source enforcement, TrustOS runtime, TrustFlow telemetry, and more).

• Participate in product discovery, market research, and customer engagement to ensure alignment with market needs and company objectives.
• Translate customer and market insights into clear product requirements, technical specifications, and user stories.
• Balance near-term deliverables with long-term strategic investments.

Execution & Delivery

• Oversee architecture and technical design to ensure secure, scalable, and simple solutions.
• Drive the full engineering lifecycle from prototype to general availability, ensuring world-class quality and performance.
• Establish DevSecOps practices and continuous delivery pipelines.
• Ensure all core technology meets regulatory, security, and performance requirements.

Team Building & Culture

• Recruit, mentor, and inspire exceptional product managers and engineers.
• Build a culture of collaboration between product and engineering teams that reflects simplicity, security, and speed.
• Define career paths, training programs, and performance metrics for both product and engineering organizations.

Innovation & IP

• Lead patent strategy and contribute to a growing IP portfolio in trust-based networking, AI-powered security, and next-generation protocols.
• Anticipate technology trends (e.g., post-quantum cryptography, AI-driven trust analytics, DPU offload) to maintain competitive advantage and inform the roadmap.

Qualifications

• Proven Leadership: 10+ years in product and/or engineering leadership roles, guiding both disciplines in high-growth environments.
• Product Expertise: Deep understanding of customer discovery, product-market fit, and translating vision into detailed product requirements.
• Technical Depth: Strong background in cybersecurity, networking, distributed systems, cryptography, high-speed packet processing, or protocol design.
• Startup DNA: Comfortable in early-stage environments—rolling up your sleeves, making fast decisions, and scaling teams from zero to hundreds.
• Builder’s Mindset: Passion for elegant design, user experience, and code quality.
• Communicator & Partner: Ability to convey complex concepts to customers, investors, and cross-functional stakeholders.

What We Offer

• Equity & Ownership: Early equity stake and a leadership seat shaping both product and engineering strategy for a company built for rapid scale and long-term impact.
• Ground Floor Opportunity: Shape a platform aiming to redefine digital trust and disrupt a $60B+ network security market.
• Cutting-Edge Technology: Work on cryptographic identity, trust-based routing, and AI-powered security at Internet scale.

DOE 200-250k base + large equity component 5%+ with benefits