Logo for Cape

VP of Engineering

Roles & Responsibilities

  • 9+ years of engineering leadership experience, including at least one startup or growth tech company
  • Impeccable technical chops
  • At least 3 years of people leadership experience, including hiring, promoting, and performance management, with mentoring of direct reports to become leads
  • Genuine excitement about privacy and defense use cases with clear written and verbal communication

Requirements:

  • Grow, steer, and motivate an engineering organization capable of scaling with the company; develop leaders, establish clear goals and operating rhythms, and create an environment where engineers can do their best work (hands-on coding part of the day)
  • Serve as the company’s technical face in senior-level meetings with government customers and the C-Suite of security-forward enterprises
  • Translate business and technical strategy into an executable engineering roadmap and ensure the team is resourced, structured, and focused to deliver against it
  • Partner with the CEO and leadership to develop and execute the company strategy, ensuring alignment with product, security, design, and operations for high-quality, cross-functional delivery

Job description

The Company

Cape was founded in early 2022 by Palantir and Anduril alums with deep expertise in privacy and national security. While running Palantir’s US national security business, our CEO became passionate about privacy and security on mobile devices. Our mission is to be a force for good in global wireless.

At Cape, we are not just another cellular service provider; we are the architects of a privacy-centric movement that starts with the devices in your pocket. We are building a cellular network that helps citizens, including those responsible for our nation’s security, regain control of their own data.

We believe that where we are, where we go, and whom we are with are among our most personal information and should be kept private. Privacy is not something you achieve by limiting yourself or by doing less, it is a set of features to be built so you can do more. We have raised money from Andreessen Horowitz and other top-tier VCs, and are excited to grow the team.

The Team

We are relentless builders, constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible and bringing to life ideas that have never before existed. Innovation is at the core of everything we do. At Cape, we trust our team to deliver greatness and empower them to make a profound impact. As a member of our team, you will collaborate seamlessly with our diverse group of talented engineers and other team members, enjoying dynamic interactions with colleagues from across the organization.

Mission:

Cape’s VP of Engineering is our head builder. Our product is complex and growing, as are our ambitions in the wake of a recent, successful Series C fundraise. And the engineering team you will lead is unlike any ever assembled in the telecommunications space in terms of talent, creativity, and work ethic. They are up to the challenge, and with your leadership will truly change the game in privacy, security, and resilience for cellular connection.

The VP Eng is responsible for growing, steering, and motivating an engineering organization capable of scaling with the company — developing leaders, establishing clear goals and operating rhythms, and creating an environment where engineers can do the best work of their careers. And the right candidate probably can’t resist putting their hands on the keyboard for part of their day as well.

The VP Eng serves as the company’s technical face in senior level meetings with government customers and the C-Suite of security-forward enterprises.

Along with the rest of the leadership team, the VP Eng works with the CEO to develop and execute the company’s strategy. In this context, the VP must be a relentless builder, a fierce advocate for the engineering team, and a collaborative steward of the company’s direction. The VP Eng brings engineering perspective to company-level decisions, translates business and technical strategy into an executable engineering roadmap, and ensures that the team is resourced, structured, and focused to deliver against it. This role is based out of our NYC office and reports to our founder and CEO John Doyle.

Outcomes:

A Killer Engineering Organization

  • The engineering team attracts and retains exceptional talent

  • We are the most AI native telecom in the world

  • Engineers have clear goals, accountability, and opportunities to grow into senior technical and leadership roles

  • Engineers feel deep ownership over their work and the systems they build

  • Teams operate with strong engineering discipline, thoughtful code review, and a focus on long-term maintainability

Highest-Quality Delivery

  • Engineering consistently delivers for our customers with clear planning, realistic but aggressive timelines, and strong execution

  • Product, business development, and engineering operate in tight alignment, with clear priorities and exceptional outcomes

  • Teams ship high-quality software with a strong focus on reliability, performance, sustainability, and security

Strong Cross-Functional Partnership

  • Engineering is a trusted partner to Business Development, Product, Design, Security, and Operations

  • Technical tradeoffs are communicated clearly to leadership and stakeholders

Qualifications:

  • 9 years experience, at least one startup or growth tech company

  • Impeccable technical chops

  • 3 years of people leadership, including hiring, promoting, and performance management. Have mentored at least one direct report to become a successful lead

  • Genuine excitement about both privacy and defense use cases (they turn out to be the same use case)

  • Clear written and verbal comms

Nice to haves:

  • Telecommunications or network experience

  • Security, privacy, or defense background

  • Existing security clearance or willingness to get one

Location:

This role is based at our New York office.

Compensation:

We offer competitive compensation that is geo-adjusted based on your location, along with meaningful equity so you share in the value you help create. Our benefits include:
• 401(k) match
• 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision premiums for you and your dependents
• 12 weeks paid parental leave (for all parents, no waiting period)
• Stipends for

  • Family-forming needs

  • Gender-affirming care

• Unlimited PTO

Our Culture 

  • We are builders, and we choose to spend our time building things that matter. Many of our people have backgrounds in Defense Tech as well as the defense and intelligence community. We build to win.

  • We hire excellent people, give them outsized responsibility, and trust them to execute at a high level. Everyone here has a track record of solving hard problems throughout their careers.

  • We believe that personal privacy and national security interests are not inherently at odds, and can be reconciled via strong technology.

  • We believe that companies exist to build awesome things and take care of their people. Our benefits reflect that– top-tier health care, 401(k) matching, and a generous vacation policy (that we actually use).

  • We hire candidates of any race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital or family status, disability, Veteran status, and any other status. Achieving diversity across these categories will serve to make our company stronger and our product better.

How to apply

Click the link below to apply.

We reserve the right to make use of any unsolicited resumes received from outside recruiting agencies and / or individual recruiters without being responsible for payment of any fees asserted from the use of unsolicited resumes.

VP of Engineering Related jobs

Other jobs at Cape

We help you get seen. Not ignored.

We help you get seen faster — by the right people.

🚀

Auto-Apply

We apply for you — automatically and instantly.

Save time, skip forms, and stay on top of every opportunity. Because you can't get seen if you're not in the race.

AI Match Feedback

Know your real match before you apply.

Get a detailed AI assessment of your profile against each job posting. Because getting seen starts with passing the filters.

Upgrade to Premium. Apply smarter and get noticed.

Upgrade to Premium

Join thousands of professionals who got noticed and hired faster.