VP of Engineering
Remote (US)
Software Engineering /
Full-Time /
Remote
About the Company
Hi, we're Ondo Finance. Our mission is to provide institutional-grade, blockchain-enabled investment products and services. We have both a technology arm that develops decentralized finance technology, and an asset management arm that creates and manages tokenized funds. We were the first company to tokenize exposure to US Treasuries and have since expanded into several other assets. We are also focused on incubating protocols that can support both tokenized real-world assets and traditional crypto.
Founded by folks from Goldman Sachs’s Digital Assets Team, we’re backed by some of the best investors in the world including Founders Fund, Coinbase Ventures, Pantera Capital, Tiger Global, and more. We are currently the leaders in the space in terms of AUM and are well capitalized to continue to grow the firm. We're fully remote with team members across the US.
About the Role
We’re looking for a talented VP of Engineering who can help us build and manage an outstanding engineering function as we continue to grow and help us build and execute on our technical roadmap that helps bridge the gap between the traditional financial world and the revolutionary potential of blockchain technology—both onchain and off. Your leadership will ensure that our products are not just innovative but also resilient, secure, and scalable.
Skills & Talents
You are…
• An exceptional recruiter and manager of technical talent
• An excellent communicator with both technical and non-technical people alike
• Innovative and adaptable
• Passionate about blockchain and onchain finance
Traits & Personality
You enjoy…
• Being an player-coach
• Working in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment
• Creating and enforcing appropriate structure and process
• You pride yourself on…
• Being results driven
• Effectively navigating the tension between business desire and technical and organizational feasibility
• Combining deep technical knowledge and intuition with a love of building and managing teams
Target Outcomes
- Clear & Aligned Technical Roadmap. We have a regularly updated and clearly articulated technical roadmap that is aligned with and supports both our product roadmap and overall technical and business strategies, with the required budgeting, hiring plans, and org design well specified, including accounting for required agility and responsive / opportunistic action.
- Timely & Cost-Effective Execution Against Roadmap. Within reasonable bounds, we are consistently delivering on our specified technical roadmap on time and within budget.
- Consistently Successful Product Launches from a Technical Perspective. New product launches have gone smoothly from a technical perspective. Engineering — both the people and the technology — are tightly aligned with and support all other teams, including product, marketing, sales, and operations.
- Increased Competitiveness. Senior leaders agree that our engineering personnel have been a key differentiator in our ability to win deals and partnerships.
- Efficient, Integrated, and Secure Internal Tools & Systems. Our internal systems and data are tightly integrated with user-friendly tooling and analytical capabilities, allowing internal stakeholders (including GTM, product, customer support, and operations) to get the data and analyses they need.
- No Major Problems. There are no significant technical snafus (performance, security, or otherwise) that materially impact either the client experience or Ondo’s reputation.
- A Beacon for Top-Quality Technical Talent. We consistently get inbound interest request from more top-quality engineers of all kinds (including smart contract engineers) that we can employee. Retention of the highest-quality engineers and engineering managers exceed industry benchmarks.
- Clear Visibility Into Actual and Project Costs. We have sufficiently clear visibility into the actual and projected spend across all engineering and related topics.
- Engineering Team Effectiveness. Individuals within the engineering team are engaged, effective, efficient, and productive. Roles, responsibilities, and processes for common activities are clear. The team knows where to find information and what the goals and priorities are. New hires are hired and onboarded efficiently and effectively. High performers are appropriately retained. Low performers are appropriately coached or let go. Team members have the coaching and resources they need to be effective. The team works together harmoniously.
- Strong Stakeholder Effectiveness. The interface and relationships between risk and compliance team and stakeholders - including outside service providers as well as other Ondo teams - is effective and harmonious. Internal personnel are educated and up-to-date on all risk and compliance information relevant to them for their role, well understand and appreciate the role that risk and compliance play, understand (and comply with) what obligations they have to work with the risk and compliance team when and do so effectively.
- KPIs Appropriately Set, Measured, and Maintained. We are able to consistently and effectively measure the ROI of various engineering initiatives and overall engineering department performance at a sufficient level of granularity.
- Your Responsibilities Will Include…
- Oversight & Coordination of All Engineering-Related Initiatives. Set objectives and KPIs for — as, at the beginning, detailed strategies for — all engineering efforts, including, but not necessarily limited to, smart contracts, infrastructure, web apps, and more.
- Strategy Development. Collaborate with the senior leadership team and other stakeholders to define and execute the company's technological strategy.
- Building & Leading the Engineering Team. Recruit, build, and manage a high-performing team capable of executing against our goals. This includes hiring for key positions, defining roles and responsibilities, and fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability. Facilitate the development of engineering performance management and learning and development programs.
- Planning, Maintaining, and Executing Against A Clear & Aligned Technical Roadmap. We have a clearly articulated technical roadmap that is aligned with and supports both our product roadmap and overall business strategy.
- Technical Headcount Planning & Recruiting. Assist in ****developing a strong engineering talent brand and high-quality processes for attracting, evaluating, and closing high-caliber engineering and engineering management talent.
- Implementation and Enforcement of Best Practices. Ensure the implementation of best practices in engineering, coding standards, and security measures.
- Stakeholder Engagement. Act as a technical spokesperson for the company, engaging with the community, partners, and investors.
- Technical Marketing Content Generation. As appropriate, write and publish technical pieces
- Industry and Industry Representation. Participate in media interviews, and present at industry conferences.
- Oversee IT. Oversee and manage our outsourced IT service provider.
- Collaborate on Compliance and Risk. Collaborate closely with our risk and compliance teams to ensure that our technology and IT meet all required legal, risk, and compliance needs.
- Collaborate on InfoSec. Until such time as we hire a Chief Information Security Officer, oversee and manage our information security efforts, after which collaborate closely with them.
Experience
- Confidence in your ability to achieve the outlined target outcomes
- At least 10 years of engineering experience, with a significant portion of this in fintech, blockchain, DeFi, or big tech.
- At least 3 years of experience leading and managing engineering teams of 15 or more
- Deep experience in DeFi and blockchain
- Experience in scaling engineering teams and processes in a high-growth environment.
- Proven track record of successful product development cycles, from conception to launch.
- Demonstrated experience in driving technological innovation and leading tech strategy in alignment with business goals.
- Experience in budget management for engineering projects, including resource allocation and efficiency optimization.
- It’d be great (but not necessary!) if you have…
- Experience managing a global, remote team
- At least 3 years of experience in a VC-backed startup environment
- Experience working in a regulated environment such as healthcare or — even better — finance
- Expertise in Agile, Scrum, and Lean methodologies, with a proven ability to implement these practices to improve team performance and product delivery.
- Deep understanding of cybersecurity best practices and experience in implementing security protocols across all stages of product development.
- Familiarity with modern engineering practices and the integration of AI/ML technologies into product development.
If you join us you’ll get…
- Highly competitive compensation including salary, tokens, and/or equity (according to your preferences) — we're well-funded and believe that great talent deserves great compensation
- Small, remote-first team — you'll be an early team member helping shape our vision, culture, and engineering practices
- A+ colleagues — our team includes alumni from Goldman Sachs Digital Assets, big tech (e.g. SpaceX, Microsoft, Salesforce), and traditional finance (Fortress, Bridgewater, Prospect)
- Best-in-class investors — we are proud to be backed by leading funds and strategics (incl. Founders Fund, Pantera, GoldenTree, and Coinbase) and angels (incl. founders of AngelList, Anchorage, and Aave)
- Full benefits (medical, vision, and dental) and unlimited vacation policy (PTO)
