VP of Engineering

Outset invented a better way to do research: AI-powered user interviews.

We created this new category of research technology and now it's growing wildly.Global brands like Hubspot, Microsoft, Uber and Nestle use Outset to achieve deeper, qualitative insights about their users at unprecedented speed and scale.

The research industry is massive (>$140B and growing) and ripe for disruption. Incumbents are outdated, slow, and burdened by high-cost services. That's our opportunity.

Outset is backed by top Silicon Valley investors and raised a $30M Series B in December 2025—less than six months after our Series A—led by Radical Ventures with participation from M12 (Microsoft’s venture arm), 8VC, Y Combinator, and Adverb Ventures.

The raise follows a breakout year, with our business growing 8x as enterprise customers across industries adopt our category, AI‑moderated research, as the new standard for understanding people.

We’re a tight-knit team of 30 based in San Francisco’s Financial District, serving some of the world’s largest enterprises

VP of Engineering

We are hiring a VP of Engineering to lead technical strategy and team execution in a fast-paced environment. This hands-on role reports to the CTO, owning the full engineering lifecycle from architecture to deployment while scaling operations efficiently.​ We expect our engineering team to grow 3-4x in 2026 and this role will be one of the highest-impact positions in the company.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the technical roadmap, system architecture, and scalable infrastructure to support product evolution and business objectives.

• Build, mentor, and manage the engineering team, fostering collaboration across product, design, and sales functions.

• Drive hands-on development, code reviews, CI/CD pipelines.

• Optimize engineering processes for velocity, reliability, and security, tracking metrics such as deployment frequency and system uptime.

• Partner with leadership on hiring, budgeting, and resource allocation to enable rapid iteration and growth.​

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including 5+ years in leadership roles at startups.

• Proficiency in full-stack development (e.g., Python, JavaScript, React, Node.js) and modern tools.

• Strong background in system design, and handling ambiguity in resource-limited settings.

• Proven track record of shipping products at velocity.

• Excellent leadership and communication skills with a bias for action and velocity.

Benefits

• The opportunity to define and own design at a fast-growing, category-creating startup.

• Daily collaboration with founders, shaping the core product vision.

• Exposure to and collaboration with design and research leaders at top global brands.

• Competitive cash and equity compensation.Actual compensation packages are based on various factors unique to each candidate, including skill set, depth of experience, and certifications.

Outset is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, free from discrimination based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.