VP of Engineering

VP Of Engineering - Ephemera (XMTP + Convos)

Ephemera is building the future of messagingsecure, decentralized, and private.

Our open protocol (XMTP) powers the next generation of communication, while Convos brings that vision to life as a privacy first chat app.

We're hiring a Vice President of Engineering to build and lead our engineering organization from the ground up. This is a foundational leadership role responsible for driving organizational structure, technical strategy, and team performance across both the XMTP protocol and Convos app.

We're looking for a seasoned technical leader who can think strategically about how to structure teams for speed and quality, make smart architectural decisions, and hold a high bar for execution and accountability. You should have deep experience navigating technical trade-offs, leading protocol or infrastructure teams, and inspiring engineers through clarity, mentorship, and decisiveness.

You'll report directly to the CEO and be a key partner in shaping product direction, culture, and roadmap execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and evolve our engineering strategy in alignment with company goals
• Shape and execute on technical product roadmap
• Champion technical excellence while making pragmatic decisions for velocity and scale
• Design and grow the engineering org from early stage through intentional growth
• Hire and manage top-tier engineering talent across protocol and app
• Develop a culture of ownership, quality, and high performance
• Ensure consistent, high-velocity delivery of complex projects
• Oversee technical roadmap execution with a focus on resilience, speed and quality
• Build and enforce strong QA and testing practices
• Provide architectural direction, particularly on protocol and backend infrastructure
• Guide trade-off discussions, balancing short-term needs with long-term maintainability
• Be the voice of engineering in product and company strategy conversations
• Act as the primary liaison between engineering and executive leadership
• Communicate priorities, progress, and blockers with clarity and transparency
• Foster cross-functional collaboration across Product, Design, Protocol, and Ops

What We're Looking For

Nice-to-Haves

Why This Role Matters

You'll be responsible for architecting how our entire engineering function operates - from how we hire and onboard, to how we plan and execute.

You'll work on technologies that touch millions of users and help define what privacy and interoperability look like in the next era of communication. Your leadership will shape the standards others adopt and the team culture that drives us forward.

You Might Be a Fit If...

Compensation & Benefits

Our Stack