Head of Engineering

Why Zania

Every enterprise spends millions of dollars on Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC). It's one of the most critical, yet universally painful, parts of running a business. For decades, this industry has been dominated by legacy systems with notoriously low NPS scores, making it totally ripe for disruption.

Please double check you have the right level of experience and qualifications by reading the full overview of this opportunity below.

Zania is building agentic AI for Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) to solve this massive problem. We are on a rocketship trajectory , creating intelligent agents that automate and augment the most complex risk and compliance workflows. We have found exceptional product-market fit and are scaling our team very quickly. Some reasons to join Zania are :

Dream Customers : Our customers are the most notable enterprises in the world, including FAANG, Big 4 firms and a portfolio of top customers.

Tier 1 Backing : Funded by a leading Tier 1 venture capital fund, giving us the resources to build a generational company.

World-Class Team : Zania is hiring the best. Our team includes AI and Security leaders from Airbnb, Microsoft, Bain & Company, Deloitte, PwC, Brex, and Instacart.

Pioneering Technology : Our engineers and GRC experts work at the absolute forefront of applied AI, building the next generation of agentic systems that will define the future of compliance.

Hyper-Growth : We have seen 10x ARR growth in the last year and are rapidly expanding.

Competitive Compensation & Equity.

Role Overview

As the Head of Engineering, you are the architect and leader of our entire product development organization. Your mission is to build and lead a single, high-performing, AI-first team—spanning engineering, research science, product management, security, and design—to create a generational company. This is a role for a deeply technical, hands-on "player-coach" who is not only a technical architect but also the operational driver of the day-to-day product build. You will set an exceptionally high bar for quality and velocity, fostering a culture of ownership, rapid learning, and relentless innovation.

This role is based in our Palo Alto, CA office. We use an in-person work model and offer relocation assistance.

What You\'ll Do

Build and Lead a World-Class Team : Recruit, hire, and mentor A+ talent across all disciplines (Engineering, AI Research, PM, Design, Security). You will cultivate a high-performance culture defined by ownership, high standards, and a focus on growth.

Drive Execution and Velocity : Own the operational cadence of the product development team. You will personally run sprint planning, stand-ups, and retrospectives to ensure tight execution. You will implement and optimize lightweight processes that accelerate development without sacrificing quality, instilling a strong bias for action and an obsession with shipping.

Provide Technical Leadership : Remain deeply technical and hands-on. You will guide critical architectural decisions, contribute to the codebase, and solve the hardest technical challenges alongside the team, ensuring we build scalable, secure, and reliable AI systems.

Champion an AI-First Culture : Foster an environment where an "AI-first" mindset is embedded in every part of the development process. You will encourage the rapid adoption of new tools and techniques that enhance productivity and innovation.

What You Have

Proven Leadership Experience : 8+ years of experience with at least 3+ years of engineering management experience with a clear track record of building and leading high-performing, cross-functional product development teams in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Deep Technical Foundation : You are a deeply technical, hands-on leader, not just a manager of managers. You have a background as a strong engineer and can command the respect of a world-class technical team. Experience with AI / ML products is essential.

Execution Excellence : A proven track record of shipping high-quality products with exceptional speed and precision. You have a keen eye for detail and instill a culture of excellence and accountability.

World-Class Organizational & Communication Skills : You create clarity from ambiguity. You can align the entire organization around a vision and communicate effectively with the board, customers, and individual contributors.

Ownership and Growth Mindset : You embody a true ownership mentality with an intense focus on growth. You are highly adaptable, learn and adopt new technologies quickly, and are relentless in your pursuit of building a generational company.

Compensation and benefits

Flexible PTO policy.

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Meals and snacks in the office

Relocation and immigration support

Zania is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity / expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition, or any other basis protected by law.

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