VP of Engineering
VP of Engineering - Ephemera (XMTP + Convos)
Build the Future of Private Communication
Ephemera is building the future of messaging—secure, 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
Strategic Planning and Vision
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
Organizational Leadership
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
Execution and Delivery
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
Technical Leadership
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
Communication and Collaboration
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
Minimum of 10+ years of engineering experience, including 5+ years leading and scaling high-performing teams
Experience building and growing an engineering org from early stage to 50+ people
Deep understanding of technical trade-offs, protocol design, and system architecture
Strong preference for leaders with experience in developer infrastructure, developer tools, or protocols (e.g., Cloudflare, Datadog, GitHub, Vercel, Buf, etc.)
Comfortable overseeing both protocol-level complexity and consumer app execution
Proven track record of shipping production-grade software in complex environments
Skilled at creating clarity from ambiguity and driving execution across teams
High EQ leadership style with a focus on mentorship, accountability, and alignment
Nice-to-Haves
Experience with secure messaging, cryptography, or open-source protocol development
Contributions to open-source developer platforms or infrastructure
Background as a founder or early technical leader in a fast-growing startup
Familiarity with React Native, Swift, Go, Rust, or Kotlin
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...
You’ve led protocol, infrastructure, or developer tool teams through growth and change
You care deeply about high-quality engineering practices and user trust
You understand how to structure teams for speed and scale
You can operate in ambiguity and make confident, high-leverage decisions
You’re passionate about privacy, open systems, and durable architecture
Compensation & Benefits
Base Salary: $280–300K USD
Equity: Competitive ownership in a high-conviction, early-stage company
Benefits:
Fully paid Medical, Dental, and Vision
Parental Leave
Monthly wellness + lifestyle stipend
IT equipment + WFH setup
Personal assistant support
Unlimited time off
Remote-first team, with semi-annual IRL gatherings
Our Stack
React Native, Swift, Kotlin
Typescript, Go, Rust
XMTP Protocol
Onchain identity + wallet-based auth
Secure messaging, E2E encryption
Apply Now
Build the Future of Private Communication
Ephemera is building the future of messaging—secure, 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
Strategic Planning and Vision
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
Organizational Leadership
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
Execution and Delivery
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
Technical Leadership
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
Communication and Collaboration
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
Minimum of 10+ years of engineering experience, including 5+ years leading and scaling high-performing teams
Experience building and growing an engineering org from early stage to 50+ people
Deep understanding of technical trade-offs, protocol design, and system architecture
Strong preference for leaders with experience in developer infrastructure, developer tools, or protocols (e.g., Cloudflare, Datadog, GitHub, Vercel, Buf, etc.)
Comfortable overseeing both protocol-level complexity and consumer app execution
Proven track record of shipping production-grade software in complex environments
Skilled at creating clarity from ambiguity and driving execution across teams
High EQ leadership style with a focus on mentorship, accountability, and alignment
Nice-to-Haves
Experience with secure messaging, cryptography, or open-source protocol development
Contributions to open-source developer platforms or infrastructure
Background as a founder or early technical leader in a fast-growing startup
Familiarity with React Native, Swift, Go, Rust, or Kotlin
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...
You’ve led protocol, infrastructure, or developer tool teams through growth and change
You care deeply about high-quality engineering practices and user trust
You understand how to structure teams for speed and scale
You can operate in ambiguity and make confident, high-leverage decisions
You’re passionate about privacy, open systems, and durable architecture
Compensation & Benefits
Base Salary: $280–300K USD
Equity: Competitive ownership in a high-conviction, early-stage company
Benefits:
Fully paid Medical, Dental, and Vision
Parental Leave
Monthly wellness + lifestyle stipend
IT equipment + WFH setup
Personal assistant support
Unlimited time off
Remote-first team, with semi-annual IRL gatherings
Our Stack
React Native, Swift, Kotlin
Typescript, Go, Rust
XMTP Protocol
Onchain identity + wallet-based auth
Secure messaging, E2E encryption
Apply Now