Head of Engineering

Job Description

Build the future of how humanity makes things.

Guidewheel is on a mission to empower the world’s ten million factories to reach sustainable peak performance. Our leading AI-powered FactoryOps platform is the fastest and most scalable way for manufacturers to get more from every plant and machine.

Check us out here:

• TED talk by our CEO, Lauren Dunford
• Series B: Led by BlackRock and Temasek’s Decarbonization Partners
• What do Guidewheel customers have to say?

This role’s mission

We are looking for a Head of Engineering to lead a world-class organization that makes Guidewheel the default intelligence layer for manufacturing. This role requires a leader who is a true talent magnet—someone whose reputation attracts exceptional engineers and whose leadership keeps them.

You are a builder who develops builders. You balance systems-level judgment with the ability to make fast, high-quality decisions. You don’t just manage; you coach your team to operate independently, creating an environment where the best engineers do the best work of their careers.

The outcomes you’ll drive

• Build an Engine of Speed: Build a culture where technical understanding supports fast, high-judgment decision-making. You ensure the team can debate easily, move fast, and you serve as an admired mentor who keeps a high bar for talent.
• Deliver Elite Velocity: Baseline and then drive the team toward elite performance levels (frequent deploys, short lead times, low change-failure rates). Publish a visible velocity dashboard and improve metrics consistently.
• Drive Net Revenue Retention (NRR): Make Engineering a core driver of retention. Ensure velocity and quality directly contribute to customer value, delivering features with a high-quality, customer-obsessed mindset.
• World-Class Leadership & Management: Provide the “pastoral care,” coaching, and direction needed for the team to thrive. Ensure engineers have protected focus time, clear direction, and that you earn strong cross-functional respect from Product and Operations.

What we’re looking for:

• Talent magnet. You attract exceptional engineers. Top talent chooses to follow you across teams and companies because they grow faster working with you.
• ¹⁰⁄₁₀ Operator: You are calm under pressure, decisive under ambiguity, and relentlessly focused on outcomes.
• Technical Horsepower: You have a track record of building resilient systems that handle unreliable networks gracefully. You are not afraid to break the “old playbook” and build aggressively with AI where relevant.
• Performance multiplier: You maximize productivity via modern tools to aim for maximum output per engineer.
• Exceptional Judgment: You combine pattern recognition and systems-level thinking to make smart trade-offs. You move fast without being reactive, grounding every major decision in data and first-principles reasoning.
• Values-Driven: You model Guidewheel values—care, integrity, growth mindset, and data-driven truth-seeking.

What this role is NOT

• Not a “Big Org” Manager: If you want layers and lots of process rather than judgment and leverage, this isn’t for you.
• Not an Architect Chasing Novelty: We value practical, reliable solutions over things that feel “shiny.”
• Not a Tourist to the Plant Floor: We solve real problems for real people. If you avoid the plant floor or minimize customer contact, you won’t succeed here.
• Not a Perfectionist: Growth mindset is a core Guidewheel value. We do not wait once a quarter to ship. We ship continuously and optimize for progress over perfection.

Must-Have Experience

• Proven record leading a lean, high-performing engineering team that shipped continuously and improved measurable delivery metrics.
• Clear, concise writing and strong data-driven decision skills.
• Ability to connect technical trade-offs directly to customer value and P&L outcomes.

What we value:

• Integrity matters: We are honest, straightforward and sincere. With each other. With our investors. With our customers.
• We (actually) care: About each other. About fighting climate change. About making a real impact.
• We use data to make decisions: We possess the courage to accept “hard truths” and confront challenges head-on.
• The power of a growth mindset is real: We strive to be the best we can be. We are committed to embracing change and expanding our capabilities.
• We are thoughtful and fast, results-driven with a bias for action.
• Adaptable and resilient: Guidewheelers have grit. We thrive in fast-paced environments and aren’t afraid to take on hard things or embrace feedback and continuous improvement. We come through for our customers and teammates.
• Extreme teamwork. No one can whistle a symphony.

What’s in it for you? There are a lot of reasons why you should want to be our Head of Engineering, but some of the top reasons are:

• You’ll be a key builder at a key time. The impact you’ll have is huge.
• You’ll get to build side-by-side with amazing humans, at a company on a mission to reach a $10B IPO by 2030, and see the positive impact of your work every day on the backbone of the economy and on the planet.
• You’ll get the privilege of joining at the ground level in building the FactoryOps layer for the world’s factories and a company with generational impact.
• You’ll be a significant equity partner in the business. If Guidewheel can reach its potential, success in this role should bring multi-generational wealth.

Additional benefits include:

• Fair & equitable pay. Annual on-target earnings for this role are in the range of $250-275K, dependent on many factors and our internal compensation and role bands.

• 100% remote culture. Work from wherever, whenever - we hired you to get a job done, and as long as that is happening, you have the autonomy to get it done where and when you feel comfortable.

• Flexible PTO policy. We value balance and boundaries. To be the best version of you, you need time away from your screen, so we want you to take it.

• Generous equity. Everyone at Guidewheel receives equity in the business. You will be working hard to build something great, and when we reach the finish line, you should be rewarded for your hard work.

• Health Benefits. We offer different health benefits to cover your personal needs from day one of employment - you pick the plan that makes the most sense to you.

• Additional Perks. Included but not limited to, 401k (match up to 4%), $500 home office set-up, parental leave, company laptop, retirement plan, paid company holidays, and some (if you choose) company travel to spend time with your Guidewheel peers.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement:

Guidewheel is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, age, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. Guidewheel makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.