Overview

Axios is a fast-growing media company with a mission to help people and companies make better decisions, by making information consumption as efficient as possible.

We’re looking for a Vice President of Engineering to fill a rare role: scale our existing toolset into something supporting thousands of users across several interrelated touchpoints. This is an incredible opportunity to come in at the early stages of something big, help grow and shape a technology team, and build something that can make a real difference. Even if this is your first role at this level of responsibility, we want to hear from you; we’re committed to building a great product with a great team and want the right people on that journey with us.

Here’s what we’re looking for in candidates:

YOU CAN LEAD ON MULTIPLE FRONTS SIMULTANEOUSLY

You can juggle building a new app, improving and maintaining existing software, troubleshooting with vendors, and attending status and ideation meetings all in the same afternoon. You delegate well to your team leads while keeping tabs on progress and roadblocks so that you can quickly intervene and course correct. You are always ready to answer “how’s [x] coming along?” at any level of detail.

YOU’VE BUILT HIGH-PERFORMING TEAMS OF DEVELOPERS

You can hire, retain and mentor technical staff and guide them toward seemingly insurmountable summits. You are a calm and steady leader, a clear communicator, and a trusted and appreciated advisor. Colleagues of yours would jump at the opportunity to work alongside you again. Your greatest reward is seeing a member of your team accomplish something they didn’t think they could do.

YOU’VE BUILT PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCES AT SCALE

Whether part of a massive effort or a new market entrant, you’ve worked on apps and platforms that have scaled to thousands, even millions, of loyal users. You’ve used machine learning and NLP techniques to better understand your user’s needs and desires, and have turned that understanding into successful products. You understand the trade-offs inherent in designing for scale, and can help shape a product so that it is both personal and performant.

YOU DEFINE AND ENFORCE GOOD CODING AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

You know how important test coverage is to a critical application. You enforce good documentation, code review, and continuous improvement practices. You write everything down. You’re cognizant of your remote team members and use Slack and Hangouts like it’s second nature, keeping everyone feeling like they’re at headquarters. You never let a difficult situation linger, and you’re candid about both supportive and constructive feedback.

YOU WORK WELL WITH OTHERS, ESPECIALLY WITH OTHER EXECUTIVES

You know that building anything with the help of multiple teams requires empathy. You’d much rather work with folks willing to put in the time and energy to talk things through than steamroll your preferred ideas or push an agenda. You can appreciate ambiguity and seek to find concrete answers. In conversations with other executives, especially non-technical ones, you can clearly communicate priorities and listen well for ways to better serve the company.

YOU HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF EXPERIENCES

This might be your first role at this level of responsibility, but your career shows a trajectory of growth and improvement. You bring perspectives that we haven’t encountered before, and you speak up when you think someone’s applying bias or personal preference instead of data and insight. You come ready to challenge our assumptions and to show us new possibilities.

Do you fit some of these categories? Do you just think the job would be up your alley? Do you want to build something cool and have fun? Then please apply. Let us decide if you’re the right candidate—if you have an ounce of desire to apply, please do!

BENEFITS

  • Competitive salary
  • Health insurance (100% paid for individuals, 75% for families)
  • Primary caregiver 12-week paid leave
  • 401K
  • Generous vacation policy, plus company holidays
  • Company equity
  • Commuter and cell phone benefit
  • A commitment to an open, inclusive, and diverse work culture

ABOUT AXIOS

Axios is an early-stage news startup built around a simple proposition: Deliver the cleanest, smartest, most efficient and trustworthy content consumption and creation experience for individuals and companies alike.

  • We are hiring world-class talent to make this vision a reality
  • We just raised $20M from Greycroft, Emerson Collective, LHV, and NBC
  • We have had an amazing first year, and people at the highest levels are using and providing feedback on the tools we are building

We’re looking for a Vice President of Engineering to take the seeds we’ve built and grow them into an ambitious, flexible, tech-oriented business. If this sounds like the kind of challenge you crave, apply today.