Head of Engineering

Wagmo is a new type of pet health company focused on empowering and inspiring responsible pet parenting through top-tier pet benefits provided by employers. From everyday care to rainy-day emergencies, we offer tech-enabled solutions that are optimized for value and flexibility so that our pet parents always feel confident that they are giving their pets the care they deserve.

We solve hard problems all day long but hang out with dogs while we do it. We value authenticity and efficiency and have no time for egos. We prioritize performance over pedigree, compensate fairly, and never take ourselves too seriously. Our values are core to who we are and how we operate. We talk about them all the time. These are not just things posted on a wall. We will interview for them, hold each other accountable to them, and make sure we work with every single person we interact with in a way that's consistent with these values.

As the VP of Engineering at Wagmo, you will lead a talented and diverse team of engineers through a critical phase of growth and transformation. This role requires a strong technical leader who can earn the trust of the team by combining deep expertise in software engineering, architecture, security, and compliance with exceptional interpersonal skills. You will be responsible for further elevating the engineering org from a nimble, startup-minded team into a world-class enterprise-ready function - building the systems, culture and technical architecture that support our product roadmap and growth.

Reporting directly to senior leadership, you will shape the technology roadmap, manage performance, and foster a culture of excellence and accountability. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of pet health care technology within a fast-growing, well-funded company.

Location: This is a hybrid role based in NYC; candidates must be willing and able to work in-office three days per week.

• Lead, grow, and inspire a lean but mighty engineering team—instilling a culture of trust, technical excellence, high ownership, and continuous learning.

• Drive the evolution of Wagmo’s technology architecture, ensuring robust, scalable, and secure systems that support both current operations and ambitious growth plans.

• Partner with executive leadership and product and customer teams to align engineering execution with business priorities, with a sharp focus on our B2B growth and enterprise-scale solutions.

• Institutionalize best-in-class engineering practices, including automated testing, CI/CD, observability, documentation, and architectural decision-making to raise quality while shipping at speed.

• Operationalize engineering workflows that improve productivity, prioritization, and performance management—while empowering engineering managers and ICs alike.

• Navigate and resolve technical debt with a pragmatic, ROI-driven approach—balancing short-term deliverables with long-term scalability

• Foster engineering visibility across the organization by clearly communicating tradeoffs, timelines, and resource needs to leadership and stakeholders.

• Proven experience in a senior engineering leadership role, ideally as a VP of Engineering or similar, with a track record of managing and scaling engineering teams of 15+ members.

• Strong technical expertise in modern software development, including architecture, security, compliance, and hands-on experience with technologies such as Python, Django, Golang, React, and Next.js.

• Track record of delivering enterprise-level B2B platforms or SaaS solutions—ideally in a regulated or highly secure industry like insurance, healthcare, or fintech.

• Demonstrated ability to lead in a regulated industry or a highly compliant environment is a plus, with a clear understanding of balancing technical rigor and business needs.

• Exceptional leadership and interpersonal skills to build trust, motivate engineers, and elevate the engineering team’s visibility and impact within the broader organization.

• Experience driving performance management, goal setting, and operational excellence in a fast-growing, high-growth startup environment transitioning from Series A to Series B and beyond.

• Ability to pragmatically address technical debt and legacy system challenges while maintaining focus on delivering scalable, high-quality solutions.

• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage effectively with executive leadership, product teams, and cross-functional stakeholders.

• Willingness and ability to work onsite in New York at least three days a week, collaborating closely with leadership and product teams.

• A growth mindset and pattern recognition skills to quickly assess current team capabilities and technology landscape, and to define and execute a clear vision for technical and organizational maturity.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field preferred; advanced degrees or relevant certifications are a plus.

• Revolutionize the pet health industry by shaping solutions that improve the lives of pets and their families.

• Join a rapidly growing, VC-backed startup where ownership, impact, and collaboration drive success.

• Work in a fast-paced, high-performance environment—this is not a traditional 9-to-5 job, but one that offers flexibility and autonomy in exchange for dedication and impact.

• Medical, dental, vision, voluntary life, short-term disability and long-term disability benefits

• Unlimited paid time off & extended holiday break

• 12 weeks parental time off

• 401k company matching

• Company paid Wagmo pet wellness and insurance plans

• Pet-friendly office

• Regular company-wide events

We here at Wagmo strive to build a workforce composed of individuals with diverse backgrounds, abilities, minds, and identities that will help us to grow, not only as a company, but also as individuals. Wagmo is an Equal Opportunity Employer.