Role description
Head of Engineer, Product
PikaAbout Pika
At Pika, we’re building the next generation of AI creative tools to empower human creativity. Our mission is to make video creation seamless, intuitive, and accessible to everyone, leveraging the power of advanced AI. We believe that AI should amplify creative expression—enabling everyone to create, collaborate, and communicate across media. Our team includes engineers, artists, and product thinkers, all passionate about building tools that unlock new creative possibilities.
Pika has raised significant funding and is backed by leading investors, with a collaborative culture based in Palo Alto, CA. We prefer hybrid in-office, sharing ideas and launching products together.
About the Role
We are seeking a Head of Engineer, Product Engineering, to provide visionary leadership for the strategy, architecture, and execution of Pika’s core product engineering initiatives. In this executive-level role, you will define and drive the execution of our technical roadmap for all user-facing products.
You will lead and mentor high-performing engineering teams, working closely with product, design, and ML leadership to deliver features that are robust, scalable, and innovative for millions of users. Your technical expertise and leadership will shape product direction, ensuring exceptional engineering standards and prioritizing team growth and cross-functional alignment.
What You’ll Do
Set and communicate the technical vision and strategy for product engineering across all Pika platforms and user-facing features
Lead, mentor, and scale multiple engineering teams, fostering a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and innovation
Architect and oversee the delivery of scalable, high-performing systems, ensuring best practices in system reliability, security, and efficiency
Partner deeply with product, design, and ML teams to define technical solutions aligned with business and user needs
Guide technical decision-making at both strategic and architectural levels, including technology selection and process improvement
Champion standards for software quality, rapid iteration, and best-in-class product experience
Own the technical roadmap, including resource planning and milestone delivery for major product launches and iterations
Represent engineering in executive discussions and drive cross-functional alignment
What We’re Looking For
10+ years of progressive engineering experience, with significant time spent managing and scaling product engineering teams
Strong record of technical leadership in developing and launching complex, high-impact, user-facing products (web/mobile)
Proven experience in building and scaling distributed systems, APIs, and cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP, Kubernetes, etc.)
Mastery of system and software architecture for high-traffic, media-rich, or AI-powered applications
Emotional intelligence and mentorship skills, with a track record of developing engineering leaders and high-performing teams
Deep experience collaborating with executive leadership to shape organizational vision and drive business outcomes
Outstanding communication and organizational abilities, thriving in a collaborative, dynamic environment
Nice to Have
Experience with generative AI, creative tools, or large-scale collaboration platforms
Background in high-growth startups or high-ambiguity environments
Open source, hackathon, or competitive coding experience
Our Stack
Python, Go, Node.js, Postgres, Redis, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS/GCP
What We Offer
Competitive executive-level salary in the AI industry
Substantial equity in a fast-growing startup defining the future of AI and creativity
Comprehensive health benefits, monthly stipends, and company retreats
A collaborative leadership environment—we’re all building and launching together