Cambium is the AI-powered platform modernizing the wood economy, and we're looking for a seasoned engineering leader whose business instincts are as sharp as their technical depth. As VP of Engineering, you'll own the engineering organization behind a data heavy product that helps wood buyers and suppliers make better decisions and build better physical products — the team, the delivery systems, and the standards it's held to. Some of our digital platform is in production; much of it is still 0→1, and you're the kind of leader who moves without waiting for all the answers.
You'll partner closely with the CEO and the Senior Director of Product. Product owns the what and the why; you own how the organization delivers: people, process, and budget. You'll have the latitude to shape the team to fit where the platform is headed rather than inherit it as-is. This is a role for a decisive leader who'll roll up their sleeves early, bring the discipline to scale, and earn trust through action.
What You'll Do Here
- Champion engineering across the company: bridge business needs and engineering reality with non-technical stakeholders — clearly, directly, without ego.
- Partner directly with the Senior Director of Product and CEO to align technical execution with product strategy and ensure Cambium's technology improves user experience, data transparency, and operational functionality.
- Build, mentor, and scale the engineering team: hiring, career ladders, performance, and retention. Culture, craft, and ownership are non-negotiable.
- Put in place the processes, team structure, and capacity planning that let a growing team ship predictably.
- Own the engineering budget and technology strategy, including build-vs-buy decisions, vendor selection, and how AI tooling factors into headcount and team design.
- Own the data strategy across business systems of record like NetSuite and Hubspot (owned by other depts) and our custom platform (owned by engineering): set the standards for how they exchange data and which one is the source of truth.
- Apply AI/ML tooling with intention — enhancing platform capabilities without losing focus on resilience and scalability.
Your Skill Sets and Capabilities Include
- 15+ years leading engineering teams at scale; Series B or growth-stage experience required. A track record of hiring, mentoring, and building cultures of ownership.
- Deep technical foundation: you've designed and shipped complex systems in domains like logistics, fintech, and customer-facing platforms, and can still stress-test an architecture, challenge assumptions, and make a build-vs-buy call. You measure your impact by what the organization ships, not by your own output.
- Familiar with the challenges of keeping data consistent across multiple databases — sync issues, conflicting sources of truth, schema drift — and has worked through both technical and organizational solutions to address those challenges.
- Proven ability to move through ambiguity without losing momentum or dropping projects.
- Strong backbone: you give and receive direct feedback, push back with conviction, and build trust through honesty. You collaborate closely with other teams, translating complex business requirements into practical technical solutions.
- Actively evaluates and stress-tests AI/ML tooling for real workflow integration — not just awareness, but hands-on judgment about what ships and what doesn't, including how it factors into headcount and team structure decisions.
- Bachelor's in CS or Engineering; master's preferred.
The Details
- This role will report to: Ben Christensen, CEO
- Salary Range: $250,000 - $320,000 plus bonus
- When: We’re looking to fill this role immediately
- Where: San Francisco, CA hybrid 3x/week
Benefits and Perks
- Equity options package
- Unlimited PTO and flexible schedule
- 401k matching
- Comprehensive medical, dental & vision insurance
- Work with an incredibly smart, diverse, climate mission-driven team
- An opportunity to play a core role in defining our fast-growing company
- Volunteer tree planting days
Cambium is committed to building an inclusive organization that reflects the diverse communities our team works to serve. We believe that diversity in all its forms (gender, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion, veteran's status, disability and more) is essential to imagining and actively building a more just and sustainable future for all. We hope you feel welcome here. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.