Chief Technology Officer

What You'll Do

• Command the Platform and Delivery organizations as distinct operating units — each with its own culture, mandate, and accountability structure — and be the single point of accountability for the output of both
• Own the Kaizen 2.0 architecture: sequence the build of 12 core modules in the right order, hold the line on abstraction, and ensure the foundation compounds rather than fractures under delivery pressure
• Lead the Blacksmith initiative — Kaizen's internal AI configuration harness that transforms agency requirements documents into runnable, pre-configured repositories and eliminates the time-to-first-commit tax on every new federal engagement
• Define and enforce the Platform–Delivery interface: module readiness maps, API contracts, and Blacksmith handoff protocols that keep Delivery fast and Platform honest
• Drive federal technical strategy — FedRAMP posture, DoD IL4/IL5 readiness, and procurement-aware architecture decisions that keep Kaizen competitive in federal BD conversations
• Recruit, develop, and retain builders who operate at the frontier of AI-native government technology

What You'll Bring

• Deep federal technology experience — built or scaled production software at the intersection of modern engineering and government procurement (backgrounds like Palantir, Anduril, major federal integrators, or defense-adjacent tech companies are a strong signal)
• Architectural credibility to make hard calls on platform discipline vs. delivery speed — and enough organizational authority to make those calls stick under pressure
• Track record of running parallel technical workstreams across multiple high-stakes engagements without losing accountability on any of them
• Native fluency with AI-native development — build with AI tools yourself, thought seriously about agentic pipelines and AI-assisted delivery, and set the standard rather than follow it
• Experience leading both product engineering and delivery engineering, with a real understanding of what makes each culture different

Strong Candidates May Also...

• Have built or contributed to an internal AI tooling layer (agentic pipelines, AI-assisted scaffolding, or similar) that measurably accelerated team throughput
• Have direct experience navigating FedRAMP authorization processes or DoD IL4/IL5 environments
• Have led a technical organization through a platform re-architecture under active delivery pressure

Compensation & Benefits

• Comprehensive medical through Oxford/United — Gold and Platinum PPO plans, with 85% of premiums covered on the Platinum plan and a $0 employee premium option
• Dental through Guardian PPO and vision through Beam, with 99% of employee premiums covered and 50% for dependents
• $100,000 in fully paid life insurance
• FSA and Dependent Care FSA
• 401(k) access through Guideline
• 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave for birthing parents; 10 weeks fully paid for non-birthing parents
• Unlimited PTO, closed for all federal holidays, and company-wide winter break the week of Christmas
• Up to $750 one-time home office or desk setup stipend for NYC-based employees
• $50/month commuter benefit
• Expensed lunch 3x a week while in the office
• Company-provided laptop
• Fully covered gym membership at Grindhouse ($225/month value)
• $300/quarter pet care stipend
• $100/month utility stipend
• $500/year professional development
• $250/year recreation stipend