Director of Engineering, AI

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• **About Dash0** Join Dash0 and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of observability. We are an OpenTelemetry-native company, developing a user-friendly, AI-driven platform that removes vendor lock-in and eliminates unnecessary toil. Help create a product that developers adore, all while ensuring transparent pricing and built-in cost control.

• Dash0’s AI product, Agent0, is not merely a chatbot or an added feature; it represents the central focus of our future direction. As AI accelerates code generation, software enters production more swiftly and at larger scales, often with diminished human insight into operational status. Agent0 is our solution: a proactive product leveraging OpenTelemetry telemetry data to assist engineering teams in comprehending, diagnosing, and continually refining their production systems.

• We are seeking a Director of Engineering to spearhead and oversee Agent0. This is a unique opportunity for someone who embodies both visionary insight and practical execution, leading a growing team, collaborating closely with Product and the VP of Engineering, and establishing the standard for production-grade AI engineering. Your primary responsibility will be to develop and deliver Agent0 rather than merely enabling AI throughout the organization.

• If you are an engineer-turned-leader who still engages in building proofs of concept, tracks foundation model releases as closely as sports scores, and distinguishes between an internal AI demonstration and a product that customers depend on for critical operations — this position is tailored for you.

• **What You’ll Do**

• - **Own the Agent0 Roadmap and Product Partnership.** Share ownership of the roadmap with Product and ensure disciplined and consistent execution. Collaborate as an equal with Product, bringing strong technical and user-centric instincts to prioritization, ensuring our developments align with actual customer needs.

• - **Drive Delivery and Focus.** Make informed decisions on the right initiatives and ensure their successful delivery. Keep the team sharply focused on delivering customer value while steering clear of the many intriguing but less urgent paths the AI landscape continually presents.

• - **Build and Scale the Team.** Recruit, mentor, and expand a team of senior AI and ML engineers. Utilize strong individual contributors and, as the team grows, also manage managers.

• - **Raise the Quality Bar.** Establish the benchmark for production-grade AI, including evaluation pipelines, context management, testing strategies, and engineering rigor comparable to any other system.

• - **Stay on the Bleeding Edge.** Act as Dash0's sensor for developments in AI, transforming that knowledge into actionable product decisions and prototypes, rather than just communicating through Slack.

• - **Prototype and Inspire.** Transform concepts into working proofs of concept yourself. Guide the team throughout the process and build credibility with senior individual contributors by demonstrating rather than just discussing.

• - **Champion AI Production Excellence and Thought Leadership.** As Dash0 serves as its own customer and power user, establish internal benchmarks for AI production excellence. This role encompasses thought leadership on the operationalization of production systems with AI assistance.

• **What You Bring**

• - A proven history of developing agentic AI products in production — you grasp the significant difference between an internal chatbot and a productized agent that is essential for mission-critical work.

• - Extensive hands-on expertise in agentic architectures: context management, tool utilization, evaluation frameworks, retrieval-augmented generation, and multi-step reasoning pipelines.

• - A meticulous, systematic approach to AI quality: evaluations, regression checks, human-in-the-loop reviews, and production monitoring.

• - Experience managing engineering teams of 15 or more, including overseeing managers, and building teams that excel from recruitment through performance development.

• - Excellent cross-functional communication skills — capable of aligning engineers, product managers, and executives around a cohesive vision while acting as a true peer to Product.

• - The discipline to concentrate: a genuine curiosity about the future of AI, combined with the discernment to choose a direction and see it through.

• **Nice to Have**

• - Familiarity with observability, distributed tracing, APM, or the OpenTelemetry ecosystem.

• - A background as a hands-on ML or AI engineer prior to transitioning into engineering leadership.

• - Knowledge of data pipelines and the significance of data quality in delivering high-quality AI experiences.

• - Experience in a fast-paced, venture-backed startup environment.

• **Why Dash0**

• This is a distinctive chance to contribute to the creation of a generational company. Dash0 is supported by esteemed investors such as Balderton Capital, Accel, and Cherry Ventures, and is led by a founding team with extensive experience in observability. We are currently experiencing significant growth following our Series B — and this is just the beginning.

• If you are seeking a workplace where an exceptional product intersects with extraordinary people, where genuine momentum exists, and where your contributions are evident from day one — this is your opportunity.

• **What we offer:**

• - Competitive salary & meaningful equity participation — you will have a stake in what you are building.

• - Flexible, remote-first work environment with offices located in New York, Amsterdam, and Munich.

• - €60/month allowance for phone & internet.

• - Location-specific benefits.

• - A collaborative, dynamic team culture with a builder mindset.

• - A clear pathway for career advancement and development.

• - Direct access to founders and leadership.

⛳️ Requirements

• A proven history of developing agentic AI products in production — you grasp the significant difference between an internal chatbot and a productized agent that is essential for mission-critical work.

• Extensive hands-on expertise in agentic architectures: context management, tool utilization, evaluation frameworks, retrieval-augmented generation, and multi-step reasoning pipelines.

• A meticulous, systematic approach to AI quality: evaluations, regression checks, human-in-the-loop reviews, and production monitoring.

• Experience managing engineering teams of 15 or more, including overseeing managers, and building teams that excel from recruitment through performance development.

• Excellent cross-functional communication skills — capable of aligning engineers, product managers, and executives around a cohesive vision while acting as a true peer to Product.

• The discipline to concentrate: a genuine curiosity about the future of AI, combined with the discernment to choose a direction and see it through.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary & meaningful equity participation — you will have a stake in what you are building.

• Flexible, remote-first work environment with offices located in New York, Amsterdam, and Munich.

• €60/month allowance for phone & internet.

• Location-specific benefits.

• A collaborative, dynamic team culture with a builder mindset.

• A clear pathway for career advancement and development.

• Direct access to founders and leadership.