VP of Engineering

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

📋 Description

• Take full ownership of the platform migration from start to finish.

• Spearhead the integration of the new data pipeline into all Crystal products, including Crystal Expert, Crystal Foresight, Monitor, Risk Check API, Data Intelligence, and Crystal Light.

• Strategically sequence the migration to maintain revenue and customer trust: ensuring no SLA regressions, avoiding rollback issues, and preventing unexpected downtime.

• Lead the architectural decisions and trade-offs necessary for the transition from legacy to new systems, focusing on data model alignment, service-by-service cutover, and parallel-run validation.

• Ensure alignment among engineering, product, and customer success teams on a unified migration roadmap with well-defined customer-impact checkpoints.

• Restore the foundational elements of the platform.

• Achieve target API and core platform latency: 1,000 RPS at sub-two-second latency, progressing towards 10k RPS.

• Decrease database load, address stability regressions identified in recent releases, and increase release frequency to multiple deployments each week.

• Lead the multi-chain platform effectively across 100+ chains: establishing predictable integration timelines, accountable squad ownership, and clear SLAs for commercial partners.

• Reconstruct the engineering management layer.

• Collaborate with existing engineering leadership to create clear accountability among squad leads, engineering managers, and platform teams.

• Set the benchmark for exemplary engineering management at Crystal: ensuring predictable delivery, transparent planning, technical expertise, and fostering people development.

• Make hiring, performance, and structural decisions necessary to elevate the organization to meet the platform's demands.

• Integrate AI into engineering as a tool for enhancing productivity.

• Develop shared infrastructure for AI-enhanced engineering: including code generation, automated testing, agent-based migration tools, and internal knowledge systems.

• Transition Crystal from isolated AI tool usage to organization-wide AI productivity, achieving measurable improvements in delivery throughput.

• Lower OpEx-to-revenue ratios through architectural enhancements, automation, and minimizing manual operational burdens.

• Partner with the business sector.

• Collaborate directly with product, GTM, customer success, and finance teams to translate engineering investments into customer outcomes and revenue growth.

• Clearly communicate trade-offs, risks, and progress to the executive team and board.

• Manage the engineering budget, hiring strategy, and vendor selection.

⛳️ Requirements

• Over 10 years of engineering experience, with more than 5 years in leadership roles for platform, data, or infrastructure organizations as VP of Engineering, Head of Engineering, or similar.

• Successfully led at least one significant platform migration or large-scale rebuild while maintaining ongoing customer service.

• Experience operating low-latency, high-availability distributed systems with multi-tenant SaaS workloads at production scale.

• Practical experience integrating AI into engineering processes, including agent-assisted development and AI-driven automation.

• Strong instincts for product partnership—having influenced both what is built and its delivery.

• Proven history of building accountable, high-ownership engineering teams.

• Direct experience in one or more relevant fields: blockchain or cryptocurrency, fintech, payments, fraud or risk platforms, regulatory technology, or large-scale data platforms.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary.

• Flexible working hours.

• Budget for professional development.

• Allowance for home office setup.

• Opportunities for global team events.