VP Engineering (Hands-on)

Location: Berlin, Germany; onsite engineering talent in Berlin

Company

A fast-growing, well-funded Berlin-based startup is rebuilding B2B procurement with an AI-native platform that manages sourcing, pricing, sales, logistics, credit, and financing.

What you will do

• Own the Engineering organization and translate the platform and AI vision into shipped systems.
• Build an orchestration layer connecting AI agents across the full trade lifecycle.
• Lead the carve-out of the transaction core into a modern, modular light ERP without disrupting live trading.
• Shape the platform architecture, Salesforce integration, build-versus-buy decisions, and repeatable new-market launches.
• Hire and develop senior engineering leaders, including Staff Engineers, while directly managing onsite Berlin and nearshoring teams.
• Partner with product, commercial, operations, finance, the CEO, and CPO on delivery, data integrity, and technical due diligence.

Requirements

• Senior engineering leadership experience running and growing multi-team organizations, preferably across multiple locations.
• Deep experience with transactional platforms, ERP-style systems, systems of record, or regulated financial flows such as payments, lending, or KYC.
• Production experience shipping AI or machine-learning systems and practical judgment about agentic AI.
• Strong architectural judgment with security and data protection built into technical decisions.
• Hands-on technical depth, including design reviews, pairing on difficult problems, and close involvement with code.
• Commercial judgment connected to unit economics, working capital, and customer and supplier value.

Nice to have

• Experience enabling non-engineering teams to build safely with AI.
• Experience with Salesforce as part of a larger system landscape.
• Experience working in operations-first companies where software supports complex commercial processes.

Culture & Benefits

• Lean, AI-first engineering approach focused on increasing output without unnecessary headcount growth.
• Small teams with high ownership, speed, craftsmanship, and minimal bureaucracy.
• Direct management of a nearshoring team rather than through an external vendor.
• Emphasis on safe automation, guardrails, evaluations, and human-in-the-loop controls for money- and customer-facing workflows.
• Opportunity to work on a large European B2B procurement market with live operations across seven European markets.

Hiring process

• Conversations with the CPO, CEO, Chief of Staff, and members of the engineering team.