The bar
What you'll bring
- 9 years experience, at least one startup or growth tech company
- Impeccable technical chops
- 3 years of people leadership, including hiring, promoting, and performance management. Have mentored at least one direct report to become a successful lead
- Genuine excitement about both privacy and defense use cases (they turn out to be the same use case)
- Clear written and verbal comms
- Nice to haves:
- Telecommunications or network experience
- Security, privacy, or defense background
- Existing security clearance or willingness to get one
The team
Who you'll work with
At Cape, we are the architects of a privacy-centric movement that is just getting started. We are relentless builders, constantly innovating at the edge of what’s possible in telecommunications. We operate on a foundation of high trust and high expectations. As a member of our team, you will collaborate with world-class engineers, architects, and visionaries, and work across organizational lines to solve "impossible" problems and deliver mission-critical results for our users every single day.
The company
About Cape
Cape is America’s privacy-first mobile carrier. Our mission is to be a force for good in global wireless. Cape was founded in 2022 by people who believe privacy is a fundamental right, not a luxury to be traded away. Our journey began when our founder recognized a critical vulnerability in our modern world: everyone relies on the same stagnant cellular infrastructure and legacy systems that track our every movement, monitor and profile our connections, and lose and sell our personal data. Instead of accepting the status quo, we decided to fix it. National security professionals, journalists, parents, and everyone in between can stay connected and have privacy. We didn’t just build a layer on top of old tech; we built America’s most private and secure mobile carrier from the ground up. By building our own network from scratch, we are able to design and build a suite of privacy and security features that no other carrier on the planet can offer. Today, Cape provides our secure network to consumers, businesses, and government agencies alike. We closed our Series C in March 2026, and we are scaling rapidly, with the goal of giving people back control of their most personal information.
Additional notes
Other
Mission:
Cape’s VP of Engineering is our head builder. Our product is complex and growing, as are our ambitions in the wake of a recent, successful Series C fundraise. And the engineering team you will lead is unlike any ever assembled in the telecommunications space in terms of talent, creativity, and work ethic. They are up to the challenge, and with your leadership will truly change the game in privacy, security, and resilience for cellular connection.
The VP Eng is responsible for growing, steering, and motivating an engineering organization capable of scaling with the company — developing leaders, establishing clear goals and operating rhythms, and creating an environment where engineers can do the best work of their careers. And the right candidate probably can’t resist putting their hands on the keyboard for part of their day as well.
The VP Eng serves as the company’s technical face in senior level meetings with government customers and the C-Suite of security-forward enterprises.
Along with the rest of the leadership team, the VP Eng works with the CEO to develop and execute the company’s strategy. In this context, the VP must be a relentless builder, a fierce advocate for the engineering team, and a collaborative steward of the company’s direction. The VP Eng brings engineering perspective to company-level decisions, translates business and technical strategy into an executable engineering roadmap, and ensures that the team is resourced, structured, and focused to deliver against it. This role is based out of our NYC office and reports to our founder and CEO John Doyle.
Outcomes:
A Killer Engineering Organization
The engineering team attracts and retains exceptional talent
We are the most AI native telecom in the world
Engineers have clear goals, accountability, and opportunities to grow into senior technical and leadership roles
Engineers feel deep ownership over their work and the systems they build
Teams operate with strong engineering discipline, thoughtful code review, and a focus on long-term maintainability
Highest-Quality Delivery
Engineering consistently delivers for our customers with clear planning, realistic but aggressive timelines, and strong execution
Product, business development, and engineering operate in tight alignment, with clear priorities and exceptional outcomes
Teams ship high-quality software with a strong focus on reliability, performance, sustainability, and security
Strong Cross-Functional Partnership
Engineering is a trusted partner to Business Development, Product, Design, Security, and Operations
Technical tradeoffs are communicated clearly to leadership and stakeholders
Location:
This role is based at our New York office.
Compensation:
We offer competitive compensation that is geo-adjusted based on your location , along with meaningful equity so you share in the value you help create. Salary range for this role in Washington, DC is $250,000-$300,000 depending on experience and interview performance.
Our benefits include:
401(k) match
Unlimited PTO
100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision premiums for you and your dependents
12 weeks paid parental leave (for all parents, no waiting period)
Stipends for Family-forming needs
Stipends for