VP of Engineering – Addi

VP of Engineering – Addi

Location: Kansas City, MO
Employment Type: Full-time

About Us

Addi is the AI-powered audio advertising platform transforming the way brands create audio ads by combining creative intelligence with the speed of machine learning. We’re scaling Addi to capture a major market opportunity in AI-driven ad tech. We're looking for a visionary and hands-on VP of Engineering to lead the next phase of our technical growth.

The Role

We’re seeking a Kansas City-based VP of Engineering who will bring strong technical leadership, AI product development expertise, and the ability to scale a high-performing team in a fast-paced, startup environment. This is a rare opportunity to lead technical execution while also shaping the future of an AI-native product and team.

What You'll Do

●      Lead and Scale the Engineering Function: Build, manage, and inspire a growing team of engineers focused on Addi’s AI-driven audio platform.
●      Hands-On Technical Leadership: Stay close to the code, leading by example and mentoring engineers through active contribution, design reviews, and architecture decisions.
●      AI Product Development: Guide and contribute to the design, prototyping, and production of AI-powered features with a deep understanding of model integration, data flow, and user experience.
●      Platform and API Ownership: Own the evolution of our platform architecture, with a strong emphasis on scalable, performant, and well-documented APIs.
●      Talent Magnet: Leverage your deep network in the Kansas City tech community to recruit, onboard, and retain top local technical talent.
●      New Product Innovation: Work cross-functionally with product, design, and business stakeholders to rapidly develop and launch new features aimed at capturing emerging market opportunities.
●      Culture and Process: Implement modern engineering practices that balance speed and quality, and cultivate a collaborative, inclusive, and learning-driven culture.

 

Who You Are

●      AI-Forward Technologist: You’re excited by the potential of AI and have direct experience building or integrating AI models into software products.
●      Startup-Experienced Leader: You’ve scaled teams and shipped product in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment.
●      Builder at Heart: You're as excited about shipping new products as you are about scaling existing systems. You thrive in a “teach by doing” environment.
●      Kansas City Connector: You are well-networked in the KC tech ecosystem and passionate about building a local-first team with national ambition.
●      Technical Fluency: You have deep hands-on experience with APIs, backend architecture, and software engineering best practices.
●      Mentor & Coach: You bring strong people leadership, and a willingness to guide junior and senior engineers while setting the technical bar high.

Qualifications

●      8+ years of experience in software engineering with increasing levels of leadership
●      3+ years in a senior technical leadership role (e.g., Director or VP level) at a high-growth startup
●      Proven experience building or leading teams working on AI/ML-enabled products
●      Strong technical background in software development and cloud-based architecture
●      Deep experience in API-first development
●      Located in Kansas City, MO

Culture & Benefits

●      100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision coverage (family included)
●      Life/AD&D, short- and long-term disability
●      SIMPLE IRA with employer match
●      Flexible paid time off + minimum 14 holidays
●      Paid parental leave and volunteer time
●      Monthly communication allowance
●      Remote-first work with optional in-office time
●      Team events, morale perks, and KC-based community involvement