Vice President of Engineering

Location: Denver, CO 

Reports To: Ben Meager, CEO / Founder 

About AZAK 

AZAK is transforming how the world moves. We are a startup in defense technology, empowering people with everything they need to move, achieve, and do more with the world's most efficient, powerful, and structurally adaptable electric mobility systems. 

AZAK’s patented technology places all of the drive components needed to operate an electric vehicle inside and below the center point of the wheel. This simple but groundbreaking mechanical innovation helps us create vehicles with the lowest center of gravity, higher efficiency, and modular properties that provide optionality, space savings, and freedom of frame design. 

As AZAK enters its next phase of exponential growth, we are looking for a Vice President of Engineering who is, above all else, an exceptional leader to drive our mission to transform how the world moves. Your primary mandate is to build, inspire, and advocate for a high-performing team, all while anchoring our engineering efforts with a rigorous engineering mindset that transforms complex physics and structural challenges into elegant, simple, and manufacturable solutions. We are seeking someone with a relentless work ethic who cares profoundly about our people, our product, and the impact of our work. The ideal candidate is a deeply technical, strategic builder who embraces the uncomfortable, champions our values at every stage of the product lifecycle, and approaches hardware development with the uncompromising accountability of a founder. This role is right for you if you are a hands-on engineering leader who leads by example and elevates team performance. 

Responsibilities Engineering Leadership & Strategy 

• Set and drive the technical roadmap, embodying strategic boldness by making decisive moves grounded in logic and long-term vision. 
• Prioritize the "best" way over the "established" way, steering the engineering department through complex challenges with a driver's seat mentality. 
• Anticipate technical and operational obstacles before they arrive, aligning engineering objectives with overall business goals. 

Mechanical Rigor & Product Development 

• Lead the design, testing, and validation of our patented, highly integrated electromechanical systems, maintaining a strong emphasis on structural integrity, thermal management, and dynamics. 
• Exhibit a devotion to excellence by treating every detail—from the first CAD model to the final manufactured system—with uncompromising rigor. 
• Drive mastery in the minimal, actively stripping away the non-essential in our architectures to deliver high-performance solutions that are sophisticated yet inherently understood. 

Team Building & Culture 

• Recruit, mentor, and scale a world-class, multi-disciplinary engineering team (mechanical, electrical, software, and controls). 
• Cultivate a culture of debate and commit, encouraging "productive dissent" to pressure-test designs and strategies. Ensure that once a technical decision is reached, the team’s collective energy shifts entirely to flawless execution. 
• Foster an environment of perpetual learning, constantly evaluating successes and failures to sharpen the team's craft. 

Cross-Functional Execution 

• Partner tightly with operations, manufacturing, and business development teams to transition products from R&D prototype to scaled, high-volume production. 
• Ensure products delivered to the manufacturing floor and ultimately to the end-user are as refined as they are rugged. 

Requirements 

• 10 years of leadership experience, with a proven background in mechanical engineering, hardware development, defense tech, or automotive mobility. 
• Demonstrated radical ownership: A track record of taking full accountability for complex hardware programs from concept through commercialization. 
• Devotion to excellence: Capable of balancing rapid, startup-paced iteration with the rigorous safety and reliability standards required for defense and mobility products. 
• Exceptional mechanical intuition and problem-solving skills, with hands-on experience in complex system architecture. 
• Experience scaling engineering teams and establishing lightweight, effective processes that accelerate development rather than hinder it. 
• Excellent executive communication skills; ability to articulate complex engineering trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders and investors. 
• Must be based in Denver, CO or willing to relocate.

Preferred Skills 

• Degree in Engineering. 
• Experience taking novel electro-mechanical hardware from early R&D to high-volume manufacturing. 
• Experience in high growth, fast-paced technology environments with a proven track record of continued success. 

Compensation & Benefits 

• Cash compensation is targeted at $200,000 - $240,000 equity package.
• 100% company-paid premiums for medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents.
• Paid time off.
• Fully subsidized supplemental benefits for unexpected medical events.
• Competitive parental leave.
• On-site meals three days a week.

AZAK is reinventing the wheel, and revolutionizing mobility.  

AZAK is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.