Head of Engineering

Probably Genetic•San Francisco, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Probably Genetic is changing the lives of patients living with severe, complex diseases. Our data platform is used by drug developers and patient advocacy groups to develop and launch treatments for these patients. Our technology discovers undiagnosed patients online, analyzes their disease state using machine learning and at-home testing, and enables compliant communication with patients. In doing so, we help patients access diagnoses, clinical trials, and treatments as early as possible. We are a tight-knit group of hard-working, ambitious problem solvers united by a mission greater than ourselves. We do well by doing right by patients. We are developing some of the most cutting-edge solutions in healthcare, and our roadmap is packed with innovations in bioinformatics, AI, and drug development. We have built a lean, all-star team to help us bring our vision to life, and we want you to be a part of it. Probably Genetic has raised multiple rounds of funding from Silicon Valley’s best investors, including Threshold, Khosla, and Y Combinator, and offer competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and meaningful early stage equity. We’re looking for a visionary builder–leader to serve as our next Head of Engineering. This is a rare opportunity for an experienced engineering leader who still loves to code — someone excited to roll up their sleeves, ship critical systems themselves, and lay the technical foundations for something remarkable. In the near term, you’ll be deeply hands-on: architecting and writing production code, shaping our AI and software systems, and partnering closely with Product to turn strategy into shipped features. Over time, you’ll scale the team and evolve from player–coach to executive leader, owning the technical vision that powers the future of precision medicine through AI.

Requirements

You’ve served as a CTO, VP, Head of Engineering of an early stage startup, and/or senior engineering leader in a high-growth technology company (ideally in healthtech, techbio, or AI) — and you’ve successfully led teams through both ambiguity and scale.
You are genuinely excited to be hands-on again. You want to architect systems and ship production code, especially in the first several months, setting the technical bar by example.
You’ve built and scaled engineering teams through 0→1 and 1→n phases — and you know when to personally build versus when to delegate.
You’re fluent in our tech stack and comfortable contributing meaningfully from day one: Python/Django (backend), React/Typescript (frontend), AWS (infrastructure), Terraform (ETL pipelines).
You know how to build in a regulated environment (HIPAA, SOC2, ISO, GDPR), balancing compliance and rigor with startup speed.
You’re a systems thinker who can move seamlessly between architecture diagrams, pull requests, roadmap tradeoffs, and executive strategy.
You take pride in building durable foundations — clean architecture, scalable infrastructure, thoughtful AI systems — not just shipping features.
You’re motivated by our mission and energized by the opportunity to build technology that tangibly improves patients’ lives.
A good person. We work with some of the most marginalized populations on the planet and empathy is key.
Patient-focused and motivated to have a lasting, positive impact on humanity.
Comfortable in a fast-paced, often ambiguous environment with rapid change.
Action-oriented and excited to build a company from the ground up.

Nice To Haves

Experience with AI-driven diagnostics, digital health, genomics, or precision medicine.
Background in bioinformatics, computational biology, or large-scale health data systems.
Prior exposure to biopharma companies and labs.

Responsibilities

Personally design, build, and ship core components of our AI platform, software infrastructure, and genetics-centered architecture.
Set coding standards and architectural patterns by example — establishing a high bar for quality, clarity, and velocity.
Partner with the Head of Product, Head of Research and Development and broader executive team to evolve the long-term technical vision and roadmap aligned with company strategy.
Ensure the security, scalability, and reliability of our systems as we expand across global markets and operate in a regulated environment.
Lead as a player–coach: actively contribute code while mentoring and leveling up engineers.
Recruit and grow a high-performing team of full stack software and AI engineers.
Build a culture of ownership, technical excellence, and creativity.
Collaborate closely with Product, Marketing and Business Development to deliver technology that meaningfully improves patients’ lives.
Drive high-quality execution in a fast-moving startup environment — balancing speed with rigor in a regulated domain.
Establish pragmatic, lightweight engineering processes that support rapid iteration without sacrificing reliability.
Oversee infrastructure decisions, vendor relationships, and technology budgets with an eye toward capital efficiency.
Work closely with the CEO and executive team to define technical strategy and company priorities.
Represent Probably Genetic’s technology with investors, partners, and at conferences.
Support fundraising and technical due diligence for future funding rounds.