VP of Engineering

Company Overview:

Ripple Science accelerates clinical research with its secure HIPAA-compliant suite of direct-to-participant engagement tools. Ripple is a software platform that helps our customers recruit more participants faster and reduces patients lost to follow-up. Ripple Science’s flagship product, Ripple SaaS, is currently being used by research investigators at more than 75 academic and research centers around the world.

Job Overview:

As the Vice President of Engineering, you will play a pivotal role in leading the engineering team to drive the development and delivery of our participant engagement software solutions. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), you will be responsible for setting the technical vision, strategy, and direction for our software products, ensuring alignment with business objectives and market needs. You will oversee all aspects of software engineering, including product development, architecture, quality assurance, and technical operations, while fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence.

Key Responsibilities:

Support of Product Roadmap, Strategy, and Innovation

Provide strategic leadership and direction to the engineering team, driving the development and execution of the product roadmap in alignment with business goals and market trends.

Lead the design, architecture, and development of scalable, reliable, and high-performance participant recruitment software solutions, utilizing best practices in software engineering, cloud technologies, and data management.

Stay abreast of emerging technologies, industry trends, and competitive developments in the eClinical software space, leveraging insights to inform strategic decision-making and product innovation.

Product Development Process, Quality and Performance

Drive the adoption of agile development methodologies, DevOps practices, and automation tools to streamline the software development lifecycle and improve productivity, efficiency, and quality.

Establish a collaborative process to assist in evaluation of prioritized features to determine feasibility, risk, and estimated effort

Work closely with all stakeholders to ensure product quality, reliability, and scalability, addressing any issues or concerns promptly.

Cross-functional Collaboration

Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including product management, quality assurance, UX/UI design, and customer success, to ensure the successful delivery of high-quality software products on time and within budget. Timely delivery is defined as within 20% of the product plan.

Establish and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including customers, partners, and senior leadership, providing regular updates on project status, technical initiatives, and performance metrics.

Facilitate communication and collaboration between different departments, breaking down silos and fostering a culture of transparency and teamwork.

Team Leadership and Development

Recruit, mentor, and develop top engineering talent, fostering a high-performing team culture and providing ongoing coaching, feedback, and professional growth opportunities

Champion a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and technical excellence within the engineering organization, fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment where team members are empowered to contribute ideas, share knowledge, and drive innovation.

Facilitate communication and collaboration between different departments, breaking down silos and fostering a culture of transparency and teamwork.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field. MBA or equivalent business experience preferred.
• Proven track record of 8+ years of progressive leadership experience in software engineering, with at least 5 years in a senior management role, ideally within the participant recruitment software industry or a related healthcare or clinical trial technology domain.
• Experience in the Life Sciences industry in delivering SaaS products is highly desired
• Strong technical expertise in software development, architecture, and cloud-based technologies, with hands-on experience in designing and building complex, enterprise-scale software solutions.
• Demonstrated experience in leading and scaling high-performing engineering teams, with a focus on recruiting, mentoring, and developing top talent.
• Deep understanding of agile development methodologies, DevOps practices, and software quality assurance processes, with a commitment to driving continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and influencing skills, with the ability to effectively engage and collaborate with cross-functional teams, customers, and senior executives.
• Knowledge of common product management, project management, wireframing, testing, and analytics tools.
• Proven ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions, with a customer-centric mindset and a passion for delivering innovative, high-quality software products that exceed customer expectations.
• Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities, with a track record of driving results in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Experience working closely with customers to deeply understand their needs and pain points.
• Metrics-driven experience in defining and developing products to meet customer requirements.
• Success as a cross-functional people manager of an operationally complex, high-growth environment with an ability to be hands-on while allocating resources correctly.
• High EQ and low ego; carries an executive presence.