VP of Engineering

About the Company Satsuma.ai?(Formerly MealMe.ai) is building the infrastructure layer that connects merchants to the new world of AI agents and conversational interfaces. As AI systems like ChatGPT, Alexa, and others begin to search, recommend, and transact on behalf of users, Satsuma ensures products are visible, accessible, and monetizable in real time. We partner directly with merchants to make their products and services searchable and orderable by AI. Through our API and Merchant Gateway, we enable real-time access to structured data?like product catalogs, menus, pricing, and availability?while giving merchants full control over access, pricing, and usage through their Merchant Console. Whether it?s a grocery chain, restaurant group, or large retailer, Satsuma transforms AI traffic into revenue by routing it through merchant-owned infrastructure. Our platform unlocks two major value streams: high-margin data monetization and increased order volume from AI-native channels. Satsuma is backed by leading investors such as Mercury Fund, Palm Drive Capital, Quiet Capital, Slow Ventures, AIX Ventures, and more. We are growing rapidly as we help merchants own their presence in the era of AI commerce. Requirements About the Role Satsuma AI is seeking a driven and experienced VP of Engineering to lead and scale our engineering team at one of the most exciting AI infrastructure companies in the data economy. As VP of Engineering, you?ll be responsible for owning the engineering roadmap, delivering on product milestones, and ensuring the performance, reliability, and scalability of our core platform. You?ll work closely with the CEO and product leadership to define and execute the technical vision of the company. This is a foundational leadership role where you?ll shape the architecture that powers high-value AI agents and enterprise integrations?helping Satsuma become the default infrastructure layer for real-time data access and actions. We are a fast-moving, execution-focused team. We?re looking for someone who can lead hands-on when needed, build a world-class engineering culture, and help us scale from startup to category-defining company.

What You?ll Do

• Lead all engineering efforts, including platform architecture, feature delivery, reliability, and scaling
• Translate the product roadmap into engineering milestones and ship fast, high-quality releases
• Architect distributed systems and APIs that support real-time data flows and downstream actions
• Build and manage integrations with merchant systems such as POS, catalog, and commerce APIs
• Hire, mentor, and grow a high-performance engineering team from the ground up
• Ensure uptime, data control, security, and monitoring across all systems
• Collaborate directly with the CEO and leadership team on product and data strategy

What We?re Looking For

• 7+ years of engineering experience, with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role (e.g. VP Engineering, Director of Engineering, Principal Architect) at a high-growth startup or technical organization
• Strong track record building distributed systems and external-facing APIs
• Experience with merchant-side systems, including POS, product catalogs, or commerce data flows
• Familiarity with the AI infrastructure ecosystem, including how LLMs and AI agents interact with APIs
• Able to operate at both strategic and tactical levels?you?re comfortable writing code during crunch time
• Thoughtful about data privacy, pricing control, and platform reliability
• Proven ability to hire and manage strong technical talent
• Based in Austin or willing to relocate and work in person with the founding team

Benefits Benefits At Satsuma AI, we believe in creating a work environment that supports high performance and personal well-being. As part of our team, you?ll receive:

• 401(k) Plan?? Build for your future with employer-supported retirement savings.
• Healthcare Reimbursement?? Flexible reimbursement for your medical, dental, and vision expenses.
• Unlimited PTO?? Take the time you need to recharge, with a flexible and trusting vacation policy.
• Free Gym Access?? Stay active with a fully covered gym membership.
• Free Meals?? Enjoy delicious, healthy meals at the office every day.

We?re an in-person team based in?Austin, TX, committed to building ambitious technology with people who love to move fast, take ownership, and solve real problems.