Head of Software Engineering

Adaptyv seeks a Head of Software Engineering to lead a small, hands-on team building the software infrastructure for an automated biology lab. This player-coach role combines technical leadership with active coding in a high-growth biotech environment.

Adaptyv is developing an automated laboratory where AI agents conduct biological experiments. As one of the fastest-growing biotech firms, the company relies on a complex software and hardware stack to orchestrate devices and process data. This position leads the engineering team responsible for the software infrastructure that powers these automated operations.

Responsibilities

• Define the engineering roadmap, prioritizing initiatives and deciding which features to develop or discontinue.
• Establish technical direction and architecture spanning frontend, backend, data pipelines, and lab-hardware integration.
• Contribute directly to coding on high-impact problems rather than solely reviewing others' work.
• Recruit, mentor, and elevate the team to maintain high quality and rapid delivery standards.
• Integrate AI-assisted development practices to create a tangible speed advantage for the team.
• Align engineering priorities with company strategy to ensure the right projects are executed in the correct sequence.
• Lead a small, technical team leveraging AI to build the software infrastructure for the automated lab.

Requirements

• Proven experience shipping production software and a desire to remain hands-on with code.
• Prior experience hiring, managing, and developing engineers in a startup or high-growth setting, with a track record of building fast, quality-focused teams.
• History of owning or significantly shaping engineering roadmaps and making pragmatic tradeoffs.
• Strong architectural decision-making skills across frontend, backend, data, and infrastructure domains.
• Experience using AI agents and coding tools as force multipliers, with a clear perspective on how they impact team structure, tooling, and workflows.
• A high-autonomy, founder mindset that identifies critical priorities and drives execution.

Nice to have

• A genuine interest in biology, though no prior background is required.

About the company

Adaptyv operates with a culture of open context and vision sharing. The company fosters a player-coach environment where leaders remain deeply involved in coding and shipping software while guiding the engineering organization. This role is designed for individuals who want to stay technical and avoid transitioning into a purely management track.

• Open sharing of context and vision across the organization.
• Player-coach model allowing leaders to stay hands-on and actively ship code.
• Focus on technical contribution rather than a traditional management track.