Head of Engineering
About Us
Do you think Artificial Intelligence is changing the world? So do we.
At Gemmo, we don’t just build models: we help Fortune 200 companies like Novartis and Broadridge harness the power of AI to generate real, measurable impact. We are a Machine Learning and Computer Vision startup founded in 2020, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with an AI Lab in Milan, Italy.
Our expertise spans Machine Learning and Generative AI for financial services and Computer Vision for life sciences. We build custom AI solutions that combine automation with human insight — first exploring the highest-impact opportunities, then designing and deploying tailored solutions, and finally helping improve and maintain them over time. We believe in responsible, pragmatic AI: systems that integrate into real workflows, provide measurable value, and remain under your control.
Our Team
- Machine Learning & Engineering: 14 people, including 2 Ph.D.s
- Business & Strategy: 3 people
- Leadership: 2 people
A lean, technical-first team — and we’re growing. We’re looking to add 5 new tech roles before the end of the year.
The Role
The Head of Engineering is the de facto technical team lead for Gemmo’s software development function. It is a hands-on leadership position for someone who loves building great software and helping talented people do the same.
You will be the primary technical point of reference for the engineering team, own software delivery quality, liaise directly with clients on technical matters, and work closely with the Chief AI Officer to ensure that AI-driven products are architected and executed correctly.
What You Will Do
At Gemmo, the Head of Engineering is not a figurehead. You will make real technical decisions, review real code, and have real conversations with clients about architecture. Here’s what that looks like day to day:
- Lead and coach a cross-functional team of researchers, backend developers, and data scientists — acting as the team’s technical conscience
- Own end-to-end software delivery: system design, code quality, testing discipline, PR reviews, and deployment practices
- Design and document cloud architecture for client projects (primarily Azure), taking responsibility for service selection, cost optimisation, and scalability
- Manage direct relationships with technical stakeholders at client organisations, translating business requirements into clear engineering plans
- Liaise with the Chief AI Officer on AI system design, evaluation frameworks (train/validation/test governance), and product direction
- Establish and enforce engineering best practices across the team: coding standards, branch strategy, CI/CD, monitoring
- Identify and unblock technical risks in ongoing projects, particularly multi-agent pipelines and LLM-integrated products
- Hire, onboard, and mentor software developers; maintain a culture of technical excellence and intellectual curiosity
- Contribute to technical proposals and scoping documents for new client engagements
Tech Stack
We use a mix of modern tools and languages. As Head of Engineering, you will govern architecture decisions across our full stack:
- Languages: Python, TypeScript, SQL
- Frameworks: PyTorch, XGBoost, ONNXML
- LLM APIs: OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), Google Gemini
- Frameworks: FastAPIAPI
- Snowflake, Postgres, Azure-managed storage (blob, NoSQL, relational)
- Cloud: Azure
- Engineering Practices: Git workflows, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, PR review discipline, branch strategy
How We Work
We’re a small team, which means no bureaucracy, no silos, and no waiting three weeks for a decision. Everyone is expected to communicate clearly, move fast, and take ownership.
Communication
We run two short standups every day — a 15-minute morning sync to align on daily priorities. Everything else lives in writing: project documentation on Linear and GitHub, async conversations on Slack with dedicated channels per team and project.
Rhythm & Organisation
We work in weekly sprints, so priorities are always clear and nothing drags. Every Friday morning we run a CEO retrospective — an open conversation about what’s working and what isn’t. Once a month, the whole company comes together for a Townhall to share progress, celebrate wins, and discuss where we’re heading.
Career Path
Head of Engineering at a fast-growing AI company is not a ceiling — it’s a launchpad. As we scale, you will have the opportunity to grow into a broader leadership mandate, shape the technical strategy of the company, and build the team that defines how we deliver AI at enterprise scale.
We’re a fast-growing company. If you perform, you’ll be rewarded quickly and visibly — not in three years after your annual review cycle.
Working in Our Milan Office
This role is based in our Milan AI Lab. In-office presence 3 days a week is a firm requirement — we believe the best engineering leadership happens when you’re in the room with your team.
Office & Hours
- Via Zuretti 34, Milan, Italy Location:
- Monday–Friday
- Working days: 08:30 – 17:30 CET Working hours:
- 13:00 – 14:00 (flexible)Lunch break:
If you are travelling or occasionally working from a client site, that’s naturally fine. But Milan is home base.
Selection Process
We keep it fast, respectful, and transparent. No trick questions, no whiteboard theatre.
- Company and role presentation, alignment on expectations and seniority.Interview with CTO or Senior Engineer (15 min):
- System design discussion, architecture reasoning, and engineering leadership scenarios. No whiteboard coding or Leetcode-style questions.Technical Interview (60 min):
- Final Q&A round, alignment on vision, culture, and team direction.Interview with CEO (30 min):
Total timeline: 3 to 4 weeks. You’ll receive feedback at every stage — no ghosting, no ambiguity.
Requirements
Required
- 4+ years of professional software engineering experience, with at least 2 years in a team-lead or engineering-management role
- Demonstrable track record of leading and coaching teams of 5 or more software developers
- Strong backend development background — Python and/or TypeScript; solid understanding of APIs, microservices, and data pipelines
- Cloud architecture expertise — Azure preferred; experience with managed services, storage patterns (blob, NoSQL, relational), authentication, and cost modelling
- System design mindset: comfortable designing distributed systems, reasoning about trade-offs, and communicating architecture decisions to both technical and non-technical audiences
- Fluent in modern engineering practices: Git workflows, code review, automated testing, CI/CD
- Excellent communication skills — able to hold technical conversations with PhD researchers and client stakeholders alike
- Italian native or fluent; professional English required
Nice to Have
- Experience in consulting, professional services, or product companies where requirements change rapidly
- Familiarity with LLM APIs, RAG architectures, or multi-agent systems
- Scientific rigour in data validation and output quality (understanding of train/validation/test methodology)
- Experience with financial services or regulated industries
- Ability to read and understand ML pipeline outputs — enough to govern quality without being a machine learning researcher
What We Are NOT Looking For
We need someone who is smart and adaptable — not a rigid, process-heavy manager who imposes rules from a previous era of software development. The right candidate understands that our clients have opinions, that AI is reshaping development velocity, and that flexibility is a feature. If your first instinct when handed a constraint is to architect a 15-service solution, this is not the role for you.
Benefits
This is a senior leadership role, and we compensate accordingly.
Compensation
- Competitive base salary aligned with a senior leadership position
- +10% salary progression at each career level
- Annual salary review
- Project bonuses: awarded on delivery and client impact
- Year-end bonus: awarded for outstanding team performance
Benefits
- A brand new MacBook Pro M4 14” — yours to use from day oneEquipment:
- Once a year, the whole team flies to Dublin for a 3-day offsite at our HQ — a mix of strategy, team building, and genuinely good craicTravel:
- 20 days of paid holiday per year, 8 public holidays, and 104 hours of additional permitted leave per yearTime Off:
- Full-time, permanent (CCNL) Contract