Vice President of Engineering, Ladder
$238-315k
+ Stock option packages
More information about location
Flexible life insurance provider
Job no longer available
Flexible life insurance provider
101-200 employees
Job no longer available
$238-315k
+ Stock option packages
More information about location
101-200 employees
Company mission
To combine the power of innovative technology with world-class financial and insurance expertise to make it easy for anyone to access life insurance.
Role
Who you are
- We're looking for an experienced and dynamic VP of Engineering who is excited to help us reimagine what life insurance can be
- The ideal candidate brings demonstrated experience in software engineering, leadership maturity and a deep understanding of the software development life cycle
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field; Master's degree preferred 10+ years of professional software development experience 5+ years of experience in a leadership role, managing and mentoring engineering teams
- Strong technical background, with expertise in full-stack development, cloud infrastructure, and modern software architecture
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams, balancing both business priorities and technical challenges
- Track record of inspiring others & positive change in solution design, technical delivery, and process improvement
Desirable
- Startup experience, or fintech/insurtech experience a plus
- Familiarity with the challenges of building end-user facing products that require rapid iteration, high cross functional collaboration and continual performance optimization
- Demonstrable past technical accomplishments and continues to remain hands-on
- Able to easily transition between high-level strategy and day-to-day implementation
- Results oriented, high energy, self-motivated
- Frontend: Clojurescript, Typescript, Javascript, React, GraphQL
- Backend: Clojure, Python, JVM
- Infrastructure: Kafka, Docker, Kubernetes, Packer, Terraform, AWS
- Data: BigQuery, Tableau, Sigma, BEAM
What the job involves
- We are a growing team of innovators going after this huge market by putting the user at the center of product design
- We've combined a dead-simple, online application with automatic, real-time underwriting to make instant decisions and provide on-the-spot coverage for life insurance
- As VP of Engineering, you’ll be both a strategic leader and an inspiring hands-on mentor
- You will work closely with Product, Design and Data Science to bring our product vision to life while maintaining an
- Set the technical vision and strategy in alignment with the company’s mission and goals, focusing on delivering exceptional end-user experiences
- Build and lead high-performing engineering teams, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration and accountability
- Work with our Product organization to analyze customer needs and develop engineering team’s roadmap based on company goals and user impact
- Lead the team through the software development lifecycle of Ladder’s core services, from ideation to deployment, ensuring end-user facing features are delivered on time, within scope and with the highest quality
- Promote a culture of feedback and transparent communication
- Establish measurable goals for your team's productivity and impact
- Mentor and lead engineers and engineering leaders, helping them grow
- Act as an advisor to and collaborate with the executive leadership team to align on business goals and technical priorities
- Recruit engineering talent into the organization while ensuring we can retain our top performers
Our take
Ladder is a life insurance company whose primary aim is to simplify the process of acquiring life insurance. In the past, getting coverage for life insurance has been a lengthy and time-consuming affair, but with Ladder, applicants can answer a few questions and sign up on their phones.
Jamie, the CEO and Co-Founder, felt the life-changing impact of life insurance on his own family when he lost his father at a young age before struggling to get life insurance policies for himself as an adult.
The market for life insurance in the US alone is worth over $128 billion, and Ladder faces stiff competition from Haven Life, a subsidiary of insurance giant MassMutual. Ladder will face stiff competition when traditional insurers undergo the digital transformation needed to join Ladder in offering five-minute life insurance policies via smartphone.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
-5% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 7 rounds)
Oct 2021
$100m
SERIES D
Feb 2020
$37.5m
SERIES C
Total funding: $196.1m
Company benefits
- Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage | We offer competitive healthcare,dental and vision plans for you and your family
- Flexible paid time off | Take the time that you need to rest and recharge, including our week-long winter holiday closure
- Stock options | We offer competitive stock option packages to participate in the success of building Ladder, including an extended option exercise window of 7 years after two years with Ladder
- A rewarding 401k match program | We'll match up to 4% of your contributions as you save for your retirement goals
- Ladder Fit Program | Your health matters. That’s why Ladder provides reimbursement of up to $50 a month for wellness-related expenses
- Commuter benefits | When you work from the office, you will receive pre-tax
- Benefits for your commute and free parking
- A stocked, beautiful new office | Located in downtown Palo Alto, our office was specifically designed to accommodate all working styles. We've invested in technology to support our hybrid team, plus we provide office snacks and daily catered lunches so that team members can work well and have fun together
- Paid parental leave | We think it's crucial that new parents have time to adjust to their new lives without worrying about work, so we provide all parents inclusive of birthing, adoption, or fostering ten weeks of paid baby bonding
- Work-from-home flexibility and support | We recognize that everyone's homelife is different and support remote and hybrid work. Upon joining, we provide a one-time $500 remote office stipend for all team members and then a monthly $150 stipend to cover WFH costs such as the internet
- Fun company-wide events | Whether we work locally or remotely, we genuinely enjoy spending time together. That’s why we plan fun virtual and in-person events to let loose and laugh
Company HQ
Downtown North, Palo Alto, CA
Leadership
Jamie Hale
(CEO & Co-Founder)Founding Partner at Aldenwood Capital and former Partner at Oak Hill Investment Management. MBA from Harvard Business School.
Laura Hale
(CPO & Co-Founder)Former Financial Consultant. Previously an Associate at Robert M. Bass and The Carlyle Group.
Salary benchmarks
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