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About Chalk
Chalk is building the data platform that powers the future of machine learning applications. We tear down complexity, latency, and scale barriers that have traditionally constrained ML capabilities. Our platform combines Rust-speed performance with elegant tools that developers love to use. Leading companies depend on Chalk for everything from stopping fraudulent credit card swipes, verifying identities, and maximizing clean energy capture. We've recently raised a $50 million Series A, led by Felicis.
About the role
Working directly with our founders, you'll serve as the engineering site lead for our New York office. You'll start by directly managing individual contributor engineers and tech leads, and as we scale the team, you'll hire and develop engineering managers beneath you — building the leadership layer of our NYC organization from the ground up.
This is a rare opportunity to define the technical strategy, organizational structure, and engineering culture of a fast-growing AI infrastructure startup. You'll collaborate with brilliant folks, including Putnam and Advent of Code winners, former Jane Street quants, and Rust compiler contributors — all dedicated to bending the curve of what's possible in AI inference.
We're in the office 5 days a week. When unavoidable conflicts come up, we’re flexible. This is not a hybrid role.
What you will do
Serve as the engineering site lead for New York, with ownership of all NYC engineering
Directly manage engineers building Chalk's data platform, and hire and grow engineering managers as the site scales
Partner with the founding team to set technical strategy and shape our long-term product and platform roadmap
Design the organizational structure, hiring plan, and leadership pipeline for a rapidly growing engineering site
Establish engineering processes and operating rhythms that enable high velocity without sacrificing quality
Work directly with customers and executives to understand requirements and ensure Chalk's platform solves real-world ML challenges
Define and champion Chalk's engineering culture in New York — you'll set the bar for how we attract, develop, and retain top talent
What we're looking for
10+ years of engineering experience with 5+ years of engineering management
Experience managing managers, or a clear readiness to build and lead a multi-layer organization
Previous experience at an early-stage startup
Experience building production ML systems or data infrastructure
Strong programming skills and systems thinking — you understand how things work under the hood, and you stay close to the technology
Proven ability to lead through others: hiring, developing, and retaining strong engineers and engineering leaders
Executive-level communicator who can bridge technical, business, and customer contexts
Track record of delivering complex, high-stakes projects and scaling teams through rapid growth
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent
Bonus points
Experience as a site lead or founding leader of a new office or engineering hub
Experience with Rust or distributed systems
Experience with query planners or compilers
Experience implementing data infrastructure or PaaS-like software
Experience scaling engineering organizations from single-digit to multi-team in high-growth environments
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