Vice President of Engineering

**Apply At:** https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5id5cT\-CdSR\-8lbhP6k3ji6NWZoEwrP16pAWftH2PP8XGQQ/viewform **About the Role** The Foundation for Agentic Networks (FAN) is the home of Project NANDA—an open\-infrastructure initiative originated at MIT that builds the foundational protocols and registry for the Internet of AI Agents. Working alongside an active open\-source community, we are making a decentralized, interoperable agent ecosystem a reality. As the VP of Engineering, you will shape the engineering organization, define the technical direction, and dictate how FAN operates publicly. This is a working leadership role bridging high\-level architecture with hands\-on execution. **Key Responsibilities \& Scope** * **Technical Direction:** Architect standards across FAN’s portfolio. Determine the balance between shared infrastructure and project\-specific development, and allocate engineering effort efficiently based on ROI. * **Product Delivery:** Transform working\-group specifications into production\-grade, open\-source software. Build and manage the team responsible for cross\-project deployment. * **Team Leadership:** Hire, onboard, and manage the next 3–5 engineers, establishing the operational benchmark and culture for the engineering team. * **External Representation:** Serve as the technical voice for FAN at NANDA summits, working groups, and standards committees. Co\-author technical papers and protocol specifications. * **Strategic Alignment:** Collaborate directly with Board members on the product roadmap, operational priorities, and critical technical decisions. **Required Qualifications** * **Experience:** 5\+ years of software development experience, including successfully leading engineering teams of 5–15 people. * **Execution Capability:** Hands\-on technical ability; capable of contributing directly to the codebase alongside managerial duties. * **Domain Expertise:** Proven track record of shipping infrastructure, developer platforms, protocols, distributed systems, registries, or SDKs. * **AI Proficiency:** Fluency with modern AI/agent frameworks (e.g., MCP, A2A, LangChain, CrewAI, or equivalent). * **Public Record:** Verifiable technical history, including public code repositories, talks, papers, or community contributions. * **Cross\-Functional Operations:** Experience working within or alongside open\-source communities with the ability to drive progress across organizational boundaries. **Preferred Qualifications (Bonus)** * Experience with internet\-scale registry systems (DNS, PKI, decentralized identity). * Background in standards bodies (IETF/W3C\-style governance) or research\-adjacent organizations. * Existing network within the Boston tech or agent infrastructure community. **What We Offer** * **Leadership \& Authority:** A formal seat on the technical steering committee with voting rights on protocol decisions. Direct influence over engineering culture, hiring, and technical strategy. * **V