Location: REMOTE / Winnipeg, Manitoba
This job allows you to work remotely.
Founding Engineer / Head of Engineering
Location: Canada (remote possible, preference for candidates open to occasional in-person collaboration)
About the Company
This is a stealth-stage healthtech startup turning peer-reviewed clinical research into a SaaS platform classified as a Software as a Medical Device (SaMD). The core product uses clinically validated AI to transform routine lab data into predictive risk scores for chronic disease. The company was founded by a globally recognized physician-researcher and is backed by strategic partnerships with major diagnostic labs and pharmaceutical companies.
In the past year the company has secured European regulatory approval for its lead algorithm, entered a strategic collaboration to embed predictive analytics directly into clinical workflows, and closed a successful fundraise to accelerate hiring. This is a rare opportunity to join at the ground floor and shape the technical foundation of a company operating at the intersection of AI, regulatory science, and patient care.
About the Role
The company is hiring its Founding Engineer / Head of Engineering: equal parts technical architect and hands-on builder. In the near term, you will productionize state-of-the-art medical algorithmic pipelines into a reliable, auditable, and scalable platform. Over time, you will architect the systems, processes, and team needed to operate at the pace and rigor that regulated healthcare environments demand.
This role reports directly to the CEO. You will write production code, make architectural decisions, lay the foundations for the future engineering team, and personally own delivery from day one. The Founding Engineer will play a defining role in shaping the platform, engineering culture, and delivery practices for years to come.
The right person has done this before in some form: taken a research-heavy or analytically complex product and made it production-grade, in an environment where quality and compliance were non-negotiable. They are as comfortable reviewing a pull request as they are in a product strategy conversation.
Responsibilities
Design and build the initial production version of the platform
Productionize analytical and research workflows into robust, reproducible systems
Make pragmatic architectural decisions balancing speed, quality, and regulatory risk
Design and operate integrations with external systems (labs, vendor APIs)
Design and maintain production infrastructure using Infrastructure as Code
Build secure, multi-tenant systems with appropriate access controls and data segregation
Serve as the primary technical leader and decision-maker
Collaborate closely with the data science team to ensure accuracy and reliability of results
Communicate timelines, risks, and tradeoffs clearly to non-technical peers and stakeholders
Establish engineering standards, documentation practices, and delivery processes
Hire, onboard, and mentor engineers as the team grows
Define the early engineering culture and working practices, including regulatory readiness
Must Have Skills:
Requirements
10+ years of professional software engineering experience
Experience as a senior or lead engineer owning production systems
Demonstrated experience productionizing analytical or research-driven workflows
Experience designing systems in regulated or risk-sensitive environments
Strong understanding of cloud infrastructure and modern deployment practices
Hands-on experience with Infrastructure as Code
Proven ability to operate independently and own outcomes end-to-end
Preferred Qualifications
Experience working with or supporting data science teams, translating research outputs into production-grade systems
Direct experience in healthcare, life sciences, or other regulated domains (IEC 62304 / SaMD experience is a strong asset)
Experience building multi-tenant or role-based SaaS platforms
Prior experience as a first or early engineering hire
Experience hiring and building engineering teams
Competencies
Strong technical judgment under ambiguity and time pressure
Ability to balance urgency with long-term sustainability
Delivers production-ready systems under aggressive timelines
Maintains quality without over-engineering
Demonstrates ownership, accountability, and follow-through
Communicates clearly with technical and non-technical stakeholders
Builds trust through transparency and consistency
Willingness to design and follow appropriate, compliant processes
Leads by example and invests in long-term team health
Nice to Have Skills:
Previous production grade AI software development experience.
