Foundation for Agentic Networks · Project NANDA
VP of Engineering
Shape the engineering org, technical direction, and how FAN shows up in the world.
About this role
The Foundation for Agentic Networks (FAN) is the home of Project NANDA — an open-infrastructure initiative originated at MIT, building the foundational protocols and registry for the Internet of AI Agents. We work with an active open-source community to make a decentralized, interoperable agent ecosystem real.
We're hiring a VP of Engineering. You'll shape the engineering org, the technical direction, and how FAN shows up in the world.
You'll report to a board member. There's a defined path from VP to CTO based on org milestones — we'd like the right person to grow into that role.
What you'll own
- Technical direction across FAN's portfolio — Project NANDA and the other initiatives built on top of it. Setting architecture and standards that work across projects, deciding what's shared infrastructure vs. project-specific, and where to invest engineering effort
- Shipping — turning working-group specs into production-grade open-source software, and growing the team that can keep doing so across multiple projects
- External technical voice — representing FAN at NANDA summits, working groups, and standards conversations; co-authoring papers and specs; engaging the broader agent infrastructure community
- Team — hiring the next 3–5 engineers and setting the bar for how we work
- Partnership with Board members on roadmap, priorities, and key technical calls
You're a Strong Fit If You
- Have 5+ years building software, with experience leading engineering teams of 5–15
- Are still hands-on — this is a working leadership role, not a pure manager seat
- Have shipped infrastructure, protocols, or developer platforms (distributed systems, registries, SDKs, or similar)
- Are fluent with modern AI/agent frameworks — MCP, A2A, LangChain, CrewAI, or comparable
- Have a public technical track record — code, talks, papers, or community work we can find
- Have worked in or alongside open-source communities and can move work forward across organizational lines
Bonus Points
- Experience with DNS, PKI, decentralized identity, or other internet-scale registry systems
- Background in standards bodies, IETF/W3C-style governance, or research-adjacent organizations
- Existing connections to the Boston / agent infrastructure community
What This Role Offers
- Leadership seat — VP of Engineering at FAN, with a defined path to CTO based on org milestones. A formal seat on the technical steering committee, with voting rights on protocol decisions.
- Authority and scope — Shape the engineering org: culture, hiring bar, technical direction, and how FAN engages with partners and the broader community.
- Visibility and platform — Speaking slots at NANDA summits. Co-authorship on protocol specs and papers. A real public role in defining how AI agents operate on the open internet. Generous conference and travel budget.
- Flexibility — Fully remote, async-friendly, no fixed hours. Boston-area presence is welcome but not required.
- Network and access — Direct working relationships with FAN's partner institutions and the broader Project NANDA community.
Communication & collaboration
- Work directly with Board members on strategic decisions
- Engage with partner institutions and the open-source community
- Represent FAN at summits, working groups, and standards conversations
Interview Process
Intro Call
15 min conversation to get to know each other
Skills Matrix
Fill out a self-assessment of your technical skills
Technical Challenge
Take-home challenge based on the NANDA paper
Technical Interview
Deep dive on your challenge submission + technical questions
Leadership Interview
Final conversation with the leadership team
Result Announcement
We share our decision and next steps
Apply now