VP R&D - Apono

At Apono we empower organizations to run in the cloud by aligning operations and security around access management. Our platform provides companies with Just-In-Time and Just Enough access across their hybrid environments reducing the access risk while improving productivity. 
Apono has offices in New York and Tel Aviv and supports dozens of customers across the US and the world, including large Fortune 500 companies and was honored in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Privileged Access Management.

What are we looking for?
We’re looking for an experienced and visionary VP of R&D to lead and scale Apono’s engineering organization. This is a key leadership position, reporting directly to the CTO, responsible for driving Apono’s technical strategy, execution, and delivery across multiple product lines.
You will lead our delivery teams, work closely with Product and Architecture, and ensure we build a secure, scalable, and innovative cloud-native platform.
As part of the Apono management team, you will shape company strategy, influence culture, and take ownership of Apono’s production environment and overall R&D success.

Responsibilities:

• Lead Apono’s R&D organization, including multiple engineering teams, architects, and managers.
• Drive execution and delivery of Apono’s core platform and new product initiatives.
• Collaborate with Product to plan, prioritize, and deliver features from concept to production.
• Oversee production stability, performance, and security, ensuring smooth operations at scale.
• Guide technical direction and architecture decisions across the platform, addressing challenges in multi-tenancy, scaling, and cloud-native systems.
• Mentor and develop managers and engineers, creating a culture of ownership, accountability, and excellence.
• Recruit and structure the R&D organization for the next phase of growth, attracting top talent and building an elite team.
• Champion innovation and experimentation, encouraging teams to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
• Partner closely with the executive team to align R&D with business strategy and deliver measurable impact.

Requirements:

• 10+ years of software development experience, including 3+ years in R&D leadership.
• 1+ years managing managers, leading through leaders, and scaling engineering organizations.
• Proven track record in fast-paced startup environments,  building teams and products from 0→1 and scaling to production maturity.
• Deep understanding of cloud-native architectures, distributed systems, and multi-tenancy challenges.
• Strong technical background, capable of guiding architectural decisions.
• Experience building and operating systems in AWS/GCP, Kubernetes, and microservices environments.
• Demonstrated success in cross-functional collaboration with Product, DevOps, and Customer teams.
• Hands-on, proactive, and execution-oriented, with a strong sense of ownership and urgency.

Nice to Have:

• Background in cybersecurity, identity/access management, PAM, or DevSecOps domains.
• Experience with SaaS architecture scaling and observability tools.
• Prior experience leading distributed teams.