Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR)

Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) Chennai
Champion innovation. Shape the future of AI-first engineering.

Location: Chennai, India
Experience: 8+ years in software engineering or technical leadership, with a strong background in technology strategy and innovation.
Strategic thinkers who thrive at the intersection of technology, leadership, and transformation.

Role Overview

As an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR), you'll partner directly with our VP of Engineering as a strategic advisor and thought partner. This is a unique blend of technology strategy, operational excellence, and cultural leadership empowering our teams to accelerate Crayon's AI-first transformation. You'll act as a bridge between engineering, data, and leadership driving innovation, insights, and impact across the organization.

What makes you right for this role

• Technology Strategy & Innovation Research and evaluate emerging technologies, frameworks, and AI/ML trends that can shape product and engineering strategy.

• Engineering Operations & Insights Design dashboards and leaderboards to track engineering metrics like code quality, build health, and AI tool adoption.

• Technical Leadership Support Organize bi-weekly tech talks, champion internal frameworks, and support key technical milestones and presentations.

• Culture & Community Building Foster a culture of technical excellence, learning, and innovation by connecting people, ideas, and outcomes.

• Data-Driven Decision Making Analyze engineering trends, surface insights, and guide strategy through meaningful metrics and storytelling.

The person you're

• 8+ years of experience in software engineering with at least 3 years in technical or principal leadership roles.

• Proven experience building and scaling backend systems (distributed systems, APIs, microservices).

• Strong grasp of modern software development, cloud architectures, and AI/ML technologies.

• Skilled in metrics tracking, data analysis, and visualization to drive technical excellence.

• Excellent communicator with the ability to simplify complex topics for diverse audiences.

• Experienced in partnering with senior technical executives (CTO, VP Engineering, etc.) to drive initiatives.

• Curious, strategic, and passionate about building cultures of innovation and learning.

Bonus Skills

• Startup experience, especially during scaling or transformation phases.

• Exposure to big data technologies or AI/ML infrastructure.

• Experience in building internal developer tools or frameworks.

• Strong presence in the tech community or prior EIR/startup founder experience.

What makes you successful here

• Strategic Thinker You see the big picture and connect it to daily execution.

• Self-Starter You take initiative and deliver without constant direction.

• Bridge Builder You unite teams, ideas, and priorities across functions.

• Data-Driven You use insights, not intuition, to guide decisions.

• Humble Advisor You influence through credibility, empathy, and candor.

• Continuous Learner You stay ahead of trends and continuously refine your perspective.

Why Crayon Data

• Work directly with senior technical leadership on high-impact initiatives.

• Shape the engineering culture and strategic direction of an AI-first company.

• High visibility and influence across the organization.

• Competitive compensation, equity, and flexible work environment.

• Dedicated learning budget for conferences, courses, and professional growth.

Reporting Structure

Reports directly to the VP of Engineering and collaborates closely with engineering managers, product leadership, and cross-functional stakeholders to drive impact at scale.