Head of Automation

Build the automation engine behind one of the fastest-growing enterprise AI companies. You'll define how AI transforms every function at Shelf, building the teams, systems, and strategy that power the next generation of business operations.

About Shelf

Shelf is the operating system for agentic AI: a platform that models your policies, workflows, and operational logic into an AI Data Model so AI agents don't just respond—they reason. The result is AI that understands how your business actually operates and delivers precise, compliant, and auditable outcomes at scale.

Leading enterprises including Amazon, Nespresso, HelloFresh, and KeyBank use Shelf to power AI agents that automate complex workflows, improve operational efficiency, and transform manual processes into intelligent automation.

We're partnered with Microsoft, Salesforce, OpenAI, Snowflake, and Databricks, and have been recognized by Gartner as a Cool Vendor and by IDC as an Innovator for our approach to enterprise AI.

About the Role

The Head of Automation will spearhead Shelf's company-wide automation transformation, building and leading multiple specialized automation teams while establishing automation as a strategic function across all departments. This role combines deep technical expertise with strategic leadership to create AI-powered automation solutions that drive operational excellence throughout the organization.

This is a foundational leadership role reporting to the CTO with strong involvement from the CEO. You'll be the architect of Shelf's automation strategy, leveraging our internal Shelf AI Platform to create intelligent agents that transform processes across GTM, Product, Engineering, Operations, Finance, and Customer Success functions.

What makes this role unique is the opportunity to build automation capabilities from the ground up at a fast-growing AI company, with access to cutting-edge internal AI infrastructure. Unlike traditional automation roles focused on a single department, you'll have enterprise-wide scope and the autonomy to define how automation drives business value across every function.

This role offers exceptional growth potential for automation leaders who want to shape the future of AI-powered business operations. You'll be building not just processes, but the teams and infrastructure that will scale with Shelf from Series C to IPO and beyond.

What We're Looking For

• Strategic Leadership: Proven experience building automation functions from scratch in high-growth environments.
• Technical Excellence: Strong experience with Node.js, Python, GenAI/LLM technologies, and agentic frameworks across both no-code and code solutions.
• Data & AI: Experience with data modeling, ontology design, and platforms such as Databricks and Snowflake.
• Team Building: A track record of hiring and scaling technical teams across multiple specializations.
• Startup Experience: Experience in high-growth startup environments, preferably Series A through Series C.
• Hands-On Mindset: Comfortable building end-to-end automation solutions while leading strategic initiatives.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ability to partner effectively with every department to identify and prioritize automation opportunities.
• Results-Driven: Focused on measurable automation adoption, reliability, and business impact.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Develop and execute company-wide automation strategy leveraging Shelf AI Platform's ontological graph structure.
• Partner with department leaders to identify high-impact automation opportunities and establish automation roadmaps.
• Define success metrics and KPIs for automation initiatives across all business functions.
• Present automation strategy and progress to the executive team and board.

Team Building & Management

• Build and scale several specialized automation teams within 12 months, starting immediately.
• Recruit and manage teams including Data & Integration Engineers, Automation Engineers, Business Analysts, and Data Modelers/Ontology Designers.
• Establish team structures, processes, and workflows for effective automation delivery.
• Foster a culture of innovation, quality, and continuous improvement across automation teams.

Technical Implementation

• Lead hands-on development of automation solutions and AI agents across organizational processes.
• Integrate and optimize existing automation tools (such as Lindy, n8n, TypingMind, and custom builds) with Shelf AI Platform.
• Establish technical standards, best practices, and quality assurance processes for automation development.
• Collaborate with Product and Engineering teams to enhance Shelf AI Platform capabilities.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Work closely with GTM, Finance, Operations, Customer Success, Engineering, and Product teams to drive automation adoption.
• Lead automation assessment and integration projects across different platforms and departments.
• Establish automation governance and change management processes.
• Champion automation initiatives and drive organizational change management.

Qualifications

• Experience: 8+ years of overall experience, including 2+ years in automation and 3+ years in leadership roles.
• Leadership: Proven track record of scaling technical teams and automation capabilities in startup environments (Series B/C preferred).
• Technical Background: Strong experience with Node.js, Python, AI/LLM technologies, and agentic frameworks.
• Data Engineering: Experience with data engineering, ontology design, and enterprise data platforms such as Databricks and Snowflake.
• Automation Platforms: Experience with automation platforms and integration tools including RPA, workflow automation, and API integrations.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Communication: Excellent communication skills with the ability to present technical concepts to executive audiences.

Success Metrics

To be successful in this role, you should aim to achieve the following within your first 12 months:

• Build and scale several automation teams with a total team size of 20+ people.
• Deliver measurable automation adoption with high reliability and accuracy across all departments.
• Achieve significant automation coverage across each department, with a focus on high-impact processes.
• Successfully integrate existing automation tools with Shelf AI Platform while maintaining operational continuity.
• Establish automation as a strategic competitive advantage that drives measurable business outcomes.

Why Join Shelf

• Build the future of enterprise AI: Shelf is creating the core infrastructure that enables enterprises to deploy agentic AI securely, reliably, and at scale.
• Join a proven team: Our leadership combines deep AI expertise with experience building and scaling category-leading enterprise software companies.
• Work with customers who love the product: Leading enterprises trust Shelf for its innovation, reliability, and measurable business impact.
• Backed by world-class investors: We've raised more than $60 million from investors including Insight Partners, Tiger Global, Base10 Partners, and others.
• Make an outsized impact: Join during a high-growth stage with meaningful ownership, direct access to leadership, and the opportunity to help shape the future of Shelf.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary
• Performance-based bonus opportunities
• Meaningful equity ownership through stock options
• Flexible paid time off
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage