Executive Business Partner, Engineering

About Tailscale Tailscale is building the new Internet by delivering software that makes it easy to securely interconnect people and their devices, no matter where they are. From hobbyists to multinational corporations, teams of every size use Tailscale each day to protect their networks, share access to internal tools, and more. We're building a future for the Internet that's easy, sensible, and safe, like it used to be. Founded in 2019 and fully distributed, we're backed by Accel, CRV, Insight, Heavybit, and Uncork Capital. About the Role We're looking for an experienced Executive Business Partner to partner with our VP of Engineering. You will also work closely with the Chief of Staff, CTO. You'll serve as a trusted partner to the VP of Engineering helping them stay focused on the work that matters most. By connecting people, priorities, and decisions across Engineering, Product, Design, Finance, Legal, People, Operations, Marketing, and the Executive Leadership Team, you'll keep initiatives moving, remove operational friction, improve day-to-day execution, and ensure nothing important falls through the cracks. You'll thrive in ambiguity, exercise sound judgment, and proactively solve problems before they become distractions. The ideal candidate enjoys operating systems, thrives in fast-moving environments, communicates exceptionally well, and takes pride in making everyone around them more effective. Key Responsibilities Executive Partnership Partner closely with the VP of Engineering to maximize their effectiveness and protect their time managing their calendars, incoming and outgoing requests, and reconciling conflicts Build a deep understanding of executive priorities, organizational goals, and business context to proactively identify opportunities and risks. Anticipate needs before they're expressed and independently solve problems with minimal direction. Act as a trusted extension of the executives while exercising exceptional judgment and discretion. Executive Operations Own complex calendar management across multiple time zones while balancing competing priorities and continuously optimizing executive time. Manage meeting preparation, agendas, briefing documents, attendee coordination, and follow-up to ensure every meeting has clear purpose and outcomes. Coordinate recurring department meetings, planning sessions and department offsites which will include an annual cross-department offsite and various smaller events throughout the year. Track commitments, key decisions, action items, and cross-functional dependencies to ensure timely execution on behalf of the executive(s) Prepare presentations, executive communications, spreadsheets, reports, and briefing materials for internal and external audiences. Help prepare executives for board meetings, customer meetings, leadership presentations, conferences, and speaking engagements. Partner with the Chief of Staff to the CTO in coordination of work. Cross-Functional Coordination Partner closely with leaders across Engineering, Product, Design, People, Finance, Legal, Marketing, IT, and Operations. Build strong working relationships across the company and serve as a trusted point of coordination for executive priorities. Partner with other Executive Assistants Project & Program Management Partner with Executive on deliverables such as headcount planning and department budgets Partner with Executive on operating the performance review process Improve administrative and operational processes by identifying inefficiencies and implementing scalable solutions. Build (where necessary) and operate repeatable systems that improve organizational effectiveness as the company grows. Travel & Logistics Coordinate complex domestic and international travel, including itineraries, accommodations, visas (when applicable), transportation, and contingency planning. Manage executive expense reporting accurately and efficiently. Coordinate department offsites, team gatherings, planning sess…