About Kaizen Labs
What is Kaizen Labs?
Kaizen Labs rebuilds the systems federal agencies run on. Its own examples: "The ticketing platform a resident uses to visit a presidential library. The marketplace DoW uses for counter-drone procurement to protect lives and critical infrastructure. The system a Veteran uses to access benefits." The company calls these "systems of record, of national consequence", and says its AI-native modules let it deliver them "in weeks and months, not years" — the counter-drone marketplace it built for JIATF-401 is live on cuas.mil.
"Founded in 2022 and based in New York City and DC, Kaizen has raised $35 million from NEA, a16z, Accel, 776, and Carpenter Capital." It says its revenue has grown 35x this year, and that next year its software will serve over 100 million Americans across dozens of federal agencies.
Where will I work?
In New York or Washington, D.C. Roles are hybrid: "This is a hybrid role based out of our New York City HQ or DC office", and postings that specify office days ask people who live in, or can commute to, one of the two cities to work from the office at least three times a week, Tuesday to Thursday. Federal growth roles are based in the DC area with frequent travel. The New York office is on West 17th Street in Manhattan. A small number of roles require a TS/SCI security clearance.
What is the Kaizen Labs team like?
A small, fast-growing team of around 45, organised around a simple observation: "Every American has had a frustrating experience on a .gov site." Almost nobody, Kaizen adds, has seen what it looks like when one gets fixed — "a veteran filing a claim in minutes that used to take hours". Current openings span engineering, applied AI, design, customer operations and marketing, and the company holds "Company offsites throughout the year". The benefits package is unusually thorough for a startup of this size, from fully covered dependents' healthcare to stipends for utilities, recreation and pet care.
Work-Life Balance
Kaizen's time-off policy is "Unlimited PTO, with a two-week minimum (we mean it when we say take time off!)", stated in the benefits section of every live job posting. The company is also "Closed for all federal holidays" and takes a "Company-wide winter break the week of Christmas". Parental leave is generous: 16 weeks fully paid for birthing parents and 10 weeks fully paid for non-birthing parents. This is a full-time, hybrid role at a fast-growing startup — the value is uncapped leave with a floor, not reduced hours.
Perks and Benefits
- Unlimited PTO with a two-week minimum, all federal holidays off and a winter break the week of Christmas
- Medical, dental and vision fully covered for employees, with 100% coverage for dependents
- 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave for birthing parents; 10 weeks fully paid for non-birthing parents
- Fertility and family-building support through Carrot
- $100,000 in fully paid life insurance and a One Medical membership
- 401(k) through Guideline, with a 2% company match
- Up to $750 home-office setup stipend, a laptop of your choice and expensed lunch in the office
- $500 a year for professional development, plus utility, recreation and pet-care stipends
- Fully covered gym membership for NYC employees; fitness reimbursement elsewhere
- Company offsites throughout the year