Director, Engineering

Coates Group

$190K — $210K *
Enterprise Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8+ years in software engineering, with 3+ years in leadership roles managing teams
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Computer Science, or equivalent experience
  • Experience delivering large-scale enterprise software solutions in complex environments
  • Hands-on expertise in full-stack development, particularly with scalable web apps and cloud-native architectures (AWS preferred)
  • Familiarity with Agile methodologies and product-led delivery models
  • Track record in establishing engineering standards across teams
  • Experience managing both permanent staff and external delivery partners.

Responsibilities

  • Ensure squads have the capability to deliver reliably by removing blockers
  • Act as a chapter leader to enhance engineering practices and set standards
  • Maintain sound technical designs and manage technical debt
  • Integrate quality-by-design into engineering practices with a focus on code quality and testing.
  • Oversee the operational health and reliability of systems in production
  • Lead the development and performance management of engineering staff
  • Facilitate autonomous squad operations by managing dependencies and improving delivery flow.

Benefits

  • Access to professional development and career coaching
  • Collaboration opportunities with cross-functional teams
  • Support for work-life balance and flexible working conditions
  • Involvement in impactful projects delivering high-quality software solutions
  • Focus on a quality-driven engineering culture.
Full Job Description
Director, Engineering is accountable for enabling high-performing engineering squads to deliver reliable, maintainable, and high-quality software solutions. This role provides technical leadership, builds capability across engineers and technical leads, ensures adherence to engineering standards, and removes blockers that impede delivery, while partnering with Product, Delivery, and QA leadership to achieve business and customer outcomes.

Responsibilities

  • Engineering Enablement: Ensure squads have the technical capability, processes, and practices to deliver reliably, removing engineering blockers and supporting predictable outcomes in partnership with Delivery leadership.
  • Engineering Leadership & Capability: Act as a chapter-style leader for engineers and technical leads, building capability, setting standards, and driving consistent engineering practices across squads.
  • Technical Leadership, Debt & Design Quality: Ensure sound technical design and implementation, actively managing technical debt and addressing complexity.
  • Quality in Delivery: Embed quality-by-design within engineering teams (e.g. testability, code quality, CI/CD discipline), while partnering with QA to achieve agreed quality outcomes.
  • Platform Health & Operability: Own the operational health of systems within scope, ensuring reliability, performance, and readiness across production and pre-production environments.
  • People & Partner Leadership: Lead and develop permanent and partner engineers (onshore and offshore), including performance management, engagement, and effective integration.
  • Delivery Flow & Dependencies: Enable squads to operate autonomously by removing engineering blockers, managing dependencies, and improving delivery flow in partnership with Product and Delivery.


Capabilities

  • Hands-on Technical Leadership: Leads with strong engineering credibility and modelling high-quality full-stack engineering practices.
  • Execution Focus: Translates architectural direction and standards into practical, repeatable engineering practices that work at squad level.
  • Problem Solving & Judgement: Quickly diagnoses technical and delivery-adjacent issues, makes sound trade-offs, and removes engineering blockers.
  • People Development: Develops a high-performing team through clear expectations, feedback, and career coaching.
  • Collaboration & Influence: Works as a trusted partner to Product, Delivery & QA leaders to align engineering effort to shared outcomes.
  • Ownership & Accountability: Builds strong ownership within squads for code quality, operability, and continuous improvement.


Qualifications

  • 8+ years' experience in software engineering, with 3+ years in an engineering leadership roles, managing engineers and technical leads
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience
  • Proven experience delivering enterprise-scale software platforms or digital products within complex, client environments
  • Strong hands-on background in modern full-stack software engineering, with deep experience in building highly scalable web applications supported by cloud-native or serverless architectures (AWS preferred), CI/CD pipelines, and distributed systems
  • Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional engineering teams operating in agile or product-led delivery models
  • Experience establishing and enforcing engineering standards, development practices, and delivery discipline across multiple squads
  • Proven ability to manage a blended workforce, including permanent staff and staff-augmented delivery partners (onshore and offshore)
  • Demonstrated experience in developing and executing plans that align with business objectives and growth


$190,000 - $210,000 a year

Pay is based on relevant experience, skills, education, internal equity, and market data. Well-qualified candidates can generally expect offers around the midpoint. Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications but have more limited directly relevant experience for this specific role are typically placed nearer the minimum, while highly experienced candidates with strong role alignment may be placed closer to the maximum.

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