We are looking for an experienced Engineering Director / Chief Architect to lead strategic technology initiatives and architectural excellence across multiple projects. This hybrid role combines deep technical expertise, hands-on architecture design, and strong leadership to drive scalable product development and technical innovation across the company. Key Responsibilities: * Design and implement scalable, secure, and cloud-native architectures for both enterprise and startup-grade solutions. * Lead the engineering department’s strategic vision aligned with the overall business goals. * Drive pre-sales engineering efforts: RFPs, technical pitching, estimations, and solution architecture. * Work closely with the company’s CEO to shape the product vision and translate it into a technical strategy. * Oversee the transformation of legacy systems into modern, microservices-based infrastructures. * Evaluate and integrate AI/ML modules for real-world applications (e.g., recommendation engines, automation). * Collaborate closely with Sales, Product, and C-level stakeholders to shape technical direction and budget planning. * Conduct architecture and security audits, technical due diligence, and risk assessments. * Define and enforce best engineering practices: CI/CD, DevOps, automated testing, and architecture governance. * Lead and mentor engineering teams, fostering a culture of ownership, agility, and excellence. * Identify and recruit top engineering talent. * Prototype and validate new ideas through MVPs and POCs.
Qualifications: * 10+ years in software engineering and solution architecture. * 5+ years of technical leadership experience in a scaling tech organization. * Proven track record with full-cycle delivery of high-load SaaS platforms and mobile solutions. * Strong business acumen and ability to align technology with strategic objectives. * Experience in architecture design, estimation, pre-sales activities, and technical solution selling. * Proven ability to collaborate with executive leadership, including direct work with CEOs. * Experience in Data Engineering: designing, developing, and optimizing data pipelines (ETL/ELT), working with data warehouses (Data Warehouses), real-time data processing (e.g., Kafka, Spark), and databases (SQL and NoSQL). * Fluency in English; excellent communication with both technical and non-technical audiences. * Understanding compliance and security standards (e.g., SOC 2, OWASP, HIPAA). * Knowledge of software quality management, risk mitigation, and technical debt control.
Bonus Points * Startup experience (founder, co-founder, or early team member). * Experience in personalization, geolocation systems, or marketing automation. * Public speaking, open-source contributions, or technical blogging. * Domain exposure: retail, healthtech, loyalty, travel, or media.
