Director, Engineering

Details

You will own Customer.io's product development engineering teams and lead a high-priority, zero-to-one initiative to deliver a new billing platform from the ground up. This role requires setting vision, building the team, driving execution, and operating with direct executive visibility. The company uses Go, React, and AI to ship fast and scale with confidence.

Responsibilities

• Own the vision, roadmap, and execution for Customer.io's billing platform: a custom, in-house system built for real SaaS complexity — usage-based billing, subscription management, and multi-tier pricing
• Partner with Product, Finance, and Engineering leadership to align billing strategy with company goals
• Make build-vs-buy decisions and lead the team through them
• Mentor and develop engineering managers and senior technical leaders
• Drive a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement
• Leverage AI tools to accelerate team velocity and bring an AI-native perspective to how the team builds

Requirements

• 12+ years of software engineering experience, with 8+ years leading engineering teams
• At least 4+ years managing engineering managers and/or directors
• Proven track record of taking complex, custom platform initiatives from zero-to-one at a SaaS or marketplace company
• Deep understanding of SaaS software architecture, cloud-native infrastructure, and tradeoffs of building in-house vs. buying
• Experience in domains requiring real platform complexity — systems other parts of the business depend on
• Ability to translate technical complexity into clear strategy and communicate effectively with engineers and executives
• Strong track record building high-performing teams: hiring, developing talent, creating career paths, and navigating team transitions
• Demonstrated AI-native leadership — a track record of bringing AI-first development practices into how your team works
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and making difficult tradeoffs between competing priorities

Bonus points for:

• Experience at high-growth SaaS companies and startups
• Shipping in high-velocity product orgs where the domain is treated as a first-class engineering concern
• Experience in audience segmentation, customer data platforms (CDPs), self-service or growth

Compensation & Benefits

• Starting salary: $230,000 - $270,000 USD (or equivalent in local currency) depending on experience and subject to market rate adjustment
• 100% coverage of medical, dental, vision, mental health, and supplemental insurance premiums for you and your family
• 16 weeks paid parental leave
• Unlimited PTO
• Stipends for remote work and wellness, professional development budget, and more

Our Process

1. Application
2. Recruiter call (30 mins)
3. Hiring Manager interview (60 mins)
4. People Partner interview (60 mins)
5. Technical interview (60 mins) — collaborative system design focused on scaling challenges
6. Take-home assignment — short written retrospective on a project you’ve led as an Engineering Manager
7. Retrospective review call (60 mins)

All final candidates will be asked to complete a background check and employment verifications as part of pre-employment.