Position: VP of Engineering
Company: Slate
Category: Lead
Experience required: 5y
Published: 2022-02-01T00:00:00+02:00

**Role Description**

The VP of Engineering (exact title is flexible based on experience) will work with our Executive Leadership Team to establish the company’s technology vision and oversee all technical aspects of the company. This role is responsible for recruiting and retaining engineering talent, directing our engineering team to ship world-class products, managing and procuring technology resources, identifying and nurturing relationships with our technology partners, and executing the company’s technology goals as established in the strategic plan. This role will report to Slate Cofounder and CEO, Michael, who also serves as the Head of Product. This role will partner closely with the rest of our founding and executive team as well as our Revenue, Operations, and Product teams. The Head of Engineering will serve as our expert in developing, shipping, and scaling best-in-class b2b software solutions.

The Ideal candidate will have proven experience in engineering b2b SaaS solutions, have worked in a high-level leadership role in an engineering department, have a proven ability to lead and scale an engineering team, are well-versed in emerging technology trends, and (guided by their experience) have established a clear philosophy on how world-class technology products are built, shipped and scaled. The ideal candidate will care deeply about growing and maintaining a world-class culture. The ideal candidate will be a proven leader as well as a well rounded, experienced engineer that’s not afraid to dive into code and get their hands dirty when needed.

If this sounds like you please keep reading for more details about the role; We are looking forward to meeting you!

**Requirements**

**Leadership, Team-Building, Recruitment & Retention**

Attract, coach, retain and scale high-performing, highly skilled, diverse and effective technology teams.
Create accountability expectations and consistently assess, develop and empower direct and indirect reports to their fullest potential to meet the team’s goals.
Empower and motivate the team by removing obstacles, providing resources, coaching and mentorship.
Build a financially-leveraged team by creatively balancing outsourced resources when needed with in-house teams across geographies.
Establishing training, professional development and other incentive programs to increase the effectiveness of our team members.

**Technology Leadership**

Develop and monitor technology KPIs to improve measurement and forecasting of the technology teams’ performance.
Establish and enforce technology policies and operating procedures for maintaining a world-class technology division and culture, adjusting as needed based on business needs.
Develop an innovation strategy that leverages external technical partnerships. Identify, negotiate, and develop strategic technical partnerships to support business priorities and objectives.
Communicate technology strategy to key accounts, partners and investors.
Empower our technology team to meet their planned objectives/KPIs, develop a strong and focused culture, and be responsive to the company’s mission and needs.

**Technical Excellence**

Drawing on your technology experience, identify the appropriate technology stack and ensure its alignment with company stage, needs, goals, and planned roadmap.
Oversee all aspects of the technology architecture and infrastructure to ensure functionality, security, efficiency and scalability. Ensure data privacy and system security compliance for all operations across all geographies.
Enforce quality assurance and data protection processes, ensuring all technology practices adhere to regulatory standards.
Set the standards for our operational excellence, including fast cycle development capabilities and all aspects of the development lifecycle from requirements analysis, strategic planning, design/architecture, execution, deployment, and maintenance.
Ensure technologies are used efficiently, profitably, and securely. Mitigate duplication of effort and ensure software is architected for long-term stability.
Work closely with our Product team to develop innovative technology solutions that help create the best-in-class content creation products that Slate is known for.

**C-suite engagement**

Partner with the Founding team to define product vision and strategy. Align and provide feedback on the product roadmap, works closely with product team and founders to decide on prioritization, resource allocation, and timelines.
Collaborate, align and engage cross functionally with other executives needed to execute the roadmap and assess and prioritize potential opportunities.
Establish and oversee technology budgets for purchasing, staffing and technology operations.
Establishing principles and standards for evaluating make/buy decisions.
Develop & distribute technology reports for the executive team and board when required.
Work closely with the founding team to develop strategies on how product can help achieve Slate’s business objectives.

**Industry Leadership**

Stay aware of trends in emerging, advanced or innovative technologies & tools to empower the Engineering team.
Develop presentations for speaking engagements, podcasts, webinars and other relevant industry conferences when needed.
Requires prior experience in a lead role within an engineering team or department (at least 3+ years’ experience as VP of Eng, CTO, Head of Eng ect.)
Requires previous experience working in a startup environment in a leading technology role (preferably with a track record of one or more successful exits).
Proven track record in recruiting, attracting and retaining engineering talent and in growing and scaling startup Engineering teams.
Expert-level understanding of engineering best practices for full software development life cycle, including coding & security standards, code review, source control, build, QA, deployment and development operations (Prior, hands-on experience as an engineer required).
Broad knowledge of programming languages, software architecture, design and advanced data systems.
Drawing on your technology experience, has established a philosophy on how world-class technology products are built, shipped and scaled.
Proven success in building, shipping and scaling world-class technology solutions. Requires experience with SaaS & mobile application products.
Experience managing distributed teams, including international and remote engineering teams, in a fast paced and rapidly changing environment.
Excellent leadership, communication & public speaking skills with a track record of providing coaching and mentorship to engineering talent.
Proven experience establishing successful technology partnerships and working cooperatively with partners & suppliers.
Strong technology business acumen and experience developing and monitoring annual operating and capital budgets for purchasing, staffing and technology operations.
BS/MS degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or other IT discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
Bonus Points

Previous experience in a leadership role at a startup. Extra bonus points for a successful exit!
Extensive experience with video and/or graphic editing / design or content creation products.
#LI-Remote

**Benefits**

Fully remote
Location specifics
Flexible PTO policy
Health Insurance Benefits
401(k) options (US only)
Equity