Director of Engineering - BiggerPockets

About BiggerPockets:

BiggerPockets is a leading digital platform for real estate investors. Our mission is to help people build wealth through real estate investing. We're looking for a Director of Engineering who shares our passion for innovation and can help drive our technical capabilities to new heights.

About the Role:

We are seeking a visionary Director of Engineering to lead and transform our engineering organization. In this role, you will be responsible for building a robust, scalable, and innovative software platform that powers BiggerPockets' digital experience for real estate investors. You will drive technical excellence and operational efficiency while aligning engineering efforts with business goals to deliver high-quality products that meet user needs and contribute to the company's growth and success.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership and Engineering Excellence

• Develop and present a clear long-term technical vision and detailed short-term engineering roadmap, aligned with the company's overall strategy and financial projections.
• Quickly gain a deep understanding of the existing technology stack, architectural challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
• Frame all engineering initiatives in the context of solving business problems and improving user experience, with clear hypotheses on why proposed solutions are superior to alternatives.
• Develop and lead the software engineering team at BiggerPockets.

Essential Outputs for 2H 2024:

1. Increase Velocity of Build/Measure/Learn Loops
• Establish cross-functional teams aligned with key business products to reduce communication overhead.
• Collaborate with the data and analytics team to improve BiggerPockets' ability to understand and measure the business.
• Manage engineering capacity to ensure focus on bottleneck problems across the business.
• Implement automated testing strategies to ensure quality while maintaining rapid development cycles.
2. Develop the Engineering Team
• Implement a comprehensive skill assessment and development program for all engineering staff.
• Establish a mentorship program pairing senior engineers with junior team members.
• Organize regular technical training sessions and workshops on emerging technologies and best practices.
• Implement a rotation program allowing engineers to work on different projects and technologies.
• Foster a culture of knowledge sharing through regular tech talks and documentation initiatives.
3. Implement Outcomes-Based Management of Engineering Processes (SLOs)
• Define and implement Service Level Objectives (SLOs) for all critical services and APIs.
• Develop a comprehensive monitoring and alerting system to track SLOs in real-time.
• Create dashboards that provide visibility into system performance and SLO compliance.
• Establish a process for regular review and refinement of SLOs based on business needs and technical capabilities.
• Implement automated incident response procedures triggered by SLO violations.
• Develop a culture of accountability around SLOs across the engineering organization.
• Create a system for tracking and analyzing the root causes of SLO violations to drive continuous improvement.

Required Competencies:

• Architectural Expertise: Deep understanding of software architecture patterns, especially in high-scale, distributed systems.
• Technical Leadership: Ability to guide and mentor engineering teams, fostering a culture of technical excellence and innovation.
• Agile Methodologies: Proficiency in implementing and optimizing agile development processes.
• Performance Optimization: Experience in identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks in complex systems, both technical and process.
• Security and Compliance: Understanding of security best practices and experience implementing them in software systems.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Ability to use metrics and data analysis to inform technical decisions and prioritize engineering efforts.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Skill in working effectively with product, design, and business teams to align engineering efforts with company goals.
• Resource Management: Expertise in managing engineering budgets, team allocation, and vendor relationships.
• Innovation Leadership: Ability to foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within the engineering organization.
• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strategic Thinking: Capacity to align engineering initiatives with long-term business objectives and industry trends.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical skills and ability to tackle complex technical challenges.
• Talent Development: Commitment to mentoring and developing engineering talent within the organization.
• Adaptability: Flexibility to adjust strategies and priorities in response to changing business needs or technological advancements.
• Ruby on Rails experience strongly preferred
• iOS and Android Mobile App development experience strongly preferred

Compensation:

• $185,000 - $245,000 based on experience
• 15% yearly bonus based on company performance

Location:

• Denver, CO 80222

Schedule:

• Hybrid (3 days per week out of our Denver office)

BiggerPockets is proud to be an EOE/Veterans/Disabled/LGBTQ+ employer:

• We celebrate, support, and encourage being different for the benefit of our team members and community. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, genetic information, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, veteran status or other non-merit factor.
• We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team members. All employment offers are decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Flexible paid time off
• Office snacks & beverages
• Tuition reimbursement & career development
• 401k package
• Paid parental leave
• 12 company-paid holidays per year
• Community service & volunteer opportunities
• Amazing team & fun culture with lots of team events
• Learn more about real estate investing

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.