Vice President, Product Engineering at Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm. We help clients synchronize strategy and talent to drive superior performance. Korn Ferry works with organizations to design their structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people to bring their strategy to life. And we advise them on how to reward, develop, and motivate their people. Our 10,000 colleagues serve clients in more than 50 countries.

Korn Ferry Digital is a scaled product business unit within Korn Ferry that develops and sells our suite of talent products and HR technology, supporting clients across six solution areas:

• Organizational Strategy
• Assessment and Succession
• Talent Acquisition
• Leadership and Professional Development
• Sales and Service
• Total Rewards

Our comprehensive talent suite leverages a combination of proprietary talent IP, talent data, analytics and insights to help customers understand their workforce and existing talent gaps, and deliver targeted talent interventions at scale using HR technology.

OPPORTUNITY TO ENHANCE YOUR CAREER - It’s about exceeding your potential.

The Vice President, Product Engineering, is responsible for the strategic leadership and operational execution of all product engineering efforts within their assigned solution area. This role will manage multiple product engineering teams, ensuring the successful delivery of high-quality, scalable, and innovative software solutions that align with both business and customer needs.

Reporting directly to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), the Vice President will collaborate closely with other SVPs / VPs overseeing different product areas to ensure cohesion across all digital products and services. Each leader (SVP / VP) will focus on optimizing the development process, enhancing operational efficiency, and driving innovation within their specific product domain while ensuring alignment with broader organizational goals.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership & Vision:

• Develop and execute a product engineering strategy specific to the assigned solution area, ensuring alignment with overall business objectives.
• Lead product development teams in delivering high-impact software solutions that meet customer and market needs.
• Ensure seamless integration and collaboration between different product areas, partnering with other SVPs to maintain consistency in processes and standards across the company.
• Lead and mentor a globally distributed team of senior directors, engineers, and developers specific to the assigned product area.
• Collaborate with other SVPs to ensure that best practices, tools, and methodologies are standardized across the engineering teams, promoting consistency and scalability.
• Encourage a culture of continuous learning and development, ensuring that the team stays ahead of technological advancements.

Operational Excellence:

• Oversee the planning and execution of all engineering projects within the assigned product solution area, ensuring that milestones, quality standards, and deadlines are consistently met.
• Work closely with other SVPs to ensure that operational processes, including Agile practices, CI/CD pipelines, and DevOps methodologies, are harmonized across the various product areas.
• Identify opportunities for operational improvements and collaborate with peers to implement those across the entire product engineering organization.

Cross-functional Collaboration:

• Collaborate with product management and business leaders to define product goals and translate them into technical requirements for the solution area.
• Engage with other SVPs to ensure integration and interoperability between products, where necessary, across the broader product portfolio.
• Maintain clear communication channels with other technical teams to ensure that technical dependencies between solution areas are managed effectively.

Technology & Innovation:

• Stay at the forefront of technological trends relevant to the specific product area, applying the latest advancements to improve the product's performance and user experience.
• Lead innovation initiatives within the product solution area, ensuring that the company remains competitive in the marketplace.
• Collaborate with the other SVPs to drive standardization in technology stacks and tools where appropriate, ensuring scalability and efficiency across the organization.

Risk & Quality Management:

• Manage technical risks within the solution area, including product stability, security, and performance concerns.
• Collaborate with quality assurance teams to ensure that the products within the solution area meet the highest standards before release.
• Engage with other SVPs to ensure that quality standards are consistent across all product areas.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field. Advanced degrees (Master’s or MBA) are highly desirable.
• 15+ years of experience in software engineering or technology leadership roles, with at least 5+ years in a senior leadership capacity.
• Proven experience leading product engineering efforts specific to a particular product area, with demonstrated success in delivering high-quality software solutions.
• Experience working closely with senior leadership and other functional heads to ensure seamless alignment across product areas.
• Strong technical knowledge in cloud platforms, microservices architecture, SaaS solutions, and modern development frameworks.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with other senior leaders overseeing different product areas.

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop and implement strategies that are specific to a product area while aligning with the broader company goals.
• Leadership: Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams across a globally distributed environment.
• Collaboration: Exceptional collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with other SVPs, ensuring consistency and standardization across different product areas.
• Innovation: Strong focus on innovation and the ability to lead product engineering efforts that differentiate the company in the market.
• Results-Oriented: Ability to focus on achieving measurable outcomes that contribute to both product success and overall business performance.

EDUCATION

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. Advanced degree is a plus.