Build and Lead High-Performing Engineering Teams at Demand.io
We're seeking an exceptional engineering leader who combines deep technical expertise with strong people leadership to elevate our engineering organization. As Director of Engineering, you'll quarterback the development lifecycle from roadmap to delivery while building and mentoring high-performing teams. You'll serve as the bridge between our strategic vision and technical execution, ensuring we deliver robust, scalable systems that power the future of commerce intelligence while fostering a culture of 10x productivity through AI-augmented development.
The Opportunity
Unlike traditional engineering management roles that focus primarily on process oversight, this position requires a hands-on approach combining technical depth with people leadership. You'll:
- Lead engineering recruiting efforts to build a world-class team aligned with our "10x operator" philosophy
- Manage performance reviews and career development for engineers at all levels
- Quarterback the roadmap to delivery cycle, ensuring on-time execution of technical initiatives
- Conduct regular 1:1s with team members to ensure engagement, motivation, and professional growth
- Drive remote engineering teams to adopt the 10x/AI model for development, maximizing productivity
- Serve as the key liaison between HQ and remote teams, ensuring seamless collaboration
- Partner closely with the Chief Architect/CTO to translate strategic vision into technical implementation
- Foster a culture of continuous learning, technical excellence, and innovation
About Demand.io
We're building the world's leading source of e-commerce knowledge through our unique technology stack:
- ShopGraph: Our proprietary knowledge graph containing real-time commerce data
- SimplyCodes (simplycodes.com): AI and community-powered platform covering 400,000+ stores (10x more than competitors)
- Product.ai (product.ai): Revolutionary AI shopping assistant redefining purchase decisions
- Profitable since founding in 2009, driving $1B+ in annual commerce volume
What Sets Us Apart
Technical Innovation:
- Design systems that seamlessly blend AI capabilities with human insight
- Pioneer new approaches to knowledge representation and retrieval
- Architect complex data pipelines handling millions of real-time data points
- Build self-improving systems that scale automatically
- Create multiplication effects through systematic leverage
Strategic Impact:
- Shape the technical culture that drives our innovation
- Build high-performing teams that consistently deliver exceptional results
- Drive the evolution of our engineering practices and capabilities
- Develop systems and processes that accelerate our technical execution
- Mentor the next generation of technical leaders
Creating Wealth Through Innovation
We've reimagined tech compensation for elite talent. Unlike traditional tech compensation heavily weighted toward RSUs or illiquid equity, we provide substantial immediate wealth creation through monthly cash payments.
Foundation:
- Base: $220,000 - $280,000
- Equity: 0.5% - 0.75%
- Partners Program: Substantial monthly profit-sharing bonuses
Partners Program with Profit-sharing:
Top performers achieve total compensation of $350,000 - $800,000+ annually through our unique Partners Program. Key advantages:
- Monthly cash payments (not annual or deferred bonuses)
- Immediate wealth creation (vs locked RSUs)
- Uncapped earning potential
- No lockup periods or liquidity events required
- Increasing bonus percentages as you advance through Partner levels
Additional Benefits:
- 🚀 Advancement opportunities based on impact
- 📚 Learning stipend for conferences, courses, and certifications
- 🖥️ Access to advanced AI tools including our own GPU cluster for AI model training
- 🏥 Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage for you and all dependents
- 🏖️ Unlimited PTO
- 👶 Parental leave policy
- 📈 401(k) program
- 🍽️ Catered lunches in our state-of-the-art Santa Monica office
- 🏠 Relocation assistance for exceptional candidates
What We're Looking For
Technical Excellence:
- Deep understanding of modern software architecture and engineering practices
- Strong technical background with hands-on development experience
- Track record of leading technically sophisticated projects
- Ability to evaluate technical decisions and provide meaningful guidance
- Experience fostering technical innovation and excellence
Leadership Ability:
- Proven track record of building and scaling engineering teams
- Strong recruiting, interviewing, and talent evaluation skills
- Experience providing meaningful feedback and performance management
- History of mentoring engineers and developing technical talent
- Ability to translate business objectives into technical execution
Deep Generalist Capabilities:
- Demonstrated ability to learn and adapt quickly
- Experience across multiple technical domains
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills
- Comfort with ambiguity and rapid iteration
Impact Focus:
- Track record of driving meaningful business results
- Experience scaling engineering capabilities
- Data-driven approach to technical decision-making
- History of successful delivery of complex technical initiatives
- Strong stakeholder management ability
Required Experience
- 8+ years of software engineering experience
- 3+ years of engineering management experience
- Strong technical background with hands-on development expertise
- Experience hiring, developing, and leading engineering teams
- Track record of successfully delivering complex technical projects
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field
- Deep understanding of modern software development practices
Nice to Have
- Experience fostering remote team collaboration
- Background in AI/ML systems or AI-augmented development
- Experience in e-commerce or marketplace products
- Track record of implementing engineering best practices
- Familiarity with 10x productivity approaches
Core Responsibilities
Team Leadership and Development
- Lead recruiting and hiring efforts to build a world-class engineering team
- Conduct regular 1:1s with engineers to ensure engagement, motivation, and growth
- Manage comprehensive performance reviews and development planning
- Serve as the primary liaison with our remote engineering team
- Provide direct management and mentorship to team members
- Create an environment where engineers feel supported and challenged
Technical Delivery
- Quarterback the roadmap to delivery cycle, ensuring timely execution
- Establish engineering best practices and quality standards
- Drive adoption of the 10x operator model leveraging AI for development
- Collaborate with the Chief Architect/CTO on technical implementation
- Balance innovation with reliability and maintainability
- Ensure engineers are empowered to deliver high-quality code
Engineer Growth and Satisfaction
- Implement a comprehensive onboarding program for new engineers
- Conduct regular temperature checks with team members
- Ensure engineers feel a sense of growth in their skills and career progression
- Identify advancement opportunities for high-performers
- Address challenges and blockers affecting team satisfaction
- Create opportunities for continuous learning and skill development
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Align engineering efforts with product roadmap and business objectives
- Foster collaboration between HQ and remote engineering teams
- Represent engineering in cross-functional planning sessions
- Ensure clear communication of technical constraints and opportunities
- Build strong relationships with product, design, and business stakeholders
Ready to Lead Engineering Excellence?
If you're energized by building high-performing teams, driving technical excellence, and creating the systems that will power the future of commerce intelligence, we want to talk to you. We understand exceptional leaders often have compelling current roles. Our founder is happy to have an initial confidential conversation about how this unique opportunity could align with your career aspirations.
Learn more about our products, our team, and our culture.
