Director, Software Engineering
Summary
Spark is looking for a Director of Software Engineering to lead engineering across our broker productivity product and core platform. You'll make sure our platform keeps up with a fast-growing customer base, and you'll keep our web-based broker platform sustainable as it scales.
In this role, you'll own engineering delivery for multiple squads, along with the practices that span all of software engineering. You'll partner with product leaders on roadmaps, own our infrastructure roadmap, and be the point person for the security of our software platform. Today you'll manage engineers directly through strong tech leads. As the organization grows, you'll build and manage a layer of engineering managers. Reporting to our SVP of Engineering, you'll be the default owner for software engineering problems that don't have a clear home, so teams can stay focused on what they do best.
More about our stack and the role
Our stack is Python, Django, Celery, Vue, Redis, and Postgres, deployed on AWS with modern tooling for version control, continuous deployment, testing, and observability
You'll manage around six engineers across three squads at full headcount, and own the hiring plan as we grow
We operate in a HIPAA-regulated environment, and security and compliance are part of how we build
Every leader at Spark stays hands-on in some way. In this role that means design reviews, specs, code reviews, and spikes, while staying on the critical path for no more than one project at a time
What You'll Do
Drive engineering delivery for our broker productivity squads, partnering with product on sequencing, scoping, and delivery commitments
Own and communicate our infrastructure roadmap, including platform migrations, vendor integrations, sustainability work, and AI enablement
Lead security for our software platform, including pen test and audit remediation, in partnership with our IT, DevOps, and data teams
Own engineering-wide practices across all squads: cross-squad coordination, onboarding, QA and testing, and bugs and support processes
Hire senior and staff engineers, develop tech leads, and design a team structure that scales
Take ambiguous problems from definition to resolution, deciding what to own, what to delegate, and what to decline
Represent software engineering in company-wide planning and cross-functional work
What We're Looking For
8+ years in software engineering, including meaningful time in a startup environment
3+ years managing engineers, including leading multiple teams or managing through tech leads. Experience managing managers is a strong plus
Strong technical foundation in web applications (Python/Django or similar, and JavaScript frameworks like Vue or React), with the judgment to review designs and code credibly
Experience owning a platform or infrastructure roadmap and explaining it to non-technical leadership
Experience delivering large migrations or third-party integrations
Working knowledge of application security and compliance in a regulated environment (HIPAA, SOC 2, or similar)
Proven track record hiring and developing senior engineers and tech leads
Comfort working across many kinds of problems at once, with good judgment about where to spend your time
Strong written and verbal communication, especially with leadership and cross-functional partners
CompensationOur salary ranges are based on paying competitively for our company’s size and industry, and are one part of the total compensation package that also includes equity, benefits, and other opportunities at Spark. In accordance with New York City, Colorado, California, and other applicable laws, Spark is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. Individual pay decisions are ultimately based on a number of factors, including qualifications for the role, experience level, skillset, geography, and balancing internal equity. A reasonable estimate of the current salary range is listed below. We expect most candidates to fall in the middle of the range. We also believe that your personal needs and preferences should be taken into consideration, so we allow some choice between equity and cash.
Base Salary
$230,000—$260,000 USD