Director of Engineering

About Start2ScaleStart2Scale is a talent acquisition advisory and recruitment consultancy, built for tech companies during their startup and scaleup stage. We're proud to support numerous VC-backed startups across Australia and internationally. Our data-led approach focuses on building world-class, resource-efficient, and mission-aligned teams.About Our ClientOur client is amultiple-time unicornandGartner Magic Quadrant Leaderin their respective software space, serving thousands of companies across 100+ countries. Processing over 1.5 trillion API requests annually, they've established themselves as a market-leading AI scale-up with a proven track record of innovation and growth.Backed by significant VC funding and operating at a multiple $B valuation, they continue to invest heavily in their platform capabilities and global expansion. Their customers include household names across retail, technology, and enterprise sectors—companies like Slack, Stripe, and Ubisoft rely on their APIs to power critical user experiences.The OpportunityLead data science and engineering excellence operating at the cutting edge of AI research and platform engineering. This team uniquely combines deep research expertise (handful of PhDs focused on AI model development and training) with production engineering capabilities that deliver scalable services to a global customer base.As a Director of Engineering, you'll bridge the critical gap between AI research and production systems, leading teams responsible for products including an AI model inference, enterprise-scale data infrastructure, composable algorithm frameworks, and advanced simulation capabilities.This is a rare opportunity to build and scale a high-performing data science and engineering organisation in a research-driven environment while maintaining the operational rigor, cost-effectiveness, and scalability required of a market-leading platform serving billions of requests.You'll partner directly with Product, Design, and Go-To-Market leadership to shape the technical direction of AI-powered capabilities that define the company's competitive advantage in the market.Your Role Will Consist OfBuild and lead management structure for a >15 person team with plans for significant growthCoach and develop engineering leaders and senior ICs, including a handful of PhD-level research scientistsBridge the research-to-production gap, leading teams across AI/ML research and platform engineeringNavigate the research-to-production lifecycle, helping research scientists build with scalability and production constraints in mindDrive engineering excellence in high-scale, data-heavy environments with rigorous observability and performance standardsLead global engineering teams and managers, setting direction and driving alignment on roadmap prioritiesPartner cross-functionally with Product, UX, Security, and Business stakeholders to deliver world-class AI-powered featuresLead or contribute to strategic planning cycles, investment decisions, and quarterly OKR setting with global leadershipDrive best practices in system design, observability, performance, and operational efficiencyMaintain strong technical depth in API-first, cloud-native, SaaS platformsBalance innovation with cost-effectiveness and operational excellenceEnsure smooth handoffs from data science exploration to production systems serving global customersYou Might Be a Fit If You Have10+ years of engineering experience with 5+ years managing multi-team engineering organizations in high-growth, global tech environmentsExperience and a proven track record managing managers and building organizational structure.Deep interest in people, mentoring, and developing senior engineers into strong leadersStrong leadership, communication, and coaching skills with bias toward clarity, empathy, and accountabilityExperience scaling distributed, cloud-based, data intensive systems with strong knowledge of API design, infrastructure, and system performanceStrong technical depth in API-first, cloud-native, SaaS platforms with ability to go deep on both data science approaches and engineering systems at scaleDemonstrated success delivering complex projects involving cross-functional collaboration across product, AI, security, and designExperience navigating research-driven or AI-focused engineering organizationsHigh learning rate —able to quickly figure out unfamiliar situations and adapt to new challenges'Want to win' mentality with bias for action mindset and product success at the forefrontNice to HaveExperience in developer tools, infrastructure, or AI/ML platformsFamiliarity with product-led growth (PLG) environments and hybrid GTM modelsBackground supporting both enterprise and self-serve product architecturesExperience with high-throughput API platforms serving billions of requestsTrack record in scale-ups that have achieved unicorn status or beyondWhy This Role Is ExceptionalJoin a Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader with multiple-time unicorn valuationLead a specialized hub at the intersection of AI research and production engineeringDirect impact on platform capabilities serving thousands of global customersRare combination of PhD-level research and FAANG engineering talentManage both cutting-edge research initiatives and production-scale systemsDefine the research-to-production playbook for a market-leading AI platformWork ArrangementThis role is based inSydney, Australiawith flexibility for hybrid work arrangements for 1 day in the office per week. The company operates as a high-trust environment emphasizing impact and output over physical presence, while maintaining strong collaboration practices across distributed global teams.Ready to Apply?If you're an experienced engineering leader who thrives at the intersection of AI research and production engineering, and you're ready to build and scale a world-class organization within a market-leading platform company, we'd love to hear from you.This is an exceptional opportunity to shape the future of a strategic engineering hub, lead a unique blend of research and production talent, and drive technical strategy for a multiple-time unicorn serving thousands of customers globally.Start2Scale is committed to building an inclusive workplace and welcome applications from talented people regardless of race, age, ancestry, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, color, veteran status, disability and socioeconomic background.