Director, Backend Engineering
Scribd
This job is no longer accepting applications
See open jobs at Scribd.See open jobs similar to "Director, Backend Engineering" Khosla Ventures.Software Engineering
United States · Canada
Posted on Tuesday, April 11, 2023
At Scribd (pronounced “scribbed”), we believe reading is more important than ever. Join our cast of characters as we work to change the way the world reads by building the world’s largest and most fascinating digital library: giving subscribers access to a growing collection of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, documents, Scribd Originals, and more. In addition to works from major publishers and top authors, our community includes over 1.9 M subscribers in nearly every country worldwide.
Have you heard about our future of work program, Scribd Flex? As a key principle, we embrace flexibility and allow employees, in partnership with their manager, to choose the work-style that best suits their individual needs and preferences. And, we create intentional in-person moments with each other that build culture and connection.
About the team and role
This is a new role at Scribd, that will bring together the various backend systems that power our web and mobile applications under one umbrella. This includes but is not limited to Payments, Plans, Authentication, Authorization, Lifecycle management, and API Gateway. The charter for this team is to enhance and maintain these backend systems to meet our company goals while moving towards a service oriented architecture and a unified GraphQL API for web and mobile.
We are looking for a passionate, innovative and strategic backend technology leader to head this new team. This role provides a tremendous opportunity to collaborate across the organization and create the foundation for the next stage of growth for Scribd.
About you
• You have experience managing large scale backend teams.
• You have experience with architectural migrations and tech debt reduction efforts.
• You are a great manager and team builder.
• You have experience mentoring and helping cultivate emerging leaders.
• You communicate clearly and effectively with technical and non-technical audiences.
• You are deep technically and can mentor and guide all levels of engineers.
• You're self-directed towards generating outcomes vs output.
• You care about building highly efficient teams that can move fast, learn & iterate quickly.
You will / Responsibilities / What you will do
• Lead the overall planning, development, and deployment for backend systems that power our web and mobile applications.
• Mentor & grow a 15+ distributed, diverse engineering team which also includes managers.
• Define and drive architectural strategy to enable a world class customer experience that includes quality, scalability, and resilience as default characteristics.
• Partner closely with cross-functional teams including product management, design, performance marketing, business analytics and others throughout the business to build a clear vision & prioritized roadmap for the backend organization.
• Formulate and execute process and organizational improvements to enhance overall effectiveness & velocity.
• Define how we approach engineering scale & technical debt reductions, driving for speed and efficiency in our development processes.
• Determine OKRs, project planning and resource requirements to accomplish projects and support users.
• Help identify issues and blockers that may delay the launch or impede the success of projects or capabilities and work with partners to communicate effectively, assess alternatives, and take action to resolve.
• Manage engineering morale, retention, culture, and performance.
• Provide career development, coaching, mentorship and sponsorship, and cultivate emerging leaders.
You Have / We're looking for / Requirements
• At least 10 years of experience building and delivering software products
• 5+ years of engineering management experience running backend teams and experience managing managers for at least 2 years.
• Strong record of thriving in a customer-obsessed product development environment with evidence of helping to define and influence overall product strategy.
• Experience in building robust APIs, high-scale service oriented backend systems, and event streaming technology that are optimized around speed, velocity and safety of development.
• An exceptional understanding of technology best practices, application security, and history of making tradeoffs based on current needs.
• Proven track record of scaling a team in high-growth companies, not just in number of team members but also in developing team member capabilities and skills.
• History of building accountability and success by setting measurable goals and metrics for your teams.
• Ability to set strategic direction in working with senior executives, but also loves getting your hands dirty executing with the team.
• Thrive in a fast-paced, rapidly-changing, high-growth environment.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and discuss technical concepts, prioritize and evaluate opportunistic new ideas with internal and external partners.
• Proactive, solution-oriented mindset and approach to problem solving.
Ideally, you have / Bonus points
• Experience in rearchitecting legacy system and large scale technology modernizations focused on platform development.
• Experience in subscription business models or loyalty systems.
• Experience with GraphQL, gRPC/protobuf, Kafka
At Scribd, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package and is determined within a range. Our pay ranges are based on the local cost of labor benchmarks for each specific role, level, and geographic location. San Francisco is our highest geographic market in the United States. In the state of California, the reasonably expected salary range is between $172,500 [minimum salary in our lowest geographic market within California] to $275,250 [maximum salary in our highest geographic market within California].
Outside of California, the reasonably expected salary range is between $152,000 [minimum salary in our lowest US geographic market outside of California] to $261,250 [maximum salary in our highest US geographic market outside of California].
We carefully consider a wide range of factors when determining compensation, including but not limited to experience; job-related skill sets; relevant education or training; and other business and organizational needs. The salary range listed is for the level at which this job has been scoped. In the event that you are considered for a different level, a higher or lower pay range would apply. This position is also eligible for a competitive equity ownership, and a comprehensive and generous benefits package.
Benefits, Perks, and Wellbeing at Scribd
*Benefits/perks listed may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Scribd and the geographical location where you work.
• Healthcare Insurance Coverage (Medical/Dental/Vision): 100% paid for employees
• 12 weeks paid parental leave
• Short-term/long-term disability plans
• 401k/RSP matching
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Learning & Development programs
• Quarterly stipend for Wellness, Connectivity & Comfort
• Mental Health support & resources
• Free subscription to Scribd + gift memberships for friends & family
• Referral Bonuses
• Book Benefit
• Sabbaticals
• Company wide events
• Team engagement budgets
• Vacation & Personal Days
• Paid Holidays (+ winter break)
• Flexible Sick Time
• Volunteer Day
• Company-wide Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion programs
Want to learn more about life at Scribd? www.linkedin.com/company/scribd/life
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We want our interview process to be accessible to everyone. You can inform us of any reasonable adjustments we can make to better accommodate your needs by emailing accommodations@scribd.com about the need for adjustments at any point in the interview process.
Scribd is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply, and believe that a diversity of perspectives and experiences create a foundation for the best ideas. Come join us in building something meaningful.
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Remote employees must have their primary residence in: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Ontario (Canada), British Columbia (Canada), or Mexico. *This list may not be complete or accurate, and candidates should speak with their recruiter about their specific location for remote work.
#LI-Remote
This job is no longer accepting applications
See open jobs at Scribd.See open jobs similar to "Director, Backend Engineering" Khosla Ventures.