Engineering Director

TROOP is a group meeting planning and travel management platform that helps companies bring teams together for in-person meetings. The experience starts with TROOP’s award-winning Intelligent Destination Recommendations, which use advanced algorithms to help meeting planners pinpoint the perfect meeting destination, considering travel time, climate impact, budget, lodging availability, and safety factors for all attendees. Using TROOP, companies have saved millions in travel costs, employee time, and carbon emissions, making it possible for people to meet and build stronger relationships with their colleagues, clients, and partners, even in times of tightening budgets and travel restrictions. Why TROOP? TROOP believes in the power of shared experiences and the unifying impact of in-person meetings. We are on a mission to bring people together by transforming the meeting planning process. At TROOP, we have ambitious goals to be the leading provider of end-to-end meeting planning tools. We started by inventing a completely new way for people to decide where to meet, but for us, the destination is just the beginning. We’re developing more innovative solutions that make it easier than ever to organize and host successful group meeting experiences. TROOP’s Culture? TROOP is an international, remote-first company. Our colleagues are spread across the globe, with entities in Spain, South Africa, and the United States. Our culture is rooted in an African philosophy called “Ubuntu,” which means “I am because we are.” It refers to an environment of interdependence through trust. We call ourselves TROOPers, and we are people who seek adventure, challenge the status quo, enjoy innovating, and want to be part of something special. We are doers who roll up our sleeves and get into the details; we own the problem and only stop once it is solved. We’re hiring for an Engineering Director – a hands-on leadership role responsible for driving product–market fit and execution through exceptional engineering delivery. Within a critical 0–12 month strategic window, this role will ensure seamless alignment between product and engineering while building the organizational capabilities needed for the next phase of growth. The ideal candidate combines strategic vision with tactical execution, leading by example to establish engineering excellence and enable rapid iteration and scalable product development. What you’ll be doing Scope of Influence Lead multiple squads to deliver quality software and compelling user experiences on time Directly involved in code and technical decision-making, aligning architecture with product strategy, and mentoring Engineering Managers to succeed. Delivers technical direction across the engineering organization that impact multiple squads Sets engineering-wide standards and practices that elevate excellence across both Product and Engineering. Builds high-performing teams through effective hiring and development Creates advancement opportunities for team members Manages engineering managers through 1:1s, career and leadership development Develops leadership capabilities in managers and senior engineers Addresses complex people management challenges Build hiring strategy and optimize team structures Organization & Culture Rolling up your sleeves to drive impact, regardless of title Fosters a culture of ownership, quality, excellence and organizational impact Instill a customer-first mindset with a focus on intuitive, high-quality UX Champion end-to-end ownership across technical and product domains Strategic Product-Engineering Alignment Partner with Product leadership to translate product vision into technical execution Coordinate engineering efforts across product squads for cohesive delivery Ensure engineering capacity aligns with product and technology roadmap Serve as architectural voice in strategic planning Balance technical debt with product delivery needs Success Metrics Predictability product delivery and engineering-product alignment System security, reliability, performance, scalability, monitoring and reporting responsibilities Team satisfaction, retention, and leadership development Product/Technology roadmap execution and cost management/optimization Lead by example and mentor Engineering Managers to develop strong leadership capabilities Drive engineering standards and developer experience improvements Requirements Exhibit clear experience of proven engineering and product operational models that drive high velocity and throughput while delivering increased innovation both on an organizational and individual level. Proven track record of success in fast-paced, high-growth environments, such as startups or scale-ups (Series A/B/C stage). Proven experience leading engineering teams to build at scale while delivering compelling applications through naturally thinking user experience first Deep expertise in modern software architecture, cloud infrastructure, and scalable system design. Hands-on experience integrating AI/ML technologies, with a strong passion for leveraging data-driven insights to enhance product and user experiences. Demonstrated success in partnering cross-functionally with Product, Design, and GTM teams to deliver impactful software solutions. Demonstrated success in guiding products from concept to market launch (0→1), driving innovation and delivering tangible business impact. Experience leading, mentoring, and developing Engineering Managers, fostering high-performing teams and cultivating a strong engineering culture. Excellent communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills, particularly in remote-first or globally distributed teams. Tech-stack : GraphQL Federation and Microservices architecture, Modern Frameworks (Vue.js, Node.js, TypeScript), Cloud Platforms (GCP, Kubernetes, infrastructure as code) and Codegen, Multi Agent Dev Assistance (Cursor, Claude Code, Factory) Leadership 10+ years software engineering, 5+ years engineering leadership Track record leading 25+ engineer organizations Experience managing engineering managers Remote-first within our hubs : TROOP operates remotely with frequent in-person engagements, focusing on scaling within our legal entities in Spain, South Africa and the US.