Hands-on Head of Engineering - Design-Led RTC Platform

Job Description

Hands-on Head of Engineering - Design-Led RTC Platform We’re looking for a hands-on Head of Engineering to lead a small, agile start-up engineering team while playing an active role in the development of our core design-led product. The role involves hands-on development with React, Tailwind, Node.js, and AWS (Frontend focused). This role is ideal for someone passionate about driving engineering excellence and delivering a high-quality, scalable Real-Time Collaboration tool. As a key leader, you’ll guide our engineering team through exciting growth and technical challenges while contributing directly to the product’s development. You’ll be instrumental in building a culture of collaboration, quality, and innovation. About the role: Work in a well-funded start-up leading a team of 9 engineers. Preference for Sydney/Melbourne (100% remote). Mix of leadership (70%) & hands-on development (30%). Key Responsibilities: Lead a team of 9 engineers (Mix of Frontend and Backend) towards the public launch of the platform. Contribute to the development of core product features and infrastructure. Oversee sprint planning, backlog grooming, and technical discussions. Own the release process, ensuring seamless and stable deployments. Support the team in resolving technical roadblocks and filling knowledge gaps. Collaborate with Product Managers to shape the release strategy and define priorities. Optimize infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, and engineering workflows for efficiency. Advocate for engineering best practices and high-quality standards. Define initial requirements and test cases for new features. Foster collaboration across teams to prioritize and address key issues. What to Expect in the First Year: Focus on managing engineering operations, driving quality and reliability. Simplify the product and improve existing features, onboarding experiences, and AI capabilities. Enhance product performance, reduce latency, and address critical bugs. Prepare the product for a public launch. Collaborate closely with the team to ensure a successful launch and exceptional user experience. Drive long-term projects to deepen product use cases and address key user challenges. Enhance the product’s scalability, resilience, and user satisfaction post-launch. What We’re Looking For: 10+ years of frontend-focused engineering experience with an understanding of UX/UI and design principles. Experience designing and scaling backend systems and mentoring Mid-Senior engineers. Leadership background in agile, start-up teams. Proven experience leading an engineering team and launching a public product. Expertise in system design, distributed systems, and microservices architecture. Strong background in CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure optimization, and DevOps. Deep knowledge of security and compliance in scaling organizations. A hands-on approach to solving complex technical problems and delivering results. Experience with real-time collaboration tools or design-led platforms (ideal but not required). Background in productivity or design tools, especially in early-stage environments. Ownership mindset with a proactive approach to problem-solving. Collaborative team player who values feedback and shared success. Strong communication skills with the ability to navigate ambiguity and prioritize effectively. Why Join Us? Be part of a fast-paced, remote-first startup where you’ll have the opportunity to shape a groundbreaking product and a growing engineering team. You’ll play a pivotal role in building a scalable, resilient platform while working with talented, passionate professionals. Get in touch to find out more: TheDriveGroup is 100% committed to improving meaningful diversity in the technology industry. We partner with clients who embrace diversity and seek candidates across all backgrounds, abilities, genders, sexualities, cultures, and faiths. If you have the right skills and attitude we would love to hear from you! Seniority level Mid-Senior level Employment type Full-time Job function IT Services and IT Consulting #J-18808-Ljbffr