Director of Engineering - New Markets

Your Role:

As the engineering director for new market initiatives, you will be responsible for building talented group of software engineers in Japan that will be members of our functional product and infrastructure engineering teams and also able to work together across functional boundaries on high growth initiatives. You will be responsible for regional recruitment initiatives, leading cross functional team projects, mentoring talent with respect to our engineering principles and practices as well as fostering Alpaca’s culture in the region. As the regional director, you will also be responsible for ensuring operational reliability engineering and incident commander during regional business hours to ensure proactive 24x7 stability.

For this role, we are seeking an experienced engineering leader  who is obsessed with delivering defect-free solutions, has proven experience architecting and building at scale, and who is not afraid of challenging conventions or voicing their opinions. In this role, you will have the autonomy to design and implement solutions to achieve defined goals while actively participating in defining those goals in cooperation with a cross-functional team. An understanding of cloud-based modern architecture, infrastructure, and orchestration practices are also great assets we actively look for. 

Things You Get To Do:

• Regional engineering team growth and leadership: You will work with functional engineering team leaders, to understand the talent needs and help source and recruit strong engineering talent in the region that meets the needs of each role and embody Alpaca’s high growth mindset. Lead and mentor software engineers, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Strategic planning: Collaborate with the CTO and other engineering and product  leaders to define and execute the company's technical strategy, including product development, technology investments, and innovation initiatives.
• Engineering process development: Assist in the development and implementation of company-wide policies and procedures related to technology, data security, and compliance. Provide technical guidance and support, ensuring the team's adherence to best practices and development standards
• Budgeting and vendor management: Own relationship with vendors, forecast costs, and perform build vs buy analysis
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain relationships with external partners, customers, and key stakeholders to support the company's growth and strategic objectives.
• Communication Facilitation: Act as an advocate and represent other engineering team leads with regional engineering team members;  ensuring that information flows efficiently, decisions are communicated effectively, and cross-functional teams collaborate seamlessly. Collaborate with stakeholders, including finance, operations, and product teams, to understand and define requirements Communicate project statuses, challenges, and solutions effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Who You Are (Must-Haves):

• Experience sourcing, hiring, recruiting technical talent
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong computer science fundamentals and proven software engineering architecture experience
• Proficiency in project management tools and software development methodologies.
• Ability to work independently and under pressure in a fast-paced environment
• Strategic thinking and the ability to translate technical concepts into business strategies.
• Strong familiarity with the software development life cycle
• At least 5 years of experience working on systems at scale
• Experience with domain driven design and event driven design
• Obsession with performant, defect-free, maintainable code
• Strong problem-solving skills paired with a proactive mindset
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• The ability to work independently and as part of a team
• A preference for simple and elegant solutions
• Ability to act as incident commander and lead and troubleshoot incidents or bugs with authority.

Who You Might Be (Nice-To-Haves):

• Experience in the financial service sector
• Experience working in a startup or fast-growing technology company.
• Knowledge of emerging technologies
• Experience or passion for financial markets
• Experience managing vendors and organizational budgeting
• Experience working with global teams