VP, IT Platform Engineering/Architecture

VP, IT Platform Engineering/Architecture

The VP of Platform Engineering/Architecture  will be an integral part of setting a culture of creativity, innovation and excellence in all areas of engineering and technology. The position requires a passionate and technical leader with experience in both commercial and open-source stacks and always a champion for a best of breed approach to tooling and methodology. Extensive experience in enterprise-level software development required and necessary to contribute to and execute upon complex technical initiatives. Deep understanding of domain driven architecture, event sourcing, distributed systems, concurrency, performance and scale is required to create and lead a team towards building resilient platforms that stand the test of time. Excellent interpersonal skills and experience in building and motivating teams.

This position is responsible for building and managing the core platform engineering team that will be responsible for designing, developing, operating and supporting the next generation SharkNinja platforms, with strictly governed standards and processes. High level duties also include mentoring other engineering teams, capacity planning, maintaining diverse resource pools, fiscal accountability and best-in-breed  engineering practices.

Key Accountabilities: 

• Collaborate with product teams to understand and translate requirements, ensuring specifications and architecture designs meet broader technical strategic goals.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with both internal and external stakeholders across the organization.
• Evaluate impact of business and technology trends to provide strategic direction.
• Create and drive the vision, mission and functional oversight of the Platform Engineering team.
• Establish comprehensive engineering standards and governance processes for SharkNinja technology stacks.
• Successfully translate corporate objectives into team and individual goals.
• Develop and champion tools, methodologies, and approaches to cultivate ideas and opportunities that are more diverse, unique, drive quality and speed to market.
• Design, develop, maintain and operate the next generation SharkNinja platforms.
• Create tools and automation platforms to accelerate platform team development.
• Build a scalable cloud infrastructure for SharkNinja’s technology stacks to run upon.
• Ensure the stability of production environments by ensuring platform components are scalable and resilient.
• Provide actionable metrics and insights into the performance and operational health of the platforms.
• Foster a positive climate to build effective teams that are committed to organizational goals and initiatives.
• Update stakeholders on key initiative wins and opportunities, respond to concerns, and solicit feedback.
• Engage senior leadership to develop and execute action plans to address technology gaps.
• Provide ongoing direction and mentoring to all engineering team members.
• Ensure appropriate resources are identified, hired, and retained.

  Knowledge, Capabilities, and Experience: 

• At least 10+ years experience creating the vision, roadmap, and strategic direction for highly complex software development projects.
• Master’s degree in Computer Science strongly preferred
• 10+ years of overall software industry experience with 10+ years of technology leadership role.
• Ability to handle multiple teams simultaneously and thrive in a fast-paced environment. 
• Excellent knowledge of state-of-the-art technologies within Digital, IT infrastructure and application development and proven experience in digital leadership. In this role the right mix of technical knowledge, business skills and servant leadership is critical to the organization.
• Experience managing large portfolios, overseeing budgets and leading platform teams geared towards pursuing opportunities.
• Global software development experience and managing diverse teams across the globe.