Head of Engineering

Overview

Switchboard Labs LLC is seeking a Head of Engineering to lead our growing technology team, reporting to our VP of Technology and working closely with our Software Architect. This hire will begin with 3 direct reports with a minimum of 2-3 more hires reporting to this role in the next 12 months. The ideal candidate will be both a strategic leader and a hands-on engineer, capable of overseeing our AWS infrastructure, Node.js–based backend systems, and broader software development initiatives. 10 years in, we still operate in a fast-moving startup environment, so adaptability, strong communication skills, and a willingness to roll up your sleeves when needed are essential. 

Key Responsibilities

1. Technical Leadership & Strategy
   • Define and execute the overall engineering vision in alignment with company goals.
   • Evaluate and implement best practices for security, scalability, and performance, especially using AWS and Node.js.
   • Champion DevOps principles; own CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure, and deployment processes.
2. AWS Infrastructure & Operations
   • Oversee AWS EC2 provisioning, Route53 DNS management, Autoscaling, SQS, and related AWS API services.
   • Ensure high availability and fault tolerance through thoughtful architecture, proactive monitoring, and quick incident response.
   • Maintain secure, resilient environments by following OWASP guidelines and other industry-standard security measures.
3. Backend Development (Node.js)
   • Guide the team in building and maintaining a custom Node.js backend without reliance on heavy frameworks.
   • Lead the design of asynchronous solutions that handle multiple external APIs and databases concurrently.
   • Collaborate on code reviews, refactoring, and general improvements for efficiency, readability, and reliability.
4. Team Management & Collaboration
   • Hire, mentor, and manage developers and operations engineers, fostering a culture of ownership and continuous learning.
   • Coordinate cross-functionally with product, design, and leadership teams to define priorities and timelines.
   • Conduct regular check-ins, stand-ups, and retrospective meetings to ensure alignment and transparency.
5. Systems & Tools
   • Oversee web server services architecture to keep it up to date with current best practices 
   • Facilitate improvements to our data layer, potentially leveraging DynamoDB, Elasticsearch, and other solutions as needed.
6. Startup Mindset
   • Adapt to shifting priorities and project requirements with composure and creativity.
   • Remain calm and productive during high-stress periods, setting an example for the engineering team.
   • Participate in company huddles, retreats, and occasional in-person meetings to build camaraderie and drive growth.

Requirements

• Experience: 7 years in a senior engineering or operations role, ideally including leadership responsibilities.
• AWS Expertise: Proven track record with DynamoDB, EC2, Route53, Load Balancers, and scaling mission-critical services on AWS.
• Node.js Mastery: Deep understanding of asynchronous programming in Node, ES6 JavaScript, and custom backend architectures.
• Linux & Networking: Strong knowledge of Amazon Linux and other Linux distros, familiarity with TCP/IP, plus an interest in advanced environments like Alpine Linux.
• Security & DevOps: Thorough grasp of OWASP principles, bash scripting, and CI/CD pipelines.
• People Leadership: Demonstrated ability to build, mentor, and retain high-performing engineering teams.
• Problem-Solving: Excellent troubleshooting skills and a collaborative mindset.
• Preferred: Experience with ML, or additional platforms like Elasticsearch.
• Quarterly travel required - more often for those living outside the DC metro area
• Able to furnish professional and personal references upon request

Why Join Us?

• Impactful Work: Shape our entire engineering function and lead cutting-edge projects in a small, dynamic team.
• Flexible Environment: Remote-friendly culture with minimal overhead; focus on delivering results rather than attending endless meetings.
• Growth Opportunities: Influence strategic decisions, expand your leadership repertoire, and help scale a profitable startup.
• Competitive Benefits: Inclusive of health, dental, vision, 401k with employer contribution, plus team-building huddles and retreats.

Key Metrics and Performance Benchmarks

1. Platform Stability, Scalability & Security

1. Uptime/Availability SLAs
   • Target: Maintain at least 99.9% uptime (or another agreed-upon SLA) for core services over any given quarter.
   • Measurement: Automated uptime monitoring tools and incident logs.
2. Load & Scalability Testing
   • Target: Perform quarterly load testing to ensure capacity meets or exceeds 120% of projected peak traffic.
   • Measurement: Documented test results showing the system’s performance under stress (e.g., response times, error rates).
3. Security Incident Rate
   • Target: Zero critical security breaches per quarter; no more than X minor vulnerabilities discovered and resolved within 30 days.
   • Measurement: Security audit logs, OWASP vulnerability scans, incident reports.

2. Documentation Excellence

1. Documentation Coverage of Key Systems
   • Target: Achieve 100% coverage of current major systems and processes with up-to-date documentation (architecture diagrams, API references, CI/CD pipelines, etc.).
   • Measurement: Periodic audits of documentation vs. system inventory, ensuring minimal “out-of-date” or missing docs.
2. Time-to-Update SLA
   • Target: All relevant documentation is updated within 2 weeks of any major system change or release.
   • Measurement: Track commit logs / wiki update history in documentation repos.
3. Documentation Quality Score
   • Target: Obtain an average satisfaction score of 8/10 from internal stakeholders (developers, operations, etc.) on clarity and completeness.
   • Measurement: Quarterly feedback surveys, peer review checks.

3. Developer Onboarding & Training

1. New Developer Onboarding Duration
   • Target: Reduce time-to-productivity (e.g., ability to merge first meaningful PR) to X weeks for new hires.
   • Measurement: Track start date to first production contribution; measure averages per quarter.
2. Curriculum & Training Materials
   • Target: Have a standardized, documented “Engineering Curriculum” that includes coding standards, architecture overviews, environment setup, and best practices.
   • Measurement: Completed onboarding guides with version-controlled updates; peer reviews ensuring materials are current and comprehensive.
3. Skill Progression Metrics
   • Target: Each new developer completes at least 3 progressively challenging tasks/milestones within their first 3-4 months.
   • Measurement: Formal tracking in the Leapsome people management system.

4. Additional Industry-Standard Metrics

1. Deployment Frequency & Lead Time
   • Target: Move towards continuous deployment or at least 2 production releases per month.
   • Measurement: Pipeline analytics, commit-to-deploy cycle times.
2. Mean Time to Recovery (MTTR)
   • Target: In the event of outages or critical bugs, restore service within an average of X minutes/hours.
   • Measurement: Incident postmortem reports, system monitoring logs.
3. Code Quality & Review Throughput
   • Target: 100% of code changes reviewed, maintain code coverage of at least X% for critical modules.
   • Measurement: Pull request metrics (review completion times), automated test coverage reports.

Putting It All Together

1. Track & Report Regularly: We expect a monthly or quarterly “Engineering Health” presentation covering these metrics.
2. Establish Baselines: If some metrics are new, the first quarter can be a data-gathering phase to set benchmarks.
3. Align with Leadership: Ensure these metrics tie back to broader company objectives (e.g., user retention, revenue, etc.).
4. Iterate: Refining your metrics as the team matures can keep them relevant and motivational.

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If you’re an experienced leader excited to steer both our infrastructure and development teams, we’d love to hear from you. 

Please submit your resume and any relevant portfolio or GitHub links. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Join us at Switchboard Labs LLC to drive innovation, mentor engineers, and shape the future of our technology stack!