Head of Platform Engineering, Descript

• Leadership Experience: Has 5+ years of engineering management experience, including leading multiple teams or an engineering organization, preferably in platform or developer experience domain
• Technical Expertise: Demonstrates a strong technical background with experience in cloud platforms (GCP preferably), scalable infrastructure, and AI/ML technologies
• Strategic Thinker: Can develop and communicate a clear vision, aligning teams and resources to achieve strategic objectives
• Team Builder: Excels at creating collaborative, empowering, and high-performing team environments
• Effective Communicator: Communicates clearly and effectively, both in writing and verbally, across technical and non-technical audiences
• Adaptable and Resilient: Thrives in fast-paced, rapidly changing environments, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and drive results
• Educational Background: Holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or has equivalent professional experience

Desirable

• We are seeking a Head of Platform Engineering to lead and scale our Platform organization. This organization at Descript is central to empowering our engineering teams to build and deliver products efficiently and effectively
• Operating as an internal product team, the Platform group focuses on providing tools, infrastructure, and services that enable our engineers to deliver exceptional products to our users
• You will be leading three teams (~15 engineers) across the three Platform teams, with expectations for continued growth in the next 6-12 months. The Platform organization encompasses three key teams:
• Server Platform Team: Builds and maintains our core backend and development infrastructure, ensuring scalability, reliability, and performance
• Client Platform Team: Focuses on the foundations of our client applications, optimizing for a seamless user experience across desktop and web platforms
• AI Platform Team: Develops and scales our AI/ML infrastructure to support cutting-edge research and integration of AI features into our products
• Infrastructure Scaling: Building a scalable, reliable, and performant infrastructure to support the growth of our engineering, data, and research teams
• Product Transition: Leading the transition of our features and infrastructure from a desktop app-heavy product to a web-first and cloud-based user experience
• Developer Experience: Establishing the foundations for a world-class developer experience, enhancing productivity and satisfaction across a fast-growing, full-stack engineering organization
• AI/ML Integration: Scaling our AI/ML platform to support innovative research rapid productization of AI features, and a product feedback cycle for model improvements
• This position reports directly to the VP of Engineering
• Strategic Leadership: Develop and execute a strategic vision and roadmap for the Platform organization, aligning with company goals and ensuring cross-team collaboration
• Team Development: Recruit, mentor, and grow engineering managers and engineers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development
• Operational Excellence: Ensure execution across the Platform teams is predictable, reliable, and sustainable, implementing best practices in project management and engineering processes
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Product, Design, and other Engineering teams to ensure platform initiatives meet the needs of internal stakeholders
• Innovation and Improvement: Drive innovation within the Platform organization, continually seeking ways to improve our infrastructure, tools, and processes
• Culture Building: Help scale and evolve our company culture as we grow, promoting values of collaboration, inclusivity, and excellence