logo inner

Director, Engineering

DescriptSan Francisco, California, United States | Ca Montreal, California, United StatesRemote, Onsite
This job is no longer open

Our vision is to build the next-generation platform for fast and easy creation of audio and video content. In June 2022, we launched
Storyboard, a completely redesigned experience around video creation and what we have always envisioned to be our v1. We are used by some of the world's top podcasters and influencers as well as businesses such as BBC, ESPN, Hubspot, Shopify and Washington Post for communicating via video. We've raised $100M from some of the world's best investors like OpenAI, Andreessen Horowitz, Redpoint Ventures and Spark Capital.To justify our ambitious vision and serve our rapidly growing customer base, we’re planning to accelerate growth of the engineering team and are looking for a senior engineering leader who can lead and scale with the rapid growth of the company.

You’ll oversee multiple teams, and this role reports directly into the VP of Engineering.Learn more about how we're building Descript from one of our Engineers.

Your Responsibilities


  • Develop a roadmap in partnership with the Engineering Managers and technical leads and ensure execution is predictable, reliable and sustainable
  • Recruit, grow and coach Managers and ICs ensuring they receive regular feedback and opportunities to make rapid progress on their personal and professional goals
  • Shape the broader engineering organization’s operating model by spearheading technical practices, recruiting, onboarding strategy, planning and prioritization process and more
  • Provide product visions that align with company ideals and manage end to end technology execution performed by your team of engineers and cross-functional partners
  • Communicate clearly and efficiently with the leadership team regarding the statuses and results of current projects.
  • Identify, recommend, and implement new technologies and systems to improve corporate processes and decision-making
  • Help scale our culture as we grow

You’re someone who:


  • 5+ years of management experience managing teams of Software Engineers and track record of shipping high quality products
  • 3+ years of experience managing Engineering Managers
  • Creates team environments that are collaborative, creative, empowering, supportive, and challenging —ones where engineers do their best work
  • Experience building web apps (ideally with React/TS) and/or native desktop apps
  • Effectively collaborates with a diverse set of functions technical and non-technical
  • Clear and succinct communicator (written and verbal)
  • Direct and emphatic while giving and receiving feedback
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering or related field, or equivalent training, fellowship, or work experience

Nice to haves:


  • Managed engineering teams at a startup before where the rate of change is extremely high
  • AI experience or a research background

About Descript


Descript is building a simple, intuitive, fully-powered editing tool for video and audio — an editing tool built for the age of AI. We are a team of 140 — with a proven CEO and the backing of some of the world's greatest investors (OpenAI, Andreessen Horowitz, Redpoint Ventures, Spark Capital). Descript is the special company that's in possession of both product market fit and the raw materials (passionate user community, great product, large market) for growth, but is still early enough that each new employee has a measurable influence on the direction of the company.Benefits include a generous healthcare package, catered lunches, and flexible vacation time.

We currently have offices in San Francisco and Montreal, and are open to folks working remotely between PT and ET time zones. Whether you love WFH or can’t wait to get back to being in person, we're interested in offering an environment that works for you.Descript is an equal opportunity workplace—we are dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status.

We believe in actively building a team rich in diverse backgrounds, experiences, and opinions to better allow our employees, products, and community to thrive. 

This job is no longer open

Life at Descript

Descript builds simple and powerful collaborative tools for new media creators. We strive to eliminate the tedious work that often stands between an idea and its expression, so that creators can focus on developing their craft instead of their usage of tools. Descript is a next generation digital media platform that offers a new "engine" that lets you edit audio by editing text (instead of waveforms). That means it does transcription (both automated and human-powered, whichever you prefer), but more interestingly, it lets you move the audio around by simply editing the transcript. If you're new to editing audio, you'll find it far easier - it's basically like using a word processor. If you're experienced, Descript is faster than waveform editing - and more fun. If you work with voice audio (as opposed to music), Descript is what the future looks like...join us and change the world.
Thrive Here & What We Value1. Flat organizational structure valuing every team member'e expertise2. Unified engineering job title for all roles3. Generous healthcare package4. Catered lunches5. Flexible vacation time6. Remote work options (PT and ET time zones)7. Equal opportunity employment8. Diverse, inclusive culture9. Passionate user community10. Growing company with influence on direction
Your tracker settings

We use cookies and similar methods to recognize visitors and remember their preferences. We also use them to measure ad campaign effectiveness, target ads and analyze site traffic. To learn more about these methods, including how to disable them, view our Cookie Policy or Privacy Policy.

By tapping `Accept`, you consent to the use of these methods by us and third parties. You can always change your tracker preferences by visiting our Cookie Policy.

logo innerThatStartupJob
Discover the best startup and their job positions, all in one place.
Copyright © 2024