Director of Engineering (Hands-On Architect)

Role Description

We build headless commerce platforms for enterprise retail brands on Next.js, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and Shopify Plus — and we need a senior engineering leader who owns people, architecture, and delivery for their teams while shaping engineering standards across the organization. You operate at director level: owning outcomes across multiple squads and client engagements, representing Engineering in senior client conversations, and shaping standards that other teams build against, while remaining hands‑on enough to lead architecture on key initiatives. Your direct reports are engineering managers, leads, and architects — you build the leadership layer, define architecture patterns, and drive delivery outcomes across multiple squads in a distributed, async-first environment. Hands-on contribution is roughly 20–30% of your time, enough to stay credible and unblock architectural problems, but your impact comes from the leaders you develop and the systems you put around them. As a Director, you will have the opportunity to expand your scope across additional teams, domains, and strategic accounts as the organization grows.

Essential Functions

• Own delivery outcomes and velocity across your delivery teams — diagnose systemic bottlenecks, not just immediate blockers.
• Hire, develop, and performance-manage engineering managers, leads, and architects — build the leadership layer that builds the team.
• Define front-end architecture patterns, rendering strategies, and performance standards that multiple delivery teams build against.
• Drive story refinement and documentation standards that enable your leads, architects, and their teams to execute reliably.
• Establish the standards, documentation habits, and workflow patterns that make AI agents effective across your squads — shaping how teams decompose work for reliable agent execution.
• Partner with PMs and stakeholders across time zones, managing competing priorities across client engagements while maintaining delivery quality.
• Coach your managers on cross-cultural communication, proactive async collaboration, and the ability to represent technical tradeoffs to non-technical audiences.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in engineering management with experience managing managers, leads, or architects — not just ICs.
• Architectural judgment in modern frontend systems: defining Next.js architecture patterns, state management, and performance standards that teams build against.
• Delivery ownership in agency or professional services — you've run client engagements across competing priorities and kept quality high.
• Strong written and verbal English — you'll collaborate with stakeholders across the US, Europe, and LATAM, and develop your managers' communication skills across cultures.
• Evidence of shaping how teams work with AI agents — not just personal tool usage, but establishing the standards and workflow patterns that make agents effective across a squad: spec-driven development, code review for AI-generated output, and coaching engineers to decompose work for reliable agent execution.
• Preferred: Hands-on experience with Salesforce Commerce Cloud (headless SFRA, OCAPI/SCAPI) or Shopify Plus/Hydrogen.
• Preferred: Familiarity with composable commerce patterns (MACH architecture, headless CMS platforms).

Requirements

• Tools: React, Next.js, TypeScript.
• Shopify Plus / Salesforce Commerce Cloud / Big Commerce / SCAYLE.
• Vercel, CI/CD pipelines.
• Cursor and/or Claude Code, ChatGPT.
• Jest, Cypress, Playwright.
• Slack, Jira, Confluence.

Benefits

• Startup Environment: A lean, fast-moving team where ownership, autonomy, and accountability are expected.
• High-Impact Work: Meaningful, hands-on work with direct visibility into outcomes and production impact.
• Top-Tier Clients: Opportunities to work with well-known, global brands and complex, real-world challenges.
• Competitive Compensation & Benefits: Market-aligned pay, comprehensive benefits, and bonus structures where applicable.
• Unlimited PTO: Flexible time off built on trust, ownership, and clear expectations.
• 100% Remote Work: Work from anywhere with a distributed, async-first team.
• Growth & Development: Room to expand scope, build expertise, and grow alongside the company.
• AI: Premium AI tooling licenses (Cursor and/or Claude Code) for your entire team, with organizational support for building AI-first delivery practices.

EEO Statement

Space Dinosaurs is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. Employment decisions are based on job-related qualifications and business needs.