IT Engineering Operations Lead

We are NOT currently open to US candidates... Global candidates only. Compensation is based on location, skills, and seniority. The role is remote. The Role We are hiring someone to build the operational infrastructure of the engineering team from scratch. This is not a project management role. There is no existing playbook, no mature intake process, no capacity framework, no defined utilization targets, and no release process. You will build all of it. Engineering’s primary purpose at TNT Growth is client delivery. The metrics that matter are client targets hit and net revenue retention. Every system you build, every process you design, every framework you implement needs to ladder up to that. If it doesn’t accelerate client outcomes, it doesn’t belong on the roadmap. You will be the operational backbone of the engineering team. You’ll work directly with the Director of Operations, the Technical Director, and engineers to ensure the right work gets done, in the right order, at the right level of investment. You will bring structure, visibility, and accountability to a team that is currently operating reactively. We are not looking for someone who manages tasks. We are looking for someone who builds the system that makes task management unnecessary. What You’ll Own Design and implement a single intake system for all engineering requests. Right now, work enters the team through multiple channels with no consistent triage. You will create one front door with clear criteria for what gets worked and in what order. Triage incoming tickets with enough technical understanding to assess: Is this a client‑critical business need or a nice‑to‑have? What’s the actual scope? What level of engineering investment does this warrant? Translate client needs into actionable engineering work. Understand what a client is asking for, assess its urgency and business impact, and frame it so engineers can execute without ambiguity. Specs reaching engineering should be clear enough that rework from unclear requirements drops to near zero. Own the prioritization framework. When competing requests land at the same time, there is a system for deciding what comes first — not a conversation with the Technical Director every time. Assess every incoming client request against the client’s contracted scope of work. Understand what each client engagement includes, what it doesn’t, and be the first line of defense against scope creep entering the engineering pipeline. Flag and escale out‑of‑scope requests before they consume engineering time. When a request falls outside what’s been contracted, surface it with a clear recommendation: push back, propose a scope amendment, or flag it as goodwill work with an explicit cost attached. Partner with GMs and client success to ensure the team is building what clients are paying for — not more, not less. If the team is consistently delivering work that isn’t covered by the contract, that’s a pricing problem or a boundary problem, and you’re the one who makes it visible. Track scope compliance over time. Build a clear picture of which clients consistently request out‑of‑scope work, how much engineering time goes to uncontracted work, and what that costs. This data feeds directly into client profitability analysis and renewal conversations. Build and maintain a forward‑looking capacity plan. We currently plan week‑to‑week. You will move us to a rhythm where engineering schedules are built 1–2 months out with clear visibility into what’s in flight, what’s next, and what’s blocked. Own the 30/60/90‑day engineering calendar. Allocate capacity across client‑facing delivery and internal product work with explicit trade‑offs documented for every allocation decision. Design and run an early warning system for growing backlogs. When work starts piling up, you surface it before it becomes a crisis — not after. Manage sprint execution: standups, sprint planning, retrospectives, velocity tracking. Keep delivery on cadence. Design the team’s operating model. Whether that’s a pod structure, a ticketing system, a hybrid, or something else — the structure needs to meaningfully change how work gets assigned, tracked, and delivered, not just formalize what we’re already doing. Create SOPs for escalation, handoffs, scope changes, cross‑team dependencies, and release coordination with the Product Designer. Document everything so the system runs whether or not you’re in the room. Coordinate with the Product Designer to ensure nothing goes live without alignment. Engineering builds it, product signs off on it. You own the process that makes that handoff clean and reliable. Every internal tooling initiative must answer four questions before it gets engineering time: (1) What does it cost in dollars? (2) What client‑facing work doesn’t get done while we build it? (3) What’s the return in client retention, account expansion, or operating leverage? (4) When do we expect to be net‑positive? Own this framework. Build it, enforce it, manage work against it. If an initiative can’t clear the bar, it doesn’t get built. Right‑size build decisions. Know when a quick dashboard is the right call vs. a fully architected solution. Help the team stop over‑engineering when a lighter approach would get people what they need faster. Define expected utilization targets for each engineer. We don’t currently have this. Without it, we can’t measure efficiency or make informed staffing decisions. Establish throughput metrics the team aligns on. Set targets, measure against them, surface gaps. Use time‑tracking data to build a real picture of where engineering hours go — client delivery vs. internal product vs. operational overhead — and recommend adjustments. Audit the data for accuracy; categorization may not reflect reality. Determine when backlogs should be solved with better planning vs. when they genuinely require additional headcount. Have the data and the framework to make that recommendation with confidence. Prepare business cases for headcount requests, including target comp range, benchmark data, and ROI projections. All new hire requests require Operations, Finance, and CEO. Own the communication structure between engineering, ops, client success, growth, and leadership. Stakeholders should have clear visibility into what’s in progress, what’s blocked, and what needs a decision — without chasing engineers or the Technical Director for status. Coordinate with GMs to ensure client priorities are translated accurately and engineering is working on the highest‑impact items. Requirements MUST have 5+ years in engineering operations, technical program management, or a similar role where you owned delivery infrastructure — not just managed projects within one. Experience building operational systems from scratch in a team that didn’t have them. You’ve walked into ambiguity before and created structure. Strong enough technical understanding to triage engineering tickets, assess scope, and challenge estimates. You don’t need to write code, but you need to know when something is over‑scoped or under‑scoped. Client‑centric mindset. You understand that engineering exists to deliver client outcomes, and you can connect any piece of work to a business justification. You know how to read a scope of work and enforce it without damaging the client relationship. Experience with client engagement models — contracted scopes, SOWs, scope amendments, and the judgment to know when a request is out of bounds vs. when it’s a reasonable extension of the engagement. You’ve had to push back on scope creep before and you did it without losing the client. Comfortable with data. You can pull time‑tracking reports, build utilization dashboards, construct ROI models, track scope compliance, and use metrics to drive decisions rather than opinions. Experience managing remote, distributed teams across time zones. AI‑literate. You understand how AI tools can accelerate engineering workflows and are comfortable evaluating and rolling them out. Direct communicator. You surface problems early, propose solutions, and don’t wait to be asked. Compensation Salary Range: $30k-$85k (Non‑US Only) Flexible PTO and Paid Holidays Benefits #J-18808-Ljbffr TNT Growth