Director of Engineering, Consumer Products & Platforms

Engineering Director, Consumer Products & Platforms Lead and scale the consumer technology behind APNews.com, AP’s mobile apps, and broader consumer platforms. This senior leadership role sits at the intersection of product strategy, engineering execution, and operational excellence, with direct responsibility for building high‑performing teams and delivering reliable, high‑impact consumer experiences at global scale. What you will do: Establish and communicate a clear architectural view of AP's consumer platforms, including how systems connect, where responsibilities live, and how new capabilities should be introduced. Build and evolve best‑in‑class consumer products and user experiences in close partnership with Product and Design, setting a high bar for quality, accessibility, performance, and usability. Lead engineering execution across web, mobile apps (iOS and Android), backend services, CMS integrations, data pipelines, and advertising technology. Build and develop high‑performing, globally distributed engineering teams, including internal staff and third‑party partners. Partner with Product Management to shape technical roadmaps and investment plans aligned with priorities such as audience growth, engagement, personalization, video, and reader revenue. Identify architectural bottlenecks and guide the evolution or replacement of platform components to improve reliability, performance, security, scalability, and cost efficiency. Strengthen engineering delivery through pragmatic agile practices, clear planning, and strong cross‑team communication. Collaborate closely with product, data, and revenue teams on advertising initiatives, including performance, latency, measurement, experimentation, and privacy compliance. Who you are: 10+ years of software engineering experience, with 5+ years in engineering leadership roles. Experience leading engineering teams responsible for large‑scale, consumer‑facing platforms, ideally in media or content‑driven environments. Ability to quickly develop an end‑to‑end understanding of complex platforms at an architectural level, including system interactions, data flows, and technology tradeoffs. Strong technical judgment and a clear point of view on platform evolution, modernization, and long‑term health. Exceptional communication skills, particularly with engineering leads and senior stakeholders, and the ability to inspire shared standards of technical excellence. Experience balancing delivery, performance, user experience, revenue, and editorial integrity in ad‑supported products. Comfort leading distributed teams and working closely with external vendors. A strong perspective on privacy, consent, and data governance. Master's or bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field (or equivalent experience). Technical Skills: Web & Front End: HTML, CSS, JavaScript; modern front‑end frameworks (e.g., React, Next.js); headless architectures; Core Web Vitals and web performance optimization. Platform & APIs: GraphQL; cloud‑native and service‑oriented architectures; system integration and platform evolution. Mobile Platforms: iOS and Android fundamentals, release management, performance, stability, and experimentation. Video & Media: Video platforms and players (e.g., JW Player). Advertising & Monetization: Google Ad Manager, Freestar, and programmatic advertising platforms; performance, latency, and measurement considerations. Payments & Reader Revenue: Billing and payments platforms (e.g., Zuora, Stripe). Data, Analytics & Personalization: Google Analytics, Parse.ly, Permutive, BlueConic; first‑party data strategy and audience segmentation. Mobile Analytics & Engagement: Firebase, OneSignal; push notifications, lifecycle messaging, and mobile measurement. Cloud & Delivery: Google Cloud Platform; CI/CD pipelines; CDN and edge performance (e.g., Cloudflare). Salary & Benefits: The anticipated salary range for this position is $180,000 - $200,000, based on a candidate's skills, qualifications and location. Competitive medical, dental and vision coverage Retirement benefits Company‑paid life insurance Paid vacation and sick days Paid parental leave for any new parent Mental well‑being resources AP seeks to build an inclusive organization grounded in respect for differences. We support all aspects of diversity and provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, status as a veteran, or other characteristic protected by law. #J-18808-Ljbffr The Associated Press