Director of Engineering

**Job Title**: Director of Engineering**Location**: Mexico (Remote)**Department**: Engineering**Reports To**: Executive Leadership**Overview**:The Director of Engineering will manage a team of engineers, including the Senior Lead Developer, and work closely with executive leadership to shape the technical direction and growth of the company.**Key Responsibilities**:**Strategic Technical Leadership**:- Collaborate with the leadership team to define long-term goals and strategies for platform scalability, security, and performance.- Oversee the development and implementation of cutting-edge data aggregation, search, and privacy solutions.**Team Leadership & Development**:- Lead, mentor, and inspire the engineering team, including the Senior Lead Developer, to deliver high-quality, secure, and scalable solutions.- Foster a collaborative engineering culture that promotes continuous learning, technical excellence, and innovation.- Conduct regular code reviews and performance evaluations, ensuring best practices in software development are followed.**Project & Resource Management**:- Manage project timelines and ensure on-time delivery of key initiatives, optimizing resource allocation and workflow efficiency.- Oversee the entire development lifecycle, from initial concept through deployment, utilizing agile methodologies.- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product management, security, and QA, to meet business and technical goals.**Data Privacy & Security**:- Ensure compliance with data privacy laws and regulations such as GDPR and CCPA, while upholding SocialCatfish’s commitment to user data protection.- Implement and enforce security protocols across all systems to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.**Technical Oversight & Hands-On Leadership**:- Provide oversight of the architecture and design of the platform, ensuring it can scale with future growth and handle large datasets efficiently.- Work closely with the Senior Lead Developer on complex technical challenges and assist in resolving critical technical issues.- Participate in hands-on development as necessary, particularly in architecting solutions for complex problems.**Cross-Functional Collaboration**:- Partner with product and business teams to translate business requirements into technical solutions.- Maintain clear communication with stakeholders on project progress, challenges, and deadlines.**Qualifications**- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent qualification).- For IT Support-related responsibilities: minimum of a Diploma or A+ Certification.**Experience Requirements**- **12-15 years of hands-on experience managing PHP projects** (mandatory).- 10+ years of professional software development experience.- At least 3+ years in a leadership role managing teams of developers.- Proven experience in technical leadership and strategy, ideally in a data-centric, search-based platform environment.- Prior experience with inventory, hardware maintenance, and IT procurement is an advantage.**Technical Expertise**- Deep understanding of the **PHP ecosystem and related technologies**.- Strong expertise in both front-end and back-end technologies:- HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP.- Large-scale databases (SQL and NoSQL).- Proficiency with MVC frameworks such as Laravel, Django, or similar.- Expertise in REST APIs, Linux systems, and version control.- Experience working with cloud platforms**:AWS**, **Azure**, or **Google Cloud Platform (GCP)**.- Hands-on experience in building and managing **CI/CD pipelines**.- Advanced knowledge in:- **Data security** and encryption protocols.- Compliance with data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).- Experience or working knowledge in one or more of the following is highly preferred:- **DevOps**:- **Cybersecurity**:- **Data Science****Other Expectations**- Ability to mentor senior developers and foster technical excellence.- Strategic thinker capable of aligning engineering goals with business objectives- Demonstrated ability to maintain IT hardware systems and manage technical inventory.**Leadership & Communication**:- Exceptional leadership and mentoring skills, with a track record of building and leading high-performing teams.- Excellent verbal and written communication abilities, capable of engaging both technical and non-technical stakeholders.**Problem-Solving & Project Management**:- Strong problem-solving abilities, particularly in large-scale data handling, search algorithm development, and data security.- Experience in agile methodologies and project management tools like JIRA, Trello, or Click-up.**Preferred Qualifications**:- Experience managing teams in a remote environment.- Familiarity with reverse image search technologies.- In-depth knowledge of search algorithms, Elasticsearch, and large dataset optimization.**What We Offer**:- Comp