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Purple Wave is seeking an experienced and strategic Director of Product Engineering to lead our product engineering organization. Reporting directly to the VP of IT, this role will drive innovation, velocity, and quality across all product engineering teams. This is a remote-eligible position and a key leadership role responsible for delivering exceptional software solutions that power Purple Wave's online auction business

The Director of Product Engineering is accountable for leading all product engineering functions at Purple Wave. This leader manages four departments: Mobile Engineering, Agility, Test Engineering, and Product Engineering. This role requires strategic vision, exceptional leadership, and technical acumen to ensure the delivery of high-quality software products that meet business objectives and delight customers. Success in this role comes from empowering technical teams, removing obstacles, and creating an environment where engineering excellence thrives.

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership and Vision
  • Define the long-term strategy and vision for product engineering aligned with business goals.
  • Partner with engineering leaders to guide technology decisions and modern development practices.
  • Drive innovation and continuous improvement across all engineering teams.
  • Ensure alignment between team goals and business strategy.
  • Translate business requirements into clear engineering objectives.
• Team Structure and Growth
  • Build and scale four departments: Mobile Engineering, Agility, Test Engineering, and Product Engineering.
  • Hire, mentor, and develop high-performing engineering managers and technical staff.
  • Drive a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and agile mindset.
  • Inspire and motivate teams to deliver innovative solutions with appropriate urgency.
  • Create clear career paths and development opportunities for engineering talent.
• Engineering Enablement and Operations
  • Establish policies and procedures to improve the software development lifecycle.
  • Enable results by improving and automating processes with clear definitions of success.
  • Remove impediments by collaborating with stakeholders where teams can't self-organize to reach resolution.
  • Ensure teams have the tools, resources, and support needed to succeed.
  • Foster collaboration across engineering teams and with other departments.
• Agility and Continuous Improvement
  • Coach leaders and managers throughout the enterprise on benefits of agile practices and successful implementation.
  • Support teams in modeling an agility mindset by promoting practical applications of agile principles.
  • Champion experimentation, inspection, and continuous improvement methodologies.
  • Drive adoption of best practices in software delivery and team collaboration.
• Product and Customer Focus
  • Work closely with Product teams to deliver solutions that meet customer needs.
  • Ensure engineering teams understand business context and customer impact.
  • Balance technical excellence with business value and time-to-market.
  • Oversee mobile application strategy and web platform development.
• Quality and Delivery Excellence
  • Partner with Test Engineering to establish quality standards and automation strategies.
  • Ensure code quality, testing practices, and deployment processes meet organizational goals.
  • Drive metrics and visibility into engineering performance and delivery health.
  • Foster accountability for quality throughout the development process.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Collaborate with Platform Engineering, Data, and Infrastructure teams to ensure seamless delivery.
  • Partner with Product Management to align engineering capacity with business priorities.
  • Provide guidance and coaching to managers, leaders, and teams.
  • Serve as a bridge between technical teams and business leadership.
• Budget and Resource Management
  • Administer expense and compensation budgets.
  • Make strategic decisions on tooling, technology investments, and vendor partnerships.
  • Optimize resource allocation across engineering initiatives.
• Undertake additional assigned duties as requested.
  

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Directly manage four department managers: Mobile Engineering, Agility, Test Engineering, and Product Engineering.

• Define org structure and resource allocation with VP of IT.

• Provide coaching, performance management, and career development.
  

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Business, Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years in technology leadership, product management, or engineering roles.
• 5+ years leading engineering or technical teams, including managing managers.
• Strong technical acumen with ability to understand and discuss technical concepts and trade-offs.
• Deep expertise in agile methodologies and software development lifecycle.
• Proven track record building and scaling high-performing engineering organizations.
• Experience with mobile development, web technologies, and modern software practices.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong problem-solving abilities and business judgment.
• Ability to inspire and motivate technical teams without being hands-on in code.
• Track record of removing obstacles and enabling team success.
• Spanish speaking bi-lingual candidates are encouraged to apply.
• Candidates may be requested to complete position specific skills assessments.
• Applicants must be either a U.S. Citizen or eligible to work in the U.S.
• Requires the ability to satisfactorily complete a background check.
  

Working Settings:

• Full-time Salaried Exempt, not eligible for overtime.
• Office hours are 8am-5pm, Monday through Friday, Central Time zone, additional hours may be required depending on priorities.
• Based in the Purple Wave headquarters in Manhattan, KS.
• This position is remote work eligible within the United States. Please be aware: the first week of employment includes mandatory in-person training. Remote start arrangements are not available.
• One week a year of in-person training with the department.
• Potential for 10% travel, should the need arise.
• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
  

Compensation:

• The salary varies based on experience and qualifications, but typically ranges from $142,000 to $164,000 per year.
• Annual Bonus Plan - determined by the Company's annual revenue and EBITA results and is paid on a "percent to plan" payout formula.
• Monthly phone stipend in accordance with the Company's cell phone policy, currently $120/month.
• Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
• 401(k) plan with an employer match up to 4% starting the first day of employment.
• Company-paid Life Insurance with options for supplemental coverage.
• Fully paid Short-Term Disability provided by the Company.
• 3 Weeks of PTO annually (details shared during onboarding).
• Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP) - Eligible to purchase company stock at a discount after 90 days of employment, with enrollment opportunities each May and November.

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