Director of Engineering

General Summary
The Director of Engineering is responsible for designing, implementing, and optimizing the software and systems infrastructure underlying LAIKA’s production and business operations technology. This position is responsible for leading a team of software and systems engineers, as well as external contractors, to shape our hybrid cloud strategy, drive innovation and ensure the reliability, scalability, and security of our infrastructure. This role requires strong technical expertise in cloud computing, excellent leadership skills, and a deep understanding of modern engineering practices.

Job Functions

• Provide technical leadership to the engineering teams responsible for network & data storage, information security, datacenter, and cloud operations, dev ops and core software development.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive hybrid cloud strategy for expanding core IT services, optimizing resource utilization, improving performance, and managing costs.
• Evaluate existing on-premises infrastructure and identify opportunities for optimization with cloud services, prioritize initiatives, and drive adoption of cloud native technologies.
• Monitor performance, reliability, and security of core network and data services and implement measures to ensure high availability.
• Work with leaders in technology, production and business operations to understand system requirements and develop engineering plans to support application development, CI/CD infrastructure, and new services.
• Plan and manage capital budgets and service contracts to optimize annual spending and align technology costs with business strategy.
• Partner with vendors and service providers to supplement in-house teams as needed to complete projects, provide expertise, integrate new services, and migrate to new systems.
• Build and lead a high-performing engineering team through hiring, training, mentoring, and performance management.
• Provide guidance and support to engineers, helping them develop technical skills, domain expertise, and leadership capabilities.
• Establish and maintain quality assurance processes for engineering deliverables, and manage project timelines, budgets and resource allocation across engineering projects.
• Stay well-informed of emerging technologies and industry trends and integrate them into LAIKA’s strategic planning.
• Participate in technology and studio management meetings and share regular updates on current engineering projects and priorities, as well as long range plans and strategies.
  

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, infrastructure management, or cloud architecture, with at least 5 years in a leadership or management role.
• Extensive hands-on experience with hybrid cloud architectures, including public cloud providers (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and on-premises infrastructure.
• Proficiency in cloud-native technologies and services (e.g., Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, AWS Lambda) and infrastructure-as-code tools (e.g., CloudFormation, Terraform).
• Proven track record of driving technical innovation, delivering complex projects on time and within budget, and collaborating effectively across organizational boundaries.
• Knowledge of animation/VFX pipelines, software (e.g., Maya, Houdini, Nuke), rendering techniques, and related technologies preferred.
• Familiarity with project management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Scrum) and tools (e.g., JIRA, ShotGrid) preferred.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate teams to achieve their goals.
  

Physical Demands and Work Environment
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Physical demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to walk; stand; sit; use hands to operate standard office equipment; reach with hands and arms; balance; stoop; talk or hear both in person and by telephone. The employee must lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Work environment: While performing the duties of this job, the employee works under typical office conditions and is exposed to variable indoor temperatures. The noise level is usually quiet or moderate.
  

Location
On-site in Hillsboro, OR / and also eligible for hybrid work.

Salary
Salary is commensurate with skills and experience.

Disclaimer The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.