Engineering Director

At Pet Circle, we want to create a world where pets and their families are healthy, happy and spend more time together - and we are looking for fantastic people to help us do that

Over the past ten years, we’ve scaled to become one of Australia's Top 5 eCommerce companies and the No.1 player in the Online Pet industry. We will accelerate our growth as we continue on our mission to disrupt the way that pet parents discover & shop for the products they love.

The pet industry is booming (it’s a $15billion dollar industry) and pets are holding bigger spaces in our hearts and homes than ever before. Online penetration of the pet industry is going to grow exponentially in the next 5 years. This is a unique opportunity in your career to be part of our exceptional growth story

Founded and headquartered in Sydney, our team is now over 700 people strong and are based across Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a distinguished Engineering Director with a diverse skill set and robust background to lead multiple remote squads within the ecommerce sector. The ideal candidate will bring a wealth of expertise in website development, web development technologies, product management, agile delivery methodologies, ensuring seamless functionality, and driving innovation to enhance user and customer experience. The role requires a strategic thinker who can drive technical excellence, align technology solutions with business goals, and manage distributed teams effectively.

Your leadership will not only alleviate technical debt but also pave the way for innovative features, supporting our ambitious growth plans, including "Right Product Right Pet" and expanding into new ventures. Be the driving force in shaping a transformative future for Pet Circle's ecommerce foundation and the way that Pet parents shop across Australia.

What You’ll Be Doing

Team Leadership (local & remote)

- Lead and inspire multiple engineering squads, fostering collaboration, innovation and a culture of technical excellence

- Provide guidance, mentorship, and professional development opportunities for all team members

- Implement effective strategies for local and remote team management, ensuring high performance and engagement

Ecommerce Expertise

- Possess a deep understanding of ecommerce platforms, workflows, frameworks and industry best practices

- Stay up to date with the latest trends and technologies in the ecommerce space to drive continuous improvement

- Oversee the end-to-end development and maintenance of the Pet Circle website, ensuring optimal performance, reliability, responsiveness and customer experience

Technical Strategy & Excellence

- Develop and execute a strategic technical roadmap aligned with business and functional goals

- Implement scalable and efficient engineering solutions, balancing short-term needs with long-term objectives

- Drive technical excellence by overseeing code reviews, architecture decisions, and ensuring adherence to best practices

- Implement measures to manage technical debt and ensure scalable and maintainable code

Collaboration

- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement new technologies, features, enhancements, and improvements

- Collaborate closely with Product Management to translate business requirements into technical solutions and align technology solutions with product roadmaps and business goals

- Working closely with UX/UI teams to implement visually appealing and customer-friendly interfaces

- Fostering strong communication and collaboration between engineering and cross-functional teams to drive successful project outcomes

Quality Assurance

- Establish and enforce rigorous testing processes to maintain the highest standards of website functionality and performance aligned with key observability metrics

- Implement measures to ensure the security and integrity of customer data

Agile Delivery & Methodologies

- Implement and maintain Agile methodologies across remote engineering squads to ensure efficient project delivery

- Foster a culture of continuous improvement, adaptability, and responsiveness to changing priorities

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
• Experience working with CommerceTools preferable
• Experience working with Content Management System (CMS)
• Demonstrated success in implementing and optimising ecommerce platforms
• Experience in building high performance consumer facing sites and products
• Exposure and experience across MACH Composable Commerce Architecture
• 10+ years experience leading high performing Engineering teams in ecommerce settings
• 10+ years experience in development, across both Front End (Javascript) frameworks (React, Preact, Angular), and Back End languages (Java). This can be a mix of different experiences - Thinking Full Stack Conversant in a wide-range of tech topics: SQL, HTML, AR, Integration Frameworks, Agile vs Waterfall
• Uses testing tools (e.g. jUnit, Selenium) and associated technologies (e.g. Jenkins, Docker) to ensure that developments are fast and secure
• Database experience in one or more RDBMS (MySql, DB2, MSSQL, etc.) and practical understanding of 3rd normal form, denormalisation, performance profiling, etc. (data-team specific)
• Uses Agile methodologies (sprints, stories, tasks – typically in JIRA) and estimations at story and project level
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across functions and geographically dispersed teams
• Proven leadership experience in managing remote engineering teams within the ecommerce sector

Role Location

At Pet Circle we believe that collaboration and team connection is key for success. This role will be based in Sydney with a blended working arrangement of 3-4 days as required in our pet friendly CBD offices and the remainder working from home (or the office, if you prefer)

Why Join?

We’re passionate about what we do and our love for pets is the centre of our why. Becoming a pawsome Pet Circler means you’re committed to help shape an entire industry - pretty exciting stuff We’re a stable, innovative and low-ego group of people who relish challenges and aren’t afraid to do what’s right. Here’s what we stand for;

- We’re Better Together

- We operate with Humble Hearts and Hungry Minds

- We truly believe that Pets Matter; pets and pet parents always have a seat at our table

- We’re Instinctively Curious. Always

What else is in it for you?

- A focus on you and your development - think learning tools, stretch projects, focus groups, secondments and other internal mobility opportunities

- We’re committed to flexibility and understand that it means different things to different people.

- Your wellbeing is non-negotiable. We seek to provide a collaborative, caring and safe environment, allowing you to present your full self each day.

- Pet Better with up to 50% employee discount, product sample giveaways and Pawrental leave.

- Join us on our animal welfare mission: we donate 10,000kg of pet food and supplies per month to pet shelters and support our communities through team charity volunteer days.

We have an incredibly passionate team, a leading brand, over 700,000 customers and growing, and we’re only just getting started

At Pet Circle, candidate experience is of utmost importance. We have been recognised as a 2023 Circle Back Initiative Employer and we commit to responding to every application.

Belong at Pet Circle

Our unique expertise unites us to achieve our goal of helping pet parents, pet better. We value diversity in all forms and perspectives, always. Our global team is highly valued for all that they offer, we listen to each other and create a humble and inclusive environment for all to thrive. No matter your background, please apply if our roles ignite an excitement in you to bring your full self to work each day.

Role Location

At Pet Circle we believe that collaboration and team connection is key for success. This role will be based in Sydney with a blended working arrangement of up to 4 days per week in our pet friendly offices and the remainder working from home (or the office, if you prefer) Our working arrangements and your required office day are subject to change in line with business requirements.

Belong at Pet Circle

Our unique expertise unites us to achieve our goal of helping pet parents, pet better. We value diversity in all forms and perspectives, always. No matter your background, please apply if our roles ignite an excitement in you to bring your full self to work each day.