Director, Engineering (London)

Who we are

At Choreograph, we deliver data-driven products and solutions that make advertising work better for people. Choreograph, an affiliate of GroupM, is a global data products and technology company, purpose-built for an era that demands a new approach to data management, usage, and brand growth. Data is the fuel that powers growth. The companies who best leverage data are creating unbeatable advantages over their competitors while simultaneously connecting with customers more effectively. Our goal is to help future-focused businesses use their data in ways that meet savvy customers’ expectations while building trust and understanding.

Who we are looking for

As our Director of Engineering, you will lead the development of state-of-the-art agency tools and systems and manage a team of highly talented software engineers. You will take our technological capabilities in business operations to the level of world-class thought leadership and ultimate efficiency. The role is of high visibility and scope. At Choreograph, you will collaborate with a group of quick-witted, humorous, and extremely dedicated coworkers and clients who are all passionate about digital media. The Choreograph work environment is inviting. You will work in an open, modern space where you will often find groups in casual brainstorming sessions sharing ideas and strategies for new initiatives. Everyone has a voice at Choreograph, and we are open to new ways of thinking, especially those that will contribute to the overall success of Choreograph. Opinions and ideas are always welcomed, in fact, they are encouraged! We believe in the power of digital media to transform the way businesses and consumers interact. You must believe it as well.

What you’ll do

• Oversee technology development team(s) focused on business processes, workflows, integrations, and efficiencies in a highly dynamic environment requiring agility of development.
• Hire, train, manage, and mentor software engineers through continuous interaction and regular performance reviews. Identify appropriate goals and development opportunities for team members. Must also be able to attract and retain top-tier talent.
• Manage the license agreements needed for the team to run in terms of tools and infrastructure.
• Participate in meetings across different departments, like product, engineering, and business to provide technical clarity to Product/Business and business needs to Engineering.
• Remove any blockers for engineers in terms of code, resources, clarification, etc.
• Contribute to code reviews and design discussions on general coding practices and future-proofing.
• Deliver sustainable, performing, and cost-efficient software components fulfilling product requirements in time, budget, and quality.
• Champion agile development, fostering the culture and pushing your people to rise to the occasion and deliver products on time.
• Provide estimates for planned tasks – identify project dependencies/anticipate and resolve conflicts that may pose a risk to successful completion.
• Responsibility for full SDLC (Planning, Engineering design, Development, QA, CI/CD, and Production Support).
• Provide 2nd-level support for production systems.
• Collaborate with other engineering managers, architects, and operations to develop overall standards, process documentation, impact assessments, and operability.
• Manage and resolve escalations.

What you’ll need

• At least 3+ years’ experience in leading teams & 5+ years’ experience as a software developer.
• Strong knowledge of software architecture, API design, API Management, and scalable systems.
• Strong experience in the following:

• Automating business workflows and proven experience with system integrations.
• Jira, Confluence, and DSP integrations.
• Either Python or .NET and at least passing familiarity with the other.
• Either Angular or React and at least passing familiarity with the other.
• SQL, GCP, Docker.
• Event-driven and micro-frontend architecture styles and patterns.
• Enterprise scale, high concurrency, and high availability technologies and architectures.
• Managing globally distributed teams.
• Experience with building LLM-based software solutions.

• Working with users and an ability to normalize user requirements.
• Looking for novel and creative solutions to complex problems.
• Coding not only of a formal spec but also a problem statement.
• Effective delegation, recognizing gaps in knowledge or experience, and pursuing proper training.
• Agile, Continuous Integration, automation, and Delivery as well as Componentized design.
• Communicating well with business users, product managers, and senior leadership.
• Experience working in agencies or the ad tech industry is a strong plus.

Success Attributes

• High energy and passion for the job.
• Motivated, self-starter, self-reliant, resilient, and ambitious.
• Comfortable and thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

Choreograph™ is WPP’s global data products and technology company fueling growth for the world’s most admired brands. Discover more about Choreograph at www.choreograph.com.

(Please note this is a UK-based role and requires individuals to have the right to work in this location).