VP Engineering

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Location: London (Oval) Type: Full-time

Our Mission: We are creating a world where teachers and schools are no longer wasting time with expensive agencies because Zen allows them to reliably connect and get back to what really matters … our children! UK schools spend well over £2bn per year on covering short-term absences with supply teachers. The current model exclusively relies on agencies that charge a massive commission and are terribly inefficient (everything is paper and phone-call-based). We are consolidating this analogue, fragmented, and inefficient marketplace onto a digital platform. Think Uber for supply teachers. In the process, we\’re pulling hundreds of millions of waste out of the education system and making a huge positive impact on teachers and schools. We are well-funded by high-profile investors and are led by start-up veterans behind two of London\’s most prominent tech companies. We have recently raised our Series B funding of $37mil, the largest round in European EdTech this year. This is an exciting opportunity to make a difference and be part of a high growth start-up that is expanding rapidly in the UK and US markets!

Looking to make a difference? You’ll be joining Zen in a key position leading an engineering organisation of 30. Product is at the heart of how we deliver for schools and teachers and you’ll play a key role in leading our engineering function to build high quality and robust products. We’re still young and you’ll play a significant role in the development of the company and team. The product delivery team is a crucial part of how Zen will help both transform the supply and recruitment experience for schools and generate the savings the education system needs. This is a great opportunity for someone looking to apply themselves for a great cause and with great responsibility and autonomy to shape the tech for years to come.

What we are looking for:

1. Top performer that wants to be part of a high-performing, motivated team
2. Growth mindset – dedicated to improving your skills as a professional
3. Passion for building great products and companies that have a positive social impact
4. Strong bias to action
5. Excellent people skills for working with both our customers and teams at Zen

What you’ll be doing:

1. Technology roadmap: Developing and communicating Zen\’s technical roadmap aligned with vision, business goals and priorities
2. Infrastructure: Identifying long and short-term infrastructure needs, and overseeing system designs and changes
3. Technology management: Responsibility for Zen\’s tech stack and tech-related processes
4. Develop our high-performing engineering team through effective collaboration between product managers, design and development, and enhancing our development processes
5. Work with the CEO and other Executives defining, clarifying and reviewing key product objectives as we improve our existing product and launch in new areas
6. Hire, train, and manage engineers, and tech leaders, including our existing high–performing team
7. Select and manage third party tools and vendors on which the product depends
8. Managing cybersecurity and data privacy

Ideal experience:

1. 10+ years of relevant experience
2. Deep technical experience combined with strong communication skills. Comfort presenting to the team and senior executives and able to translate a business strategy into a compelling mission for their engineering teams.
3. Moves with ease between big picture, strategic thinking and complex, technical details
4. Experience working with executives to build a technology strategy aligned with business strategy and priorities.
5. Strong leadership and prior experience leading high performing teams
6. Strong analytical and technical skills in data collection and analysis
7. History of creating products with strong user experience and high-quality code

What\’s in it for you?

1. Work that you want to talk about
2. Competitive salary
3. Ownership in the company
4. 25+ days of holiday (increases with tenure)
5. Life Insurance
6. Health Insurance
7. Electric Car Scheme
8. Cycle to Work Scheme
9. Central London office with perks like fresh fruit, bike parking, showers and an on-site gym and café
10. Fun-loving, tight-knit team solving a problem that makes a difference

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