At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the engineering team to design and build innovative backend systems for a cutting-edge ride-hailing app.
- Company: Join Wheely, a forward-thinking company focused on privacy and real-time technology.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working environment, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Be part of building a new engineering hub in London with a dynamic team.
- Why this job: Shape the future of ride-hailing with your expertise in real-time systems and privacy.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in backend system design and managing engineering teams.
The predicted salary is between 100000 - 150000 £ per year.
Requirements
- You have designed backend systems from scratch (not only maintained, scaled, or rewritten what someone else built). We'll spend real time in the interview on the trade-offs you made and why.
- Real-time systems experience at consumer scale.
- Several years of managing engineers, with hiring and firing calls you'd defend in detail. Total headcount matters less to us than the calibre and the outcomes.
What the job involves
- We're rebuilding Wheely to be the fastest and most reliable ride-hailing app on the planet — one where both the passenger app and the driver app stay responsive on a flaky signal in the back of an apartment building, keep working behind censorship firewalls, and don't drop the real-time guarantees a moving car depends on.
- We're also adding something nobody in this category has built seriously: privacy as a product, not a compliance footnote.
- This role owns the core that makes all of that possible: the platform, the infrastructure, the privacy primitives the rest of engineering builds on top of, and the internal agent harness that lets teams across the company automate work that used to need humans.
- You'll inherit a mostly-Go codebase and a small group of strong engineers. You'll also inherit a genuinely open question on most of what matters.
- Is microservices the right end state, or did we default into it? How should a backend look in 2026 when AI has absorbed a large share of routine engineering work, when QA isn't a separate function, and when a small senior team paired with a few unusually strong grads can outship a 2019-style org several times its size?
- Our main engineering hub is in Cyprus. We're now building up London as a second hub, and this role is part of that — you'd be one of the first senior engineering leaders on the ground here, helping shape what London looks like as a location, who we hire into it, and what work belongs where.
- Own the technical direction of the platform end to end — including the architectural questions that haven't been answered yet, like whether to keep moving toward microservices or reconsider.
- Make real-time work, end to end. Driver app especially (location, dispatch, ride state) all of it under adversarial network conditions.
- Lead the privacy story on the engineering side — what's actually different about how data flows through our systems vs. every other ride-hailing company.
- Own and grow the agent harness so other teams can wire AI into workflows that used to need people. Today it's Rust. Tomorrow's shape is yours.
- Help build London as an engineering hub. That means hiring into it, deciding (with the rest of the leadership team) what work makes sense in London vs Cyprus, and setting the culture for a new office while staying tightly coupled to the main hub.
Director of Engineering employer: Wheely
Wheely is an exceptional employer for the Director of Engineering role, offering a unique opportunity to shape the future of ride-hailing technology from our new London hub. With a focus on innovation, privacy, and real-time systems, we foster a collaborative work culture that values your expertise and encourages professional growth. Join us in building a responsive and reliable platform while enjoying the benefits of working in a vibrant city known for its tech scene.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Director of Engineering
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, especially those already at Wheely or similar companies. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insights that might just set you apart in interviews.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those technical discussions! Brush up on your backend design skills and be ready to discuss trade-offs you've made in past projects. We want to hear about your real-time systems experience and how you tackled challenges head-on.
✨Tip Number 3
Show us your leadership chops! Be ready to talk about your management style and the tough hiring or firing decisions you've made. We’re interested in the calibre of your team and the outcomes you've achieved together.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves. Plus, it shows us you’re genuinely interested in being part of our journey to revolutionise ride-hailing.
We think you need these skills to ace Director of Engineering
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Experience:When you're writing your application, make sure to highlight your experience designing backend systems from scratch. We want to see the trade-offs you've made and the thought process behind them, so don't hold back on the details!
Be Real About Your Management Style:We value transparency, especially when it comes to managing engineers. Share your experiences with hiring and firing, and be ready to defend your decisions. It’s all about showing us the calibre of your leadership!
Connect with Our Vision:Make sure to align your application with our mission of building the fastest and most reliable ride-hailing app. Talk about how your skills can contribute to real-time systems and privacy as a product — we love seeing that connection!
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves. Plus, we’re excited to see what you bring to the table!
How to prepare for a job interview at Wheely
✨Showcase Your Design Experience
Make sure to prepare specific examples of backend systems you've designed from scratch. Be ready to discuss the trade-offs you made during the design process and why those decisions were crucial. This will demonstrate your deep understanding of system architecture and your ability to think critically about engineering challenges.
✨Emphasise Real-Time Systems Knowledge
Since the role involves real-time systems, brush up on your experience with consumer-scale applications. Be prepared to discuss how you've tackled issues like maintaining responsiveness under poor network conditions. Sharing concrete examples will help illustrate your expertise in this area.
✨Discuss Leadership Philosophy
As a Director of Engineering, your management style is key. Reflect on your past experiences managing engineers, including hiring and firing decisions. Be ready to defend your choices and explain how you fostered a high-calibre team that delivered outstanding outcomes.
✨Engage with the Future of Engineering
This role is about shaping the future of the platform, so come prepared with your thoughts on architectural trends, such as microservices versus monolithic structures. Discuss how you envision backend development evolving, especially with AI's growing role in engineering. This shows you're forward-thinking and ready to lead in a rapidly changing environment.
