The TQ Engineering Director will be responsible for TQ’s software development, overseeing several teams with implementation responsibilities ranging from research and exploratory efforts, to portions of the Tezos core software, to bespoke business engagements. 

On a day to day basis, the Director will be managing a group of exceptionally talented programmers. As a result, they will need both strong people skills and the ability to manage complex software development projects. 

In order to succeed, this leader will also have to identify and coordinate work with established participants across the wider Tezos ecosystem.

Able to rely on their own background in professional programming, the TQ Engineering Director will understand modern software development practices and feel comfortable leading several teams in executing their projects.

A sufficiently strong technical background in computer science will be required, enabling this executive to understand what the team is working on in detail, and allowing them to resolve technical conflicts among team members as and when they arise.

The TQ Engineering Director role presents a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of theory and practice. 

Competencies, Skills, and Experience

Leading candidates for the TQ Engineering Director will excel in the following areas:

Technical excellence: An exceptional technical background - especially from within the software engineering realm - will be necessary, with candidates almost certainly having been a programmer at some point in their career and still able and happy to code. A strong understanding of modern software development practices will be essential, as will a comprehensive grasp of the technologies the wider team is working with. Current knowledge of CI/CD, DevOps and QA principles, tools and techniques, mastery of one or more object oriented and functional programming languages, exposure to formal verification, and experience with challenges of building distributed computing systems would differentiate exceptional candidates. 

Outstanding full development lifecycle leadership experience: The Engineering Director should have confidence borne of experience participating in the full software development lifecycle. Knowledge of and experience with various project management disciplines is expected. Prior technical leadership experience in an open source multi-language platform product, with a lively ecosystem of external contributors, partners and clients, would have produced skills and knowledge which are a close match to the requirements of the role.

While the Director will not have individual contributor expectations, the successful candidate will have empathy and understanding for the specific requirements and environments that high performing engineering teams require to thrive. Accordingly, it is likely that candidates will have previously led large, complex projects, with positive results.

Stakeholder management: The TQ Engineering Director will be a significant figure within a complex, globally distributed organisation. With several international liaisons this executive will have the benefit of working in close proximity to several Tezos Foundation Council members. As such, strong candidates will be able to demonstrate a nuanced understanding of stakeholder management.

Positive team and culture building skills: The level of knowledge on the incumbent engineering team is exceptional. The Engineering Director will lead with humility and possess excellent interpersonal skills. They will be responsible for the creation of an open environment where new ideas are welcomed and fostered. Significant effort will be spent identifying, evaluating, attracting, and retaining talent.

Further, they will also possess the following character traits:

Mission-driven, with outstanding intellect and a passion for knowledge: The Engineering Director will have a passion for software development, as well as a deep curiosity for distributed ledger technology and its transformational potential. Prior knowledge and experience within the blockchain ecosystem are not prerequisites. More important is a desire and ability to learn – to proactively identify any knowledge gaps and then work to bridge them rapidly.

Low ego and high self-esteem: As with all senior members of the Tezos ecosystem, the TQ Engineering Director will be able to balance a self-assured confidence in their own ability with an equal measure of humility.