Director Engineering

About the role

Software engineers turn product ideas into working code. Engineers work in small teams, review each other's work, and ship in small batches. Most teams follow agile practices such as sprints and daily standups. Engineers also write tests, fix bugs, and improve performance. The field values clear communication as much as technical skill. Engineers spend part of every week on planning, code review, and debugging, not just writing new code. The ability to explain a technical decision in plain words separates strong engineers from the rest.

Key facts

Requirements

10+ years of software engineering experience is required, including 5+ years managing managers or leading multi-team organizations.

Demonstrated experience building and scaling AI/LLM-powered consumer products is required, with the technical depth to guide future investments and technical direction.

Experience hiring, developing, and retaining engineering leaders (TLM's and Staff+ ICs) and building leadership pipelines and succession plans is required.

Strong technical fundamentals across React Native, Python or Ruby on Rails, GraphQL, and distributed systems are required, with the judgment to prioritize depth areas.

Ability to translate company and product strategy into multi-quarter engineering plans and adapt org design as priorities and scale evolve is required.

Executive communication skills are required to craft narratives linking org strategy to business outcomes for senior leaders and cross-functional partners.

Experience partnering closely with Product, Design, Data Science, and Risk/Compliance in a regulated or high-trust environment is required, with fintech experience a strong plus.

AI-native fluency and genuine interest in AI-native ways of working are required, with a track record of fostering that practice across teams rather than treating it as someone else's job.

Desire to make a significant difference at a growing company and the ability to motivate teams through aggressive schedules and goals is required.

Practical notes

This role reports to executive leadership and works across product, design, data science, and risk in a regulated fintech environment.

Typical interview steps

Hiring for engineering roles usually starts with a recruiter screen, followed by one or two technical rounds. Candidates often solve a coding problem, discuss past projects, and answer system design questions. Some loops include a take-home task. Final rounds typically cover team fit and give candidates a chance to ask questions. Interviewers look for how you break down an unfamiliar problem, not just whether you reach the answer. Practicing a few problems aloud and reviewing your own past projects are the best preparation.

About the company

Career growth

Engineering careers usually progress from individual contributor to senior, staff, and principal levels. Some engineers move into management and lead teams of five to twenty people. Others stay on the technical track. Growth follows demonstrated impact, not tenure alone. A typical engineering ladder has clear levels with defined expectations for scope, quality, and mentorship. Moving up usually requires owning outcomes end to end rather than completing assigned tickets.

Questions to ask

Worth asking in any interview: how the team measures success, who the role works with daily, what the onboarding looks like, and what the company is trying to achieve this year. Asking what past hires did well is a strong final question. Keep the list short and pick the questions that matter most to you.

About the company

At Chime, we believe that everyone can achieve financial progress. We created Chime - a financial technology company, not a bank* - on the premise that core banking services should be helpful, easy, and free. Through our user-friendly tools and intuitive platforms, we empower our members to take control of their finances and work towards their goals.