Director of Engineering

CoPilot AI, an award-winning Vancouver-based SaaS startup, is revolutionizing how businesses grow by humanizing digital interactions at scale. At the heart of our mission is the belief in the power of authentic, mutually beneficial human connections, as the cornerstone of business growth. Through our AI technology, we target qualified prospects on social media, ignite personalized conversations, and unearth timely sales opportunities – all without resorting to cold calling, expensive advertising, or events. Our commitment is to foster a space where our clients can enjoy more meaningful conversations at scale.

As we chart a course to our exciting next chapter, we're on the hunt for a passionate and experienced Vancouver-based Director of Engineering to join our high-performing Research & Development (R&D) team!

The Role

You will be responsible for defining the R&D strategy and roadmap, leading your team of Engineering Managers and overseeing the delivery of high-quality software products and AI research. You will promote a culture of innovation and excellence within the Engineering team, as well as working alongside Product & Design leaders to help us become the best AI software company in Canada.

We’re extremely proud that female leaders represent 85% of our department heads because we believe that diversity of thought, experience and backgrounds enrich our collective success. This is a key leadership position that plays a critical role in our ambitious growth plans.

What You’ll Be Doing

As a Director of Engineering, you will seamlessly combine industry knowledge, innovative vision, emotional intelligence, thought leadership, and a solutions-driven approach to promote excellence in alignment with CoPilot AI’s people-first culture.

Your core responsibilities will include:

• Serve as the department head for the R&D department
  • Contribute to the annual goal setting and company strategy alongside our other department heads
  • Collaborate with the Head of Product and Head of Design to create the Product Operations strategy and tactical plans
  • Own the R&D strategy to support the strategic direction of our product and business
  • Coach and grow our engineering managers and AI researchers
  • Assist in identifying high-impact AI projects and empower our team of ML engineers to further cement our position as a premier AI company in Canada
  • Propose and oversee resources, dependencies and timelines for engineering and AI projects
  • Leverage AI, tools, tactics and/or processes that will drive scalability and efficiency within the R&D department
  • Execute on engineering processes and plan, iterate on processes based on teams' feedback, ensuring customer deliverables are on time
  • Cultivate a fast-paced and resilient engineering culture for continuous innovation
  • Create a safe space for the well being of our high-performing R&D team
• Cultivate external facing opportunities and partnerships
  • Spread the reputation of CoPilot AI by attending key community events such as Tech C-Council, and/or other conferences
  • Explore technical partnerships and integration opportunities with portfolio companies of our investors and our advisors
  • Collaborate with the executive team when attending major key note events
  • Roadmap high-value projects that leverage artificial intelligence with our team of renowned AI advisors
  • Collaborate with the executive team when interfacing with the Government of Canada
• Hire, develop and retain top talent
  • Improve our process to hire, onboard, grow and retain engineering and AI talent
  • Refine our career growth framework
  • Actively cultivate a talent pipeline to support the growth of our organization

Who You Are

• Education:
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
  • Master’s or PhD in Machine Learning is a bonus
• Experience:
  • Minimum of 10+ years of experience in software engineering, with 5+ years in a leadership role. Our ideal candidate has experience building enterprise SaaS products.
  • Startup experience, preferably scaling a team of engineers from under 20 to 40+
  • Proven track record of leading multiple software engineering teams, fostering a collaborative, high-performing, and inclusive work environment. Our team is based in Vancouver, BC but our AI advisors and Machine Learning Scientist are located internationally.
  • Experience working with Product, Design, Leadership, and relevant business functions in setting the long term strategic direction for the team and product
  • Experience leading various R&D initiatives to identify opportunities for new projects and improved processes
• Technical Competencies/Knowledge:
  • Good understanding of artificial intelligence and tools within this space associated with development and/or sales enablement
  • Good understanding how to build, deliver and manage support for SaaS products that stream large amounts of data
  • Knowledge on building and delivering services in Azure, AWS and/or on Kubernetes
  • Knowledge of Agile development, including Scrum management, stories, defect tracking & management, product backlog, JIRA and MVP
  • Proficient with big data tools, such as Spark, Snowflake, or Databricks
  • Excellent project management skills in keeping projects, processes, and engineering teams on track
• Interpersonal Qualities:
  • Track record for being detail-oriented with a demonstrated ability to self-motivate and follow through on projects
  • Relentlessly high standards (you are someone who is never satisfied with the status quo)
  • Ability to dive deep, never out of touch with the details of the business and technology
  • Ability to wear multiple hats in a fast-paced AI startup environment
  • Hands-on, "can do" attitude with a bias for action
  • Low ego paired with high intellectual curiosity

What’s In It For You

• Top Canadian Payer: A competitive annual base salary between the range of $175,000 - $200,000 CAD with a total earnings range between $262,500 - $300,000 CAD.
  • Up to 50% in senior leadership bonus package (15% based on R&D OKRs, 35% based on company objectives)
• Hybrid Work Environment : Enjoy the flexibility of a hybrid work environment with 2 days per week in our office located in downtown Vancouver, and work from home when you need it.
• Comprehensive Benefits : We've got you covered with a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Health and Wellness Spending Account : We care about your well-being inside and outside the office. You will receive an additional $200 per month for a health and wellness spending account that accrues upon passing probation - our team uses it for their at-home office setup, electronics, gym memberships, haircuts, and more!
• Paid Time Off : We offer a generous paid time off policy as we believe that rest and rejuvenation are key for high performance.
• Stock Options: Upon joining CoPilot AI, you will receive stock options with the expectation of significant value. We're a team of high performers working together on a breakthrough success story, and we want you to share in the value we're creating.
• Culture Building Initiatives : Company-wide events hosted by our Culture Committee, as well as regular team events, designed to foster connections between CoPilotteers.

This vital role carries significant expectations, and we reward those who deliver. We are committed to fostering your professional growth and offering a host of perks. Most importantly, you will become part of a success story, surrounded by a team of high-performing professionals passionately pursuing excellence.

Our Interview Process

One of our operating principles is transparency, so we’d like to share our interview process with you:

• Phone Screen: A 30-minute audio Zoom call with our COO to learn about CoPilot AI, our team, investor pitch and goals.
  

• Competency Interview: A 1 hour Zoom call with our Engineering Managers. This round will focus on technical and behavioural questions that target role-specific competencies.

• Culture Add Interview: A 1 hour Zoom call or in person meeting with the Head of Product and Head of Design to assess your alignment with our core values and core competencies. We pride ourselves on having a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative culture where all CoPilotteers are empowered to make decisions and drive our collective success.

• Reverse Interview: A 1 hour interview with the COO and any other member of CoPilot AI you’re interested in speaking with. This round is exactly as it sounds where you, the candidate, will interview our team members.

• Lunch with our Engineers : This is the final stage where you’ll have lunch with 3 - 4 of our Engineers.This is your chance to connect, build rapport, and get to know your potential team members better!

• Offer and Reference Checks: If you’ve made it this far, our COO will give you a call to share the good news with you! We’ll ask you for two professional references and send over the formal offer documents. Then it’s simply a countdown until your start date!

About CoPilot AI

CoPilot AI has been recognized as a BC Technology Impact Award finalist and lauded by Canadian Business as the winner of the Best Pivot award and one of Canada's Fastest-Growing Companies. Deloitte spotlighted us as a 2021 Canada Companies-to-Watch Winner. Our latest win? Being highlighted by Forbes as one of Canada's best startup employers for 2024!

As an equal opportunity employer, CoPilot AI truly stands behind #diversity and are committed to creating an environment of inclusion where hiring decisions are based on merit and business needs and without regard to race, colour, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. CoPilot AI also makes workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law. If you require accommodations during the interview process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

Our Values? Glad You Asked!

#Innovation: Build new things

#Boldness: Give a shit

#Authenticity: Be real