Director, Engineering, AI Search

Algolia is the retrieval intelligence layer that turns intent into trusted, decision-grade outcomes. Powering more than 1.7 trillion queries a year for over 18,000 customers with millisecond latency and 99.999% reliability, we are the recognized leader for Search and Product Discovery by top industry analyst firms. The Algolia platform turns a company's products, content, and business rules into data that humans, applications and AI agents can act upon. The result is trusted customer experiences with stronger conversions for measurable business impact. About the Team Algolia’s Engineering team builds the core infrastructure and product features that power real-time search and discovery for thousands of customers around the world. This includes backend services, frontend components, site reliability, and ML-powered capabilities. The team is distributed, collaborative, and committed to technical excellence and continuous learning. As an Engineering Director , you will lead multiple teams or a critical product area, working closely with Engineering Managers, Product, and Design to deliver scalable, reliable, and high-impact solutions. You will play a key role in translating company strategy into execution, while building strong, autonomous teams and fostering engineering excellence. Your Role Will Consist Of: • Leading a group of engineering teams (via Engineering Managers and Senior ICs) , ensuring alignment with product and company priorities • Demonstrates strong AI leadership within the engineering organization by fostering a culture of continuous improvement and proactively evaluating and applying emerging AI technologies to enhance productivity, efficiency, and organizational performance across the broader technology function. • Owning delivery, execution, and operational excellence for a defined product or platform area • Partnering closely with Product, Design, and cross-functional stakeholders to shape roadmaps and ensure successful delivery of customer value • Driving engineering best practices across system design, scalability, reliability, and performance • Being a member of Algolia’s senior technology leadership team, with significant contributions to engineering excellence and the high performance of the global technology organization, extending beyond the immediate area of responsibility. • Supporting and coaching Engineering Managers , helping them grow as leaders and build high-performing teams • Contributing to organizational planning , including headcount, team structure, and quarterly/annual planning cycles • Ensuring a strong culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement within your organization • Acting as a bridge between strategy and execution , translating high-level goals into clear team-level priorities • Serves as a trusted advisor to the CTO and SVP Engineering, providing strategic guidance on engineering leadership, organizational effectiveness, and cross-functional management initiatives across the technology organization. You Might Be a Fit If You Have: • 8–12+ years of engineering experience , including 3–5+ years managing multiple teams or managing through managers • Proven experience delivering complex, cross-functional projects in a fast-paced, high-growth environment • Strong technical background with experience in distributed systems, APIs, and scalable infrastructure • Demonstrated ability to lead through others , empowering managers and senior engineers • Excellent communication skills with the ability to align diverse stakeholders and drive clarity • Experience operating in distributed or global engineering environments Nice to Have: • Experience in developer tools, infrastructure, or data platforms • Familiarity with product-led growth (PLG) environ