As the Director of Engineering for the MongoDB Query Optimization team, you will be responsible for leading the development of a world-class, open-source, general-purpose query engine designed for the document model. The distributed architecture of MongoDB and flexible schema open up an uncharted realm of captivating questions about query languages, cost-based optimization, schema inference, data federation, and many more. The Query Optimization team plays a crucial role in driving the vision, experience, and architecture of data processing for the entire organization.

As a director-level manager, you will directly manage a team of engineering managers and staff-level engineers. Although this is a people-management role, you must be able to zoom in to weigh-in on deeply technical decisions in the query processing domain.

Our global team is continuously expanding its charter and attracting the best query engineers working remotely or from hubs such as New York City, Dublin, Seattle, and Palo Alto. You will lead and grow a high-performing, diverse team and run large, cutting-edge initiatives. We are on a mission to write a new chapter in data processing and forever change how users think about supporting a variety of their workloads. We need your help to lead this journey!

This role can be based out of our Dublin office or remotely in the Republic of Ireland. Relocation assistance is provided.

Candidate Profile

At least 5 years of experience in a management position, including experience mentoring other engineering managers
Proven success building, mentoring, and growing strong geographically-distributed software engineering teams
High emotional intelligence and a commitment to building a culturally diverse and inclusive organization
Excellent verbal and written technical communication skills
Extensive experience collaborating across organization boundaries
Excellent time management skills and the ability to make complex project decisions quickly
Proven success in designing, writing, testing, and maintaining distributed and/or highly concurrent software systems in large, long-lived code bases. C/C++ knowledge is a plus
At least 10 years of experience in programming and system design with a strong grip on the foundational material of computer science
Professional or advanced academic expertise in the domains of query planning, optimization, and execution along with a deep understanding of systems programming, many-core architectures, and distributed data processing

Position Expectations

You will:

Collaborate with Product Management and technical senior leadership to design, develop, and ship a groundbreaking, multi-model, distributed query engine
Ensure smooth and timely execution of projects while collaborating and providing visibility to all stakeholders
Appropriately allocate team resources, balancing efforts between building new features and supporting previous releases
Grow your organization while ensuring desirable skill composition, high job satisfaction, and vibrant culture
Delegate effectively by splitting your own time between technical and management aspects of the position
Partner closely with other R&D departments, including peer Engineering teams, Program Management, and Product Management to ensure alignment and execution
Set high standards when evaluating the performance of your team
Exemplify MongoDB’s values and leadership principles
Up to four weeks per year of travel is expected to meet with remote team members and attend team events

Success Measures

In three months you will:

Gain an understanding of the Query team's product offerings and technical architecture, as well as the team's strengths and areas for improvement
Establish relationships with key stakeholders across engineering, including other Query Engineering Directors and Product Management
Integrate with the company culture and become familiar with the team's processes and workflows

In six months you will:

Gain a high-level understanding of the wider set of MongoDB product offerings and their technical architecture
Set a clear strategic vision for the Query Optimization team that aligns with MongoDB Server's overall technical direction and product strategy
Drive the short-term (quarterly and annual) planning process for the Query Optimization team
Establish a regular cadence of communication and collaboration with other Engineering Directors to ensure alignment and effective execution of cross-functional initiatives
Identify and prioritize areas for improvement in the team's processes and workflows

In twelve months you will:

Deliver a major milestone on the strategic roadmap for the Query team that advances our highly performant, scalable, and flexible query engine; meets the needs of MongoDB's customers; and drives significant revenue growth
Become skilled enough in MongoDB’s technology to effectively collaborate with technical leaders and Product on plotting the path for the most innovative, service-based, distributed query engine in the industry
Continue to grow the strong leadership structure within the QO team, with a focus on developing high-potential engineering managers and individual contributors
Effectively manage and optimize the QO team's resources, including headcount and budget, to ensure that the team is well-positioned to execute on its strategic priorities
Substantially improve the team's processes and workflows to drive productivity, efficiency, and employee engagement

About MongoDB

MongoDB is built for change, empowering our customers and our people to innovate at the speed of the market. We have redefined the database for the AI era, enabling innovators to create, transform, and disrupt industries with software. MongoDB’s unified database platform—the most widely available, globally distributed database on the market—helps organizations modernize legacy workloads, embrace innovation, and unleash AI. Our cloud-native platform, MongoDB Atlas, is the only globally distributed, multi-cloud database and is available across AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.

With offices worldwide and nearly 60,000 customers—including 75% of the Fortune 100 and AI-native startups—relying on MongoDB for their most important applications, we’re powering the next era of software.

Our compass at MongoDB is our Leadership Commitment, guiding how and why we make decisions, show up for each other, and win. It’s what makes us MongoDB.

To drive the personal growth and business impact of our employees, we’re committed to developing a supportive and enriching culture for everyone. From employee affinity groups, to fertility assistance and a generous parental leave policy, we value our employees’ wellbeing and want to support them along every step of their professional and personal journeys. Learn more about what it’s like to work at MongoDB, and help us make an impact on the world!

MongoDB is committed to providing any necessary accommodations for individuals with disabilities within our application and interview process. To request an accommodation due to a disability, please inform your recruiter.

MongoDB is an equal opportunities employer.

Req ID: 1273356078

Director, Engineering

Job Description