VP of Engineering

We are looking for:

Role Overview
The Vice President of Engineering is a senior technology leader responsible for driving J.Hilburn’s digital product architecture, engineering strategy, and execution. This role combines strategic vision, people leadership, and delivery discipline to ensure technology is a growth enabler across all business functions.

The VP partners closely with the Product Management organization to translate business strategy into scalable, secure, and high-performing technology solutions - including the next-generation Stylist iOS App, eCommerce platform, and enterprise systems.


Core Accountabilities and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Define and execute J.Hilburn’s technology strategy aligned with corporate goals and long-term growth initiatives.
• Collaborate with the CTO and executive leadership team on system modernization, scalability, and security.
• Provide architectural oversight across all digital systems to ensure reliability, maintainability, and integration.
• Set measurable OKRs that link engineering delivery to business outcomes.
• Build a culture of innovation, technical excellence, and accountability across all engineering disciplines.

Stylist App Vision & Execution

• Partner with the Product Manager to define and execute the roadmap for the Stylist App, ensuring it supports Stylist productivity, order management, and client engagement.
• Lead engineering execution to deliver scalable, performant, and feature-rich App experiences aligned with stylist needs and company goals.
• Mentor the UI/UX Designer to ensure success in creating creative, guided, and intuitive user experiences that reflect the Stylist journey from client onboarding to order completion.
• Collaborate with the Product Manager and Designer to ensure every release balance creativity, usability, and technical feasibility.
• Drive data-informed iteration — incorporating Stylist feedback, analytics, and usability insights to continuously refine the experience.
• Oversee technical architecture to ensure App reliability, security, and scalability for future features and integrations.
• Partner with the Product Manager to monitor key performance indicators (adoption rate, order efficiency, and Stylist engagement).
• Champion cross-functional collaboration between Product, Design, and Engineering to deliver seamless and Stylist-first digital solutions.

Product Partnership & Sprint Management

• Partner with the Product Owner to lead IT sprint planning, backlog prioritization, and iterative delivery.
• Ensure Agile ceremonies and sprint cycles are data-driven and outcome-focused, improving velocity and delivery consistency.
• Balance the development of new features with technical debt reduction and infrastructure improvements.
• Maintain alignment between product priorities and engineering capacity to ensure predictable delivery.
• Lead sprint performance reviews to evaluate velocity, defect rates, and completion metrics (targeting 90%+ sprint completion).
• Drive cross-functional communication to manage risks, dependencies, and changes proactively.

Engineering Management & Organizational Leadership

• Lead and scale a multidisciplinary team including software engineers, DevOps, QA, IT operations, and UI/UX design.
• Mentor engineering leaders to strengthen their management, planning, and technical leadership capabilities.
• Implement frameworks for performance reviews, growth planning, and technical development.
• Build a culture of continuous learning, ownership, and cross-team collaboration.
• Oversee IT resource planning, budgeting, and vendor management to support delivery excellence.

Operational Performance

• Ensure the reliable and secure operation of all technology platforms with 99.9% uptime.
• Drive system modernization, cloud migration, and automation initiatives to improve scalability and resilience.
• Oversee CI/CD implementation, automated testing, and monitoring best practices.
• Define and enforce coding standards, documentation practices, and architectural frameworks.
• Manage risk and compliance through proactive IT governance, security, and incident management.

Qualifications:

Education & Experience
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 5+ years in engineering management or executive leadership roles.
• Proven experience managing Agile/Scrum teams and collaborating closely with Product Owners and Designers.
• Expertise in .NET / .NET Core, Swift, RESTful APIs, SQL Server, and cloud-based infrastructure.
• Experience leading mobile-first and eCommerce platform development at scale.
• Demonstrated success in building and maturing high-performing engineering organizations.

Skills & Competencies
• Strong strategic thinking and business acumen — able to translate company vision into technical execution.
• Deep understanding of Agile delivery and sprint-based workflows.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and influence across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven track record of leading modernization, architecture evolution, and scaling technology organizations.
• Committed to fostering collaboration, mentorship, and an inclusive engineering culture.

Performance Metrics
• On-time delivery of product and engineering initiatives.
• Measurable improvement in sprint velocity and delivery predictability.
• Increased adoption and performance of the Stylist iOS App.
• Reduction in technical debt and operational incidents.
• Improved employee engagement and retention within engineering.
• Alignment of engineering KPIs with company OKRs.

Travel
• Minimal; occasional travel for leadership meetings, conferences, or vendor visits.

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