Director, Engineering Operations & Strategy

Metropolis•Seattle, WA

2d•$220,000 - $260,000•Onsite

About The Position

Metropolis is seeking a Director, Engineering Operations & Strategy to own technology strategy, operational leadership, and strategic problem-solving across its engineering organization. The role operates with high autonomy, manages a multi-million-dollar engineering budget, and develops simple, scalable solutions to complex challenges at a hyper-growth company. The Director partners directly with senior leadership on M&A due diligence, shared technical processes, and high-stakes operational decisions. The position calls for a blend of hands-on technical grounding and strategic experience, strong ownership, and comfort operating amid uncertainty. The role owns engineering-wide processes, vendor management, hardware and service forecasting, resource allocation, and strategic decisions such as major vendor migrations. It also builds alignment across senior stakeholders, keeps teams moving despite incomplete information, and translates operational trends into proactive recommendations. This is an office-first role requiring at least four days per week onsite. Metropolis describes its culture as inclusive and collaborative, with a focus on building technologies across parking, mobility, and real estate. The anticipated base salary is $220,000 to $260,000 annually. Compensation may also include healthcare benefits, a 401(k), short- and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, stock options, and bonus plans.

Requirements

At least 6 years of experience in high-intensity, rigorous environments.
At least 2 years of hands-on engineering experience in software or similar engineering roles.
Demonstrated ability to work persistently to deliver difficult outcomes.
Experience leading a strategic function with significant autonomy, managing resources, and owning organizational outcomes.
Ability to build trust with technical teams and influence without authority.
Experience making significant budget or resource decisions in a high-growth or complex organization.
Ability to operate effectively in fast-moving, ambiguous environments and make sound decisions without complete data.
Ability to explain complex operational or technical concepts clearly to senior and C-level stakeholders.
Ability to translate business goals into executable plans that account for broad organizational impact.
Demonstrated ability to use AI tools and frameworks to optimize technology operations, technical evaluations, and cross-functional workflows.

Nice To Haves

MBA from a top-tier business program.
Engineering degree.
Experience at high-growth technology scale-ups or in pre-IPO environments.
Direct involvement in M&A technology due diligence, corporate restructuring, or integration strategy.
Experience with modern engineering workflows, cloud platforms such as AWS, or AI tooling.

Responsibilities

Own shared engineering department processes, including hiring workflows, onboarding, and training.
Resolve complex operational challenges by developing simple, actionable solutions independently.
Direct and manage a $50M to $100M+ P&L budget and coordinate resources with corporate objectives.
Own hardware and service forecasting for critical vendors, including AWS and Twilio; monitor spending and identify risks or opportunities.
Lead strategic decisions for the engineering organization, including M&A due diligence and major vendor migrations, in partnership with senior executives.
Build alignment among senior leaders on complex or high-risk initiatives.
Keep teams unblocked and moving forward, including when information is incomplete.
Use curiosity and formal methodologies to break down cross-functional silos, challenge assumptions, and drive alignment.
Forecast operational trends and provide proactive strategic recommendations.
Own engineering vendor management, including contract negotiation, renewals, performance accountability, and day-to-day relationships.