Head of Developer Communities - DevRel

PayPal•San Jose, CA

About The Position

Scope: The project & program responsibilities are focused on the delivery of a product or computer-based system from design to release for customers. Develop and implement the strategic vision for engineering operational programs. Oversee the planning and execution of engineering programs. Ensure alignment of engineering programs with business goals. Manage and mentor program managers and engineering teams. Monitor program performance and drive continuous improvement. Communicate program status and strategic initiatives to executive leadership. Manage program budgets and financials. Design and operate developer and merchant advocacy programs, including Champions programs, advisory boards, beta communities, and early-access initiatives. Serve as the primary advocate for developers by translating community feedback into actionable insights for Engineering and Product teams. Partner with Product and Engineering to influence roadmaps, improve APIs, SDKs, documentation, onboarding experiences, and developer tooling. Lead global social, content, and communications strategies tailored to developers, including blogs, videos, technical content, and messaging platforms. Coordinate community and advocacy services provided to business units and product teams to ensure consistency, quality, and scale. Plan, host, and participate in developer and merchant events, meetups, and conferences to grow awareness and strengthen relationships. Establish success metrics and reporting frameworks to measure engagement, sentiment, adoption, and business impact. Collaborate cross-functionally with Corporate Marketing, PR/Comms, Legal, Sales, and regional teams to ensure aligned, compliant, and brand-consistent execution. Build strong external relationships with developers, merchants, partners, industry leaders, and media. Stay current on AI, FinTech, ecommerce, and developer-platform trends to continuously evolve community strategy. Manage budgets, resources, and vendor partnerships to support global community programs at scale. 10+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience. Proven ability to manage large, complex engineering programs. 10+ years of experience leading developer communities, DevRel, or product-adjacent programs at global scale. Proven experience managing distributed, cross-functional, and international teams. Strong background in developer platforms, APIs, SDKs, and web or ecommerce architectures. Experience influencing product and engineering roadmaps through community insights and data. Demonstrated success building advocacy, advisory, and ambassador programs. Deep familiarity with open-source technologies and developer ecosystems, ideally within FinTech or ecommerce. Exceptional communication, storytelling, and stakeholder-management skills. Data-driven mindset with experience leveraging analytics, testing, and feedback loops to optimize engagement. Passion for coaching, mentoring, and developing high-performing teams. Ability to drive alignment and execution across complex organizations. Willingness to travel approximately 20-30% to support global community initiatives.

Requirements

10+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.
Proven ability to manage large, complex engineering programs.
10+ years of experience leading developer communities, DevRel, or product-adjacent programs at global scale.
Proven experience managing distributed, cross-functional, and international teams.
Strong background in developer platforms, APIs, SDKs, and web or ecommerce architectures.
Experience influencing product and engineering roadmaps through community insights and data.
Demonstrated success building advocacy, advisory, and ambassador programs.
Deep familiarity with open-source technologies and developer ecosystems, ideally within FinTech or ecommerce.
Exceptional communication, storytelling, and stakeholder-management skills.
Data-driven mindset with experience leveraging analytics, testing, and feedback loops to optimize engagement.
Passion for coaching, mentoring, and developing high-performing teams.
Ability to drive alignment and execution across complex organizations.
Willingness to travel approximately 20-30% to support global community initiatives.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement the strategic vision for engineering operational programs.
Oversee the planning and execution of engineering programs.
Ensure alignment of engineering programs with business goals.
Manage and mentor program managers and engineering teams.
Monitor program performance and drive continuous improvement.
Communicate program status and strategic initiatives to executive leadership.
Manage program budgets and financials.
Design and operate developer and merchant advocacy programs, including Champions programs, advisory boards, beta communities, and early-access initiatives.
Serve as the primary advocate for developers by translating community feedback into actionable insights for Engineering and Product teams.
Partner with Product and Engineering to influence roadmaps, improve APIs, SDKs, documentation, onboarding experiences, and developer tooling.
Lead global social, content, and communications strategies tailored to developers, including blogs, videos, technical content, and messaging platforms.
Coordinate community and advocacy services provided to business units and product teams to ensure consistency, quality, and scale.
Plan, host, and participate in developer and merchant events, meetups, and conferences to grow awareness and strengthen relationships.
Establish success metrics and reporting frameworks to measure engagement, sentiment, adoption, and business impact.
Collaborate cross-functionally with Corporate Marketing, PR/Comms, Legal, Sales, and regional teams to ensure aligned, compliant, and brand-consistent execution.
Build strong external relationships with developers, merchants, partners, industry leaders, and media.
Stay current on AI, FinTech, ecommerce, and developer-platform trends to continuously evolve community strategy.
Manage budgets, resources, and vendor partnerships to support global community programs at scale.