Head of Engineering (f/m/d) - Remote in Germany

Synera

19h • Remote

About The Position

This is a transformational leadership role at Synera. We are moving our core product to the next level — while shipping AI agents that redefine engineering automation for Fortune 500 manufacturers like BMW, Airbus, and NASA. Sounds exciting? Let’s talk! 👉 WHAT YOU WILL DO You'll join as the technical leader who sits at the intersection of our engineering teams and the broader product and business strategy. Reporting directly to our CPO Daniel and owning a growing engineering organization, you'll own execution, architecture, and team health. You’ll spend ~25-35% of your time on technical work – architecture reviews, prototyping, code reviews on critical infrastructure. Your work will span six areas that together define what great engineering leadership looks like at Synera: Build and scale the team: Hire and retain top engineering talent, establish new product teams as we grow, and act as a coach and sparring partner for our Tech Leads as they develop into strong engineering managers. Lead the platform transformation strategy: Define the technical strategy for our platform's next chapter and steer its execution across teams. Drive delivery excellence: Establish the engineering rituals, architecture governance, and technical standards that enable consistent, high-quality releases without slowing us down. Embed AI-native practices: Drive AI tool adoption across all teams and make sure Synera's engineers are working smarter, faster, and ahead of the curve. Champion product discovery: Ensure our engineers aren't just executing tickets. At Synera, engineers actively participate in discovery alongside PMs and designers. Shape company strategy: Represent engineering at the leadership level. Inform build/buy/partner decisions, contribute to roadmap direction, and be the technical voice in the room when it matters. ⚡ In 6 months: You've completed a thorough assessment of our codebase and architecture, and the transformation roadmap is defined You have a personal relationship with every engineer, with individual development plans in place for all Tech Leads You've strengthened our AI-native engineering culture, with clear practices and standards in place across all teams Engineering rituals are up and running: Architecture Decision Records, Tech Lead coaching sessions, cross-team syncs You've made at least two strategic hiring decisions to strengthen the team for the road ahead ⚡ In 12 months: Platform transformation is progressing — first milestones are live, and customers have validated the impact Engineering throughput has improved 100%+ through AI adoption, process improvements, and reduced tech debt You've scaled the product teams with clear ownership and healthy team dynamics Tech Leads are running discovery and delivery independently Architecture governance is in place: a coherent tech strategy, documented decisions, and regular reviews that keep everyone aligned Here is our team at the summer event - join us at the next one! 👋 🌱 WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU? Flexible working: you decide when & where to work (as long as you have a residency in Germany). Flexible public holidays: swap days off according to your values and beliefs! Home office setup support + access to our office in Bremen. Personal development budget of €2,000 to invest in whatever helps your professional growth — for example conferences, trainings or courses. We don't count your vacation days, as we trust all our team members to decide what's best for them and the company. Prefer two wheels over four? 🚲 We’ve got you covered with JobRad. To support your personal and professional well-being, we offer company fitness with Wellpass and mental health platform nilo. Regular team events, virtual coffee breaks, and spontaneous afterworks. We also get together as a whole company for 2-3 day off-sites twice a year! 🌈 ABOUT US 🚀 WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED Even if you don't meet these criteria perfectly but believe you have lots to bring to the role, we encourage you to apply. We know it's tough, but please keep in mind that you don't have to match all the listed requirements exactly to be considered for this role. You resonate with Synera's Core Values - they're central to how we work, and we'll explore them together in your first interview. You have proven experience leading an engineering organization through a major platform transformation. You have deep expertise in modern cloud-native/server architecture — microservices, containers, CI/CD, AWS/Azure/GCP, including experience with enterprise environments like single-tenant private cloud or on-premise deployments. You've led engineering teams for at least several years, managing Tech Leads and engineering managers. You have a track record of building empowered product teams where engineers participate actively in discovery alongside PMs and designers, not just execute on a roadmap handed to them. You bring genuine technical depth and can conduct architecture reviews, make build/buy/partner decisions, and roll up your sleeves on critical infrastructure when it matters. AI isn't just a topic of interest for you — you've actively driven AI adoption in engineering workflows and you stay close to where the field is heading. If you have experience in CAx, simulation, or related engineering domains – it’s a great plus! P.S. Synera is a place where everyone can grow. So, however you identify and whatever background you bring with you, please apply if this is a role that would make you excited to come to work every day, and be prepared to share with us how your perspective will bring something unique and valuable to our R&D team. All done! Your application has been successfully submitted! Other jobs You've already applied for this job We appreciate your interest in this position. Unfortunately, you have already applied for this job.

Requirements

• You resonate with Synera's Core Values - they're central to how we work, and we'll explore them together in your first interview.
• You have proven experience leading an engineering organization through a major platform transformation.
• You have deep expertise in modern cloud-native/server architecture — microservices, containers, CI/CD, AWS/Azure/GCP, including experience with enterprise environments like single-tenant private cloud or on-premise deployments.
• You've led engineering teams for at least several years, managing Tech Leads and engineering managers.
• You have a track record of building empowered product teams where engineers participate actively in discovery alongside PMs and designers, not just execute on a roadmap handed to them.
• You bring genuine technical depth and can conduct architecture reviews, make build/buy/partner decisions, and roll up your sleeves on critical infrastructure when it matters.
• AI isn't just a topic of interest for you — you've actively driven AI adoption in engineering workflows and you stay close to where the field is heading.

Nice To Haves

• If you have experience in CAx, simulation, or related engineering domains – it’s a great plus!

Responsibilities

• Build and scale the team: Hire and retain top engineering talent, establish new product teams as we grow, and act as a coach and sparring partner for our Tech Leads as they develop into strong engineering managers.
• Lead the platform transformation strategy: Define the technical strategy for our platform's next chapter and steer its execution across teams.
• Drive delivery excellence: Establish the engineering rituals, architecture governance, and technical standards that enable consistent, high-quality releases without slowing us down.
• Embed AI-native practices: Drive AI tool adoption across all teams and make sure Synera's engineers are working smarter, faster, and ahead of the curve.
• Champion product discovery: Ensure our engineers aren't just executing tickets. At Synera, engineers actively participate in discovery alongside PMs and designers.
• Shape company strategy: Represent engineering at the leadership level. Inform build/buy/partner decisions, contribute to roadmap direction, and be the technical voice in the room when it matters.

Benefits

• Flexible working: you decide when & where to work (as long as you have a residency in Germany).
• Flexible public holidays: swap days off according to your values and beliefs!
• Home office setup support + access to our office in Bremen.
• Personal development budget of €2,000 to invest in whatever helps your professional growth — for example conferences, trainings or courses.
• We don't count your vacation days, as we trust all our team members to decide what's best for them and the company.
• Prefer two wheels over four? 🚲 We’ve got you covered with JobRad.
• To support your personal and professional well-being, we offer company fitness with Wellpass and mental health platform nilo.
• Regular team events, virtual coffee breaks, and spontaneous afterworks.
• We also get together as a whole company for 2-3 day off-sites twice a year!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed