Head of Internal Tools Engineering

Bjak•New York, NY

12d

About The Position

You will architect, build, and scale the internal technology ecosystem that accelerates workforce productivity, eliminates operational friction, and gives the company a compounding infrastructure advantage. You will treat internal tools with the same product rigour and user-centricity as any external product — because the quality of internal systems directly determines organisational velocity. You will lead a cross-functional engineering team, make high-stakes build-vs-buy decisions, and drive AI adoption into internal workflows. This role requires someone who can see the company’s operational architecture as a system design problem and solve it with software.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 5 years in engineering leadership (managing teams or managing managers).
Strong hands-on technical background: you’ve built production systems and can still credibly review architecture, code, and system design.
Deep understanding of cloud-based systems (AWS, GCP, or Azure), APIs, microservices, data pipelines, and modern infrastructure.
Proven track record of building and scaling internal tools or platforms that serve cross-functional business teams — not just engineering.
Experience making build-vs-buy decisions and managing a portfolio of custom-built and third-party tools.
Strong experience designing and building internal platforms and automation systems
Strong product thinking: you define success in terms of user outcomes and business impact, not technical output.
Experience navigating the full SDLC from ideation through deprecation — you know when to build, iterate, and retire.
Excellent communication skills: you can articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical executives and translate business problems into engineering roadmaps.

Nice To Haves

Experience at a high-growth technology or AI-native company that scaled rapidly.
Background in platform engineering, developer experience, or internal developer platforms (IDPs).
Familiarity with HRIS, ERP, and business systems integration (Workday, Salesforce, NetSuite, etc.).
Experience with cybersecurity best practices and compliance frameworks for internal systems.
Prior experience leading internal technology through M&A integrations or multi-entity consolidation.
Exposure to knowledge management systems, internal search, and enterprise AI assistants.
Experience integrating AI/LLMs into internal workflows or productivity tools

Responsibilities

Internal Platform Strategy & Roadmap
Own the end-to-end strategy and roadmap for all internal tools, platforms, and automation — treating internal technology as a product, not a cost centre.
Make strategic build-vs-buy decisions, knowing when a custom-built solution creates a lasting advantage and when a SaaS tool is the right answer.
Map current and next-state process flows across the entire internal toolchain and lead systems transformation for internal teams.
Systems Architecture & Engineering
Architect and maintain the full engineering lifecycle for internal platforms — from ideation and design through deployment, iteration, and deprecation.
Build seamless, API-first ecosystems that integrate internal tools across HR systems, finance platforms, knowledge management, CRM, and developer infrastructure.
Own system reliability and operational resilience: establish success metrics for uptime, performance, and employee productivity.
Design scalable, secure architectures using cloud-native principles, microservices, and modern integration patterns.
AI & Automation
Lead the strategy for integrating AI and LLMs into internal workflows — reimagining how knowledge is shared, decisions are supported, and work is executed across the organisation.
Deploy intelligent automation tools — including AI where appropriate — to streamline internal processes and improve decision-making.
Evaluate and integrate AI-assisted troubleshooting, proactive recommendations, and intelligent automation into the internal platform layer.
Stay ahead of technology trends and drive continuous experimentation — you build prototypes, not slide decks.
Developer Experience & Productivity
Reduce cognitive load for internal users by providing golden paths, standardised workflows, and self-service capabilities.
Ensure frictionless onboarding and seamless integration across the tool ecosystem.
Measure platform success through adoption rates, user satisfaction, DORA metrics, and productivity impact — not feature count.
Team Leadership
Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing team of engineers and engineering managers.
Cultivate a collaborative engineering culture rooted in ownership, speed, and craftsmanship.
Provide technical mentorship and create growth paths for individual contributors and managers alike.
Foster psychological safety and a feedback-driven environment that empowers people to do their best work.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner with People, Finance, Engineering, Legal, and Operations leadership to translate complex business needs into a unified technical vision.
Serve as the bridge between business stakeholders and the engineering team — you speak both languages fluently.
Align internal platform investments with broader company strategy and demonstrate measurable ROI.