Senior Director, Engineering – AI Renovation

Hover • San Francisco, CA

2d • $289,000 - $357,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Hover is entering a new phase where AI-driven experiences move from visualization to decision-making at scale. We’re looking for a senior engineering leader who can operate as a true partner to Product and GTM — someone who combines deep technical judgment with strong product instincts and business orientation. This role exists to turn our decade-long advantage in property data and 3D reconstruction into confident, end-to-end renovation outcomes for homeowners and professionals, while building the platform, systems, and teams that allow Hover to move faster without sacrificing reliability. If you’re energized by owning complex, cross-functional problems and shaping both the product and the organization that delivers it, this role is for you.

Requirements

• 12+ years in software engineering, including 5+ years managing managers and senior/principal ICs in high-growth product organizations (B2B SaaS or similar).
• Proven success launching 0->1 products, ideally involving AI/ML, computer vision, or interactive visualization.
• Deep experience partnering with Product and Design to set joint outcomes, clarify roles, and resolve misalignment quickly.
• Strong product instincts and business orientation — comfortable debating user journeys, guardrail metrics, UX vs. workflow tradeoffs, and customer value.
• A track record of leading complex, cross-functional platform initiatives that span multiple surfaces and user personas.
• Technical depth to challenge designs and architectures and make tradeoffs clear and actionable.
• A process-design mindset — building simple, durable mechanisms (ownership maps, decision logs, review cadences) that teams actually use.
• Exceptional communication skills — crisp, structured, and able to synthesize complexity and drive alignment without volume.
• A passion for developing senior talent and scaling organizations grounded in excellence, clarity, and collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Design & Inspiration Product Areas – Build an AI powered experience that helps homeowners and pros visualize renovation options and turn designs into confident decisions.
• GM-Level Vertical Leadership – Act as a GM-level co-owner with Product and GTM to drive the strategy and outcomes of a business-critical construction vertical. You will coordinate across multiple internal teams to ensure cohesion across the full Hover platform.
• Systems Area – Lead our horizontal platform team responsible for infrastructure, developer productivity, security, and money movement.
• Product & Cross-Functional Leadership Serve as the primary engineering partner to Product and Design, translating intent into pragmatic, cross-platform delivery plans and reliable releases.
• Define and uphold the cross-functional operating model across web and mobile: planning, PRDs, design sign-off, scope change, and release readiness.
• Raise the bar on requirements and discovery quality with crisp acceptance criteria, robust user flows, edge-case coverage, and early risk identification.
• Represent engineering in leadership forums, ensuring technical tradeoffs, risks, and dependencies are visible and well understood.
• Execution & Operational Excellence Create and enforce operational guardrails that make launches predictable — clear owners, decision discipline, and simple handoff rules.
• Lead large, cross-functional programs that span multiple personas and surfaces; surface blockers early and maintain a high bias for action.
• Bring clarity and momentum to ambiguous areas, raising program judgment, delivery rigor, and collaboration across teams.
• Steward the platform’s architecture, reliability, and performance — balancing innovation with continuity for existing customers.
• People & Organizational Leadership Lead and grow high-performing engineering teams across product and platform; directly manage senior leaders (Principal Engineers, Senior EMs).
• Coach leaders to delegate effectively, prioritize well, and become force multipliers while maintaining a high bar for performance.
• Foster a culture of excellence, inclusion, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Benefits

• Compensation - Competitive salary and meaningful equity in a fast-growing company
• Healthcare - Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and dependents
• Paid Time Off - Unlimited and flexible vacation policy
• Paid Family Leave - We support work/life balance and offer generous paid parental and new child bonding leave
• Mandatory Self-Care Days - A day set aside each month to allow employees to recharge
• Remote Wellbeing Resources - We provide recurring fitness classes, meditation/ mindfulness tools, virtual therapy, and family planning assistance
• Learning - We encourage continued education and will help cover the cost of management training, conferences, workshops, or certifications

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees