Director of Engineering (On-site)
About Translated
Translated is a leading provider of AI-powered language solutions. Founded in 1999 by a linguist and a computer scientist, we are on a mission to allow everyone to understand and be understood in their own language.
We envision a world where people from different cultures can communicate seamlessly, gaining unprecedented access to knowledge, cultural exchange, and opportunity.
To make this possible, we combine proprietary translation AI (Lara Translate) with advanced text, audio, and video translation technologies (Matecat, Matesub, and Matedub) and the world’s largest network of vetted, native-speaking language professionals.
We welcome complex technical challenges from our customers and engineer tailored solutions that often become part of our core products—whether integrated into our enterprise localization platform, the tools designed to support translators, or Lara Translate, our online AI translator for teams and individuals.
Everything we build reflects a simple principle: technology should amplify human potential, not replace it.
We believe in humans.
We’re looking for a Director of Engineering to lead multiple backend and platform teams building our next generation of AI solutions for translation, including a new consumer product. You will own engineering strategy and execution, grow and coach high-performing teams, and ensure we ship quickly with high quality, reliability, and security. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can move from org design to architecture reviews and unblock teams to deliver.
Responsibilities
- Set engineering vision, strategy, and architecture; balance speed with maintainability and cost.
- Build, lead, and scale high-performance teams: hire exceptional talent, develop managers, set career paths, and drive a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.
- Drive rapid iteration and execution: implement lean/agile practices, short feedback loops, and experimentation.
- Lead delivery of Lara our new consumer product while evolving our core APIs used by enterprise customers (e.g., Airbnb, Uber and others).
- Ensure operational excellence: uptime, incident response, observability, performance, security, privacy (e.g., GDPR), and cost optimization.
- Partner closely with Product, Design, and GTM to define roadmaps, make data-driven tradeoffs, and hit customer outcomes.
- Guide technical program management across teams; manage dependencies and communicate progress to executives and stakeholders.
- Maintain and evolve data stores and pipelines (MySQL, Redis, Kafka); uphold data integrity and security.
- Engage directly with C-level leaders and key stakeholders: translate business strategy into technical roadmaps, communicate trade-offs and progress, align budgets and headcount, and represent engineering in executive reviews.
- Raise the engineering bar through reviews, standards, documentation, and hands-on coaching; dive into code or design reviews when needed.
Requirements
- Master’s degree in Computer Science/Software Engineering or equivalent experience.
- 10+ years in software engineering; 5+ years leading teams; 2+ years managing managers and multi-team programs.
- Proven track record building and operating large-scale distributed systems (millions of requests/day) and shipping quickly with quality.
- Strong understanding of asynchronous programming, event-driven architectures, microservices, and API design.
- Practical, hands-on experience with TypeScript/Node.js (you can read/write code and review deeply when necessary).
- Experience with Relational DBMS (MySQL) and NoSQL/streaming systems (Redis, Kafka).
- Proficiency with cloud (AWS/GCP), containers/Kubernetes, CI/CD, Git/GitHub workflows, and observability.
- Demonstrated ability to improve engineering performance (e.g., cycle time, release cadence, incident reduction) and lead high-performing teams through rapid iteration.
- Experience with security, privacy, and compliance for consumer and enterprise products.
- Excellent communication and cross-functional leadership skills. Bonus: AI/ML product experience and/or human-in-the-loop systems.
Headquarters
Translated is hosted at Pi Campus, a working environment immersed in nature where 5 luxury villas in Rome (Italy) have been converted into functional offices to foster talent growth. Pi Campus is also a venture firm created by Translated to reinvest part of its profits into promising AI startups.
Benefits and Perks
At Translated, we see our people as athletes, and Pi Campus as the place where they can reach their full potential. This vibrant environment fosters talent aggregation and continuous growth of mind, body, and spirit.
We nurture and support the team’s personal and professional development every day through growth-oriented initiatives like personalized learning paths and networking events with industry leaders, health-oriented initiatives like massages, sauna, and workouts in our gym and swimming pool, as well as relaxation rooms, open meeting rooms, a cafeteria, and fully equipped kitchens in every villa. In case of need, every team member has access to psychological, legal, and financial support.
Learn more about our company: https://translated.com/work-at-translated-onboarding.
Diversity Statement
At Translated, we proudly embrace and celebrate each individual's unique qualities to our team, regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other differences. We recognize that these diverse perspectives empower us to overcome challenges, foster innovation, and drive excellence. As an inclusive and equal-opportunity employer, we are committed to cultivating an environment where everyone feels welcome, valued, and supported to achieve their full potential.