Director of Engineering, Games

San Francisco, CA

Role summary

We’re seeking an experienced Engineering Director to lead teams developing voice-AI-driven games. You will manage full-stack engineers building across Roku, FireTV, and Alexa to deliver top-tier voice-activated gaming experiences. Working closely with product, design, data, and business teams, you’ll align strategy and execution while ensuring scalability, reliability, and innovation. As we expand our game titles and platforms, you will play a pivotal role in creating engaging, cutting-edge applications.

This job opportunity offers a hybrid work arrangement, and we are specifically seeking candidates who are comfortable with on-site attendance in our Bay Area office 3 times per week (MWF) and are either currently residing in or near the Bay Area or willing to relocate for on-site work.

What you'll do at Volley

  • Be actively involved in strategic and product decisions and ensure that the team is driving and executing toward Volley’s overall vision.
  • Maintain the tech roadmap for your team and drive its prioritization along with the product team.
  • Manage a team of engineers and ensure they are highly motivated and developing in their careers by providing stretch opportunities and timely and actionable feedback.
  • Leverage your technical expertise to guide and empower the team to deliver with high impact and raise the bar for technical excellence on the team.
  • Use first principles in resourcing decisions and be able to recruit a team of diverse engineers that are best in class in the industry.
  • Contribute to engineering-wide efforts as part of the engineering leadership team.

Stuff you may have done before

  • Proven leadership in hiring diverse teams
  • Shipped consumer-facing web, mobile and/or TV apps at scale (games are nice to have but not required)
  • Worked with audio processing, speech recognition, video data, or entertainment applications.
  • Thrive in fast-paced agile environments with rapid innovation.

Must-haves

  • 6+ years as an engineering leader for multiple high-performing teams with 2+ years managing other engineering managers
  • 5+ years as a software developer; bonus points if you have game development experience.
  • Technical credibility in leading teams building scalable web and/or mobile applications or services
  • Demonstrated experience building reliable software leveraging automated testing and operational best practices
  • Keen product sense and demonstrated ability to establish cross-functional partnerships and influence overall strategy.
  • Creative problem solver that can drive execution and lead through ambiguity.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills with technical and non-technical audiences

Our stack

  • Typescript & Node.js
  • React, React Native
  • DynamoDB, PostgreSQL, Redis
  • Proprietary Game Engine
  • Kubernetes

Your first 90 days

  • Ramp up on multi-platform initiatives.
  • Prioritize game expansions and upcoming projects.
  • Implement best practices for testing, observability, and code quality.
  • Establish engineering standards and processes.
  • Build trust and alignment across leadership and teams.

The hiring process

  • Stage 1: Preliminary Screen with our Senior Recruiting Lead.
  • Stage 2: Hiring Manager Interview with our VP of Engineering.
  • Stage 3: Technical Project Walkthrough with our Director of Engineering.
  • Stage 4: Onsite Interview with various partners and teammates.
  • Stage 5: Founder Chat with our Founders
  • Stage 6: Offer

What's in it for you

  • Your medical, dental, and vision insurance is 100% covered by Volley, for yourself and all dependents and we match 401k!
  • We offer a flexible, hybrid work-from-home and in-office work model.
  • We offer 4 weeks of paid time off (enforced 2-week minimum), 16 paid holidays, 40 hours of bereavement leave, and unlimited sick days.
  • Our generous parental leave policy includes 24 weeks at 100% pay for birthing parents and 12 weeks at 100% pay for non-birthing parents.
  • We offer visa support for eligible candidates, making relocating for the job smoother and more streamlined.
  • A full breakdown of our benefits is here!

For Pay Transparency: The salary range that we expect to pay for this position is $232,950-$320,307 annually. This is a portion of the pay band for the role and level we are seeking. The final offer amount will depend on experience, education and skills. Base pay is only one part of the total package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work.

About Us

Volley is the leading developer of AI-powered games for smart TVs, Amazon Alexa, and mobile devices. Our games attract millions of users every month. Popular Volley games include Song Quiz, Jeopardy!, and Wheel of Fortune.

We believe voice interfaces will become the main way people access entertainment in their living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, and cars. We’re building a bundled subscription product similar to Netflix or Spotify for the emerging category of “AI-powered games.”

Volley was founded by Max Child and James Wilsterman in 2016. We're headquartered in downtown San Francisco in the historic Phelan Building! We’re a quickly growing team that truly enjoys working together. If you think you would enjoy creating joyful games on top of a rapidly evolving AI technology stack, please get in touch!

Volley believes in an inclusive workplace and is committed to building a team from a variety of backgrounds. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive the other benefits and privileges of employment.

Underrepresented candidates and candidates from nontraditional backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply!

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