Director, Engineering Strategy & Operations

Who We Are

Verkada is transforming how organizations protect their people and places with an integrated, AI-powered platform. A leader in cloud physical security, Verkada helps organizations strengthen safety and efficiency through one connected software platform that includes solutions for video security, access control, air quality sensors, alarms, intercoms, and visitor management.

Over 30,000 organizations worldwide, including more than 100 companies in the Fortune 500, trust Verkada as their physical security layer for easier management, intelligent control, and scalable deployments. Founded in 2016, Verkada has expanded rapidly with 15 offices and 2,200+ full-time employees.

About the Role

As the leader of the Engineering Strategy and Operations team, you will lead a team that enables 400+ Builders (Software, Hardware, Product, Design, and R&D teams) to work faster, smarter, and happier. Additionally, you will serve as the Chief of the Staff to the CTO, the leader of 300+ Software Engineers. You’ll help identify the “right things to do” while also ensuring we “do things right.” You will oversee and directly lead cross-functional initiatives to drive results across Verkada’s Software Engineering organization.

Who You Are

• A leader. Someone who can directly lead a team of two direct reports and influence engineering, design, and product leaders and teammates across the company.

• An operator. Someone who enjoys facilitating the operations of people, processes, and projects.

• A curious strategic thinker. Someone who thinks about the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of teams, organizations, and individuals, and will enjoy spending ~30% of their time asking questions on how we can improve.

What You'll Do

This role drives operational excellence and strategic initiatives across Verkada's R&D organization, encompassing three core domains:

• Engineering Operations (60%) - lead a small engineering operations team to enable our Builders to work faster, smarter, and happier. More specifically, you will provide guidance, feedback, and direction on the following initiatives: events; learning & development; rewards and recognition; brand building; and developer experience operations.

• Chief of Staff (30%) - provide direct influence and guidance to the software engineering leadership, assisting the CTO in leading a 300+ person software organization. This involves coordinating and partnering within Verkada operations (e.g., finance, people, workplace, communications, marketing) to enable software engineering and Builders to achieve their potential.

• Organizational Guidance (10%) - leverage organizational expertise, strategic thinking, and operational understanding to: identify active organizational challenges that apply broadly and resonate deeply; determine significance, secure stakeholder buy-in, and architect solutions; facilitate solution implementation and continuous improvement.

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s or Master’s, ideally in engineering or business

• 5-8+ years of experience in technology or operations in a fast paced environment

• Proven leadership experience, including directly managing teams and influencing large organizations at high growth companies

• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, capable of building buy-in, and fostering collaboration across teams

• Proficiency with common productivity and project management tools (e.g., Google Workspace, Jira, Linear) and comfortable with data analysis for decision-making

• Must be willing and able to work onsite five days per week

US Employee Benefits

Verkada is committed to fostering a workplace environment that prioritizes the holistic health and wellbeing of our employees and their families by offering comprehensive wellness perks, benefits, and resources. Our benefits and perks programs include, but are not limited to:

• Healthcare programs that can be tailored to meet the personal health and financial well-being needs - Premiums are 100% covered for the employee under at least one plan and 80% for family premiums under all plans

• Nationwide medical, vision and dental coverage

• Health Saving Account (HSA) with annual employer contributions and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) with tax saving options

• Expanded mental health support

• Paid parental leave policy & fertility benefits

• Time off to relax and recharge through our paid holidays, firmwide extended holidays, flexible PTO and personal sick time

• Professional development stipend

• Fertility Stipend

• Wellness/fitness benefits

• Healthy lunches provided daily

• Commuter benefits

Additional Information

• We do sponsor and take over sponsorship of employment visas for this role. If we make you an offer, we will make every reasonable effort to get you a visa

Annual Pay Range

At Verkada, we want to attract and retain the best employees, and compensate them in a way that appropriately and fairly values their individual contribution to the company. With that in mind, we carefully consider a number of factors to determine the appropriate starting pay for an employee, including their primary work location and an assessment of a candidate's skills and experience, as well as market demands and internal parity. A Verkada employee may be eligible for additional forms of compensation, depending on their role, including sales incentives, discretionary bonuses, and/or equity in the company in the form of restricted stock units (RSUs)

Below is the annual on-target earnings (OTE) range for full-time employees for this position, comprised of base compensation and commissions (if applicable).

Estimated Annual Pay Range
$200,000—$400,000 USD

Verkada Is An Equal Opportunity Employer

As an equal opportunity employer, Verkada is committed to providing employment opportunities to all individuals. All applicants for positions at Verkada will be treated without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

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