Job description
About Mixbook
Mixbook is the #1 rated photo book service in the US, with over 30K 5-star reviews, empowering over 6 million people to design and share their one-of-a-kind stories. We’re a profitable, growing company known for our intuitive design platform, exceptional quality, and fanatical customer service. But Mixbook is more than just a product - we’re a team of passionate individuals driven to make a difference.
What truly sets Mixbook apart is our commitment to creating a workplace where you can thrive both personally and professionally. We value collaboration, open communication, and a growth mindset. We believe in empowering our team members to take ownership, embrace challenges, and make a meaningful impact.
Our culture is built on a foundation of trust, constructive feedback, and a shared passion for delivering outstanding results. If you’re looking for a place where your contributions are valued, your voice is heard, and you can grow alongside a talented team, then Mixbook is the place for you.
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced VP of Engineering to lead the platform sector of our global engineering organization and to drive technical excellence across all aspects of our platform. This role reports directly to our CTO and combines strong team leadership with hands-on technical expertise, requiring someone who can scale our engineering capabilities while maintaining our commitment to craftsmanship and innovation.
The VP of Engineering will be responsible for leading our distributed engineering teams, evolving our technical architecture and related global compute formations, and ensuring that we continue to deliver world-class products that delight millions of customers worldwide. Our design platform leverages emerging technologies built upon AI, modern cloud architectures through React and native mobile frameworks. This position also includes interim leadership of our Corporate IT function, with the opportunity to build and establish this as a core organizational capability.
We believe prioritizing people and organizational health leads to successful growth, so we live by the Golden Rule every day. We’re a hard-working, resourceful, and scrappy team with a big mission. That means we move quickly, wear a lot of hats, and have an uncompromising passion for mastering our craft.
What You’ll Do
Strategic Leadership & Vision
- Define and execute the long-term engineering strategy aligned with Mixbook’s growth objectives and creative mission
- Assume leadership accountability for the Mixbook global production ecosystem and continue to develop and grow a healthy and capable cross-region platform team to continue strengthening and proactively improving computing formations to serve the core business
- Maintain and ensure system reliability, scalability, and performance at a global scale within an engineering landscape that is driving technical innovation in parallel with strong core fundamentals
- Foster a culture of engineering excellence that balances rapid iteration with sustainable, high-quality code
Technical Excellence & Architecture
- Work closely with tech leads to evaluate technical feasibility, system design optimization, and production optimizations across our entire technology stack
- Ensure that resulting software products meet the organization’s standards of quality and performance through robust engineering practices and quality assurance processes
- Continue to strengthen an enriching engineering process, incorporating AI tools with safety, productivity, and retention of the “human” touch in mind
- Maintain hands-on grasp of AWS compute and security access mechanisms and guide architectural decisions for cloud-native solutions
- Remain current on changes regarding software technology and evaluate emerging technologies for strategic adoption
Product Development & Delivery
- Lead the development of software product plans and schedules in close collaboration with Technology Leads and Product Management
- Ensure on-time delivery of all scheduled milestones and product requirements while maintaining high quality standards
- Delegate work to the software development Technology Leads and respective teams while providing clear direction and accountability frameworks
- Establish and maintain engineering processes that support rapid, reliable product development and deployment
Team Leadership & Development
- Lead, mentor, and inspire a diverse team of engineers, tech leads, and engineering managers across multiple time zones
- Build and scale high-performing engineering teams that embody Mixbook’s values of craftsmanship, collaboration, and continuous learning
- Foster an inclusive environment where engineers can grow professionally and contribute meaningfully to our mission
- Maintain our culture of hand-picked developers dedicated to their craft while scaling the organization
Corporate IT Leadership (Interim)
- Own and further evolve a growing Corporate IT function with a small pre-existing team on an interim basis, sufficient to create a core department that is worthy of evolving to a fully-fledged department under the company’s operations practice
- Work with the IT Manager to continue to improve IT governance, security protocols, and infrastructure management practices
- Propose foundational IT capabilities and plans that support our growing global workforce
- Develop succession planning and organizational structure for long-term IT leadership
Reporting Structure
This position reports directly to the CTO and is comfortable collaborating with the executive leadership team. The VP of Engineering will work closely with the CTO and will work cooperatively to manage a wide-ranging engineering team. The VP of Engineering will have direct reports including:
- Engineering Directors/Senior Technology Leads
- Technical Leads across platform, mobile, security, and infrastructure teams
- DevOps/Site Reliability Engineering leads
- Corporate IT Manager (interim reporting relationship)
Technical Environment
- Modern technology stack with React, AWS cloud infrastructure, and mobile frameworks
- Investment in AI and emerging technologies with focus on responsible development
- Emphasis on code quality, technical debt management, and regular code reviews
- Collaborative environment with product management, design, and customer experience teams
What You’ll Need
Leadership & Management
- 10+ years of progressive engineering leadership experience, with at least 5 years in senior executive roles (VP, SVP, or CTO level)
- Proven track record of scaling engineering organizations from startup to enterprise scale
- Experience managing distributed, cross-functional teams across multiple geographic regions
- Strong background in building and mentoring high-performing engineering teams
Technical Expertise
- Historical understanding of software architecture patterns, microservices, RDBMS, and cloud-native development – across all full-stack tiers.
- Extensive experience with AWS compute services, security frameworks, and infrastructure automation
- Proficiency in modern web technologies including React, cloud architectures, and mobile development frameworks (Ruby on Rails exposure is a plus)
- Familiarity with AI/ML integration and responsible AI development practices and a strong desire to charter new territory on the AI landscape to bolster individual and team capabilities.
- Strong foundation in software engineering best practices, DevOps, and CI/CD methodologies
Business Acumen
- Experience in product-driven technology companies, preferably in consumer-facing platforms
- Understanding of e-commerce, digital media, or dynamic/interactive software industries
- Proven ability to align engineering strategy with business objectives and customer needs
- Experience with global production systems and international compliance requirements
Communication & Culture
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills with ability to influence at all organizational levels
- Experience building and maintaining positive engineering culture during periods of rapid growth
- Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in engineering hiring and team development
- Alignment with Mixbook’s values: People first, Gratitude forward, Purpose driven, Creativity celebrated
- Ability to work in the Eastern Time Zone of the US
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with international expansion and managing engineering teams across different cultural contexts
- Experience in photo/media processing, computer graphics, or in dynamic & interactive software platforms
- Track record with managing technology enablers to facilitate desktop solutions as well as mobile apps.
- Track record with AI-powered product features and responsible AI implementation
- Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field
- Previous experience supporting Corporate IT functions
Mixbook is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, or disability status.
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Our Mission & Culture
At Mixbook, our mission is to empower people to be creative and connect deeply with the ones they love. Unlike most growth companies, we have invested deeply in culture - because we believe that when we love our people, they will love our customers, and our customers will love our business.
You’ll contribute to a product loved by millions and help people create lasting memories. You’ll thrive in a healthy culture that values collaboration, growth, and open communication. You’ll work with talented individuals who are passionate about what they do, and you’ll enjoy competitive benefits and perks to support your well-being.
We want people to join us who exude our core values:
- Scrappy: We act like entrepreneurs, taking ownership and finding creative solutions.
- Caring: We have a heart of empathy, supporting each other and our customers.
- Craftsmanship: We have a spirit of excellence, striving for the highest quality in everything we do.
If you’re ready to join a team that’s making a real difference in the world, we encourage you to apply!
