Director of Engineering

ZipRecruiter; Toronto; Remote; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company is seeking a Director of Engineering to lead its full-stack engineering organization. This role involves shaping engineering strategy, managing cross-functional teams, and ensuring product performance and safety. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in consumer electronics and a passion for innovative technology that positively impacts families.

Benefits

Competitive salary and benefits

Remote-first work environment

Opportunity to build category-defining tech products

Supportive, collaborative culture

High-impact leadership role

Qualifications

• 8+ years in engineering leadership roles managing hardware and software teams.
• Strong understanding of embedded systems, OS, mobile development, cloud infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Drive engineering roadmap across hardware and software platforms.
• Lead design and delivery of embedded firmware and mobile applications.
• Recruit, develop, and mentor a high-performing engineering team.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

AI focus

Job description

Job Description

Our Story:

At COSMO, we’re on a mission to inspire kids to do amazing things in the real world, and we’re building purposeful technology and a passionate community of families to do just that!

Our groundbreaking, family-centric technology is re-defining what it means for kids to be connected. Parents use our products and services to foster their child’s independence, self-confidence, and sense of adventure.

COSMO’s flagship product is our award-winning JrTrack Kids Smartwatch. It’s an all-in-one phone, GPS tracker, step counter, music player, and more - all right on a child’s wrist. And it’s all securely managed by our Mission Control Parent App, where parents utilize GPS features, set safety alerts, add approved contacts, set reminders, and more.

We’ve been recognized as a best choice kids wearable by PCMag, Safewise, Fatherly and more, and we’re just getting started.

About the Role:

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Director of Engineering to lead our full-stack engineering organization—including hardware, embedded systems, and software development. This critical leadership role reports into the CTO and works closely with the CEO, CTO, and Product team to deliver best-in-class mobile devices and companion mobile applications. You will be responsible for shaping and executing our engineering strategy, managing cross-functional teams, and ensuring our products are built with performance, scalability, and child safety in mind.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership & Vision

• Drive the engineering roadmap across hardware and software platforms in alignment with product and business goals.

• Set high standards for system architecture, security, scalability, and quality assurance across all development efforts.

• Lead design and delivery of embedded firmware, mobile & device application functionality, cloud infrastructure, and data systems.

Hardware and Firmware Oversight

• Oversee global hardware engineering and manufacturing development.

• Ensure reliability, compliance, and performance of embedded systems and device firmware.

• Manage device testing, certification, and product launch processes.

Software Development Oversight

• Lead engineering teams responsible for OS development on devices, mobile app development, platform services, infrastructure and QA.

• Champion agile methodologies, CI/CD, and engineering best practices to ensure consistent delivery and high-quality user experiences.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Product, Operations, and Customer Support teams to translate product requirements into reliable, scalable solutions.

• Participate in strategic planning and budgeting discussions with executive leadership.

Team Building & Management

• Recruit, develop, and mentor a high-performing, cross-disciplinary engineering team.

• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Customer & Compliance Focus

• Deliver engineering solutions that set the standard for safety, security, and compliance to serve our child customers and their families.

• Maintain awareness of and adherence to relevant compliance standards (COPPA, CCPA, GDPR, FCC, etc.).

About You:

You are an inspiring technical leader with a hands-on approach and a passion for building innovative products that have a positive social impact. You thrive at the intersection of hardware and software and are energized by the opportunity to build and lead teams in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

Your Experience:

• Experience: 8+ years in engineering leadership roles, with experience managing both hardware and software teams; background in consumer electronics, IoT, or wearable technology .

• Technical Expertise: Strong understanding of embedded systems, OS and mobile development, cloud infrastructure, and system integration.

• Leadership: Proven ability to scale and manage distributed engineering teams and lead complex product development cycles.

• AI focus: Proven track record of leveraging AI technologies to drive process innovation and enhance team or organizational productivity.

• Execution-Oriented: Deep experience shipping products from concept to market – on time and within budget.

• Communication: Excellent communication skills and ability to align cross-functional teams around a clear technical vision.

• Customer-Focused: Passionate about creating safe, thoughtful, and engaging tech experiences for kids and families.

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary and benefits
• Remote-first work environment
• Opportunity to build category-defining tech products for families
• A supportive, collaborative, and purpose-driven culture
• High-impact leadership role in a fast-growing company