Head of Engineering

BigGeo; Calgary; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

BigGeo in Calgary, Alberta is seeking a Head of Engineering to oversee daily operations in a high-output engineering organization. This role is critical for bridging strategic direction and execution, ensuring the teams remain unblocked and maintain high standards.

The ideal candidate will possess over 7 years of engineering experience, with at least 3 years in leadership. Responsibilities include managing sprint cycles, enforcing code quality standards, and leveraging AI tools to enhance development workflows.

If you want to drive innovation in spatial data technology, BigGeo is your place to make an impact.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of hands-on engineering experience.
• 3+ years in engineering leadership roles.
• Strong skills in Python, Go, Rust, Node.js, or Java.

Responsibilities

• Own sprint planning and execution.
• Define engineering standards.
• Lead daily team unblocking.
• Manage code review processes.
• Coordinate across domain teams.
• Onboard new engineers.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Sprint cycles management

Strong coding skills (Python, Go, Rust, Node.js, or Java)

AI literacy

Clear communication

Job description

We help companies manage and access the world's spatial data.

Any size, any slice, any insight. Delivered in seconds.

BigGeo is defining a new infrastructure category for how spatial and temporal data is organized, accessed, computed, and used across systems, organizations, and AI.

The Spatial Cloud provides a unified architecture that enables organizations to manage spatial data they own, access spatial data from external sources, and produce decision‑ready intelligence in seconds.

By combining Unified Data, Real‑Time Compute, and Governed Monetization, BigGeo transforms fragmented spatial datasets into a shared operational layer that powers real‑world awareness across industries, infrastructure systems, and AI platforms.

Why BigGeo Exists and Why People Build Here

We don't start by asking why you'd be a good fit for us. We start by being clear about what we're building and why it matters.

BigGeo is building the Spatial Cloud, a foundational infrastructure for how spatial data is managed, accessed, and used in real time across systems, AI, and organizations.

BigGeo is the Spatial Cloud. We help companies manage and access the world's spatial data, any size, any slice, any insight, delivered in seconds.

Joining BigGeo means contributing to technology that is shaping a new category as it takes form. The BigGeo team is AI‑enabled, cross‑functional, and highly collaborative. We value ownership, clarity, and leveraging AI tools to build incredible momentum. The work moves quickly, expectations are high, and impact is visible because what we build is used in real‑world environments.

At BigGeo, you will:

• Contribute to systems that influence how spatial data is managed and applied
• Leverage cutting edge AI tools so that your work shows up in real, high‑impact use cases
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team solving complex, meaningful problems
• Work in an environment where autonomy is trusted, results matter, and AI tools are harnessed to boost creativity, output, and results

If you want to do work with real‑world impact and help build foundational technology that changes how organizations understand and use spatial intelligence, BigGeo is the place to build that future.

The Role

BigGeo is hiring a Head of Engineering to own the day‑to‑day operations of a high‑output engineering organization. This role exists to bridge strategic direction and ground‑level execution: you will keep teams unblocked, standards high, and shipping velocity consistent. You are the kind of leader who stays close to the code while building the processes that scale the people around you. The Spatial Cloud is foundational infrastructure, and the engineering team building it needs an operator who treats quality and momentum as non‑negotiable.

What You'll Do

• Own sprint planning, execution, and retrospectives across domain teams, driving measurable improvements in velocity and delivery predictability
• Define and enforce engineering standards across code quality, testing, documentation, and deployment, building the habits that make quality automatic
• Unblock engineers daily, resolving technical and process blockers before they compound into missed commitments
• Lead 1:1s with direct reports, support career development, and maintain the team dynamics that make high‑output engineering sustainable
• Manage code review processes and technical debt with discipline, ensuring the codebase stays maintainable as the team and product scale
• Coordinate across domain teams to eliminate handoff friction, surface dependencies early, and keep cross‑functional delivery on track
• Use AI‑assisted development workflows and tools like Cursor to accelerate code review, documentation, and engineering process improvements
• Onboard new engineers with structure and intentionality, compressing ramp time and integrating them into team culture from day one
• Partner with the CTO on hiring plans, team structure, and engineering strategy, translating direction into operational execution

What You Bring

Required

• 7+ years of hands‑on engineering experience with at least 3 years leading engineering teams in a people and process capacity
• Proven track record running sprint cycles, code review processes, and deployment operations in a production environment
• Strong coding skills in at least one modern language (Python, Go, Rust, Node.js, or Java) and the credibility to participate meaningfully in technical decisions
• Demonstrated ability to improve team velocity and code quality without sacrificing engineer morale or shipping discipline
• Strong AI literacy and the ability to use AI tools to accelerate engineering workflows, code review, and team documentation
• Clear, direct communication with both engineers and leadership, no translation layer required

Nice to Have

• Experience scaling an engineering org through a Series A to B growth phase
• Background in geospatial, infrastructure, or platform engineering
• Familiarity with data‑heavy or real‑time compute environments
• Experience building engineering hiring pipelines and technical interview processes from scratch