Director of Engineering, HR Service Delivery

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 221,000 - 387,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

ServiceNow is seeking a Director of Engineering to lead the architecture, delivery, and evolution of HR Service Delivery (HRSD) cloud services. You will guide a ~20-engineer organization, shaping technical strategy, reliability, and security for enterprise deployments across the ServiceNow platform.

You will drive AI-assisted engineering, automation, and scalable architectures while partnering with Product, Design, and Customer Success to deliver value and innovation to customers globally.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of software engineering experience delivering enterprise-scale products and services.
• 5+ years in engineering leadership, managing managers and senior tech leaders.
• Proven success driving technical strategy and execution across multiple teams.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical strategy, architecture, delivery, and operations of HRSD services.
• Deliver AI-powered employee experiences and partner with product/design teams.
• Drive long-term architectural decisions for scalability, reliability, and extensibility.
• Lead AI-driven engineering practices to improve productivity and quality.
• Build and retain high-performing engineering teams with a culture of ownership.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Design, Customer Success, and leadership to align priorities.

Skills

Distributed systems

Cloud-native architectures

APIs

Data platforms

Observability & reliability

Education

Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in CS/CE/AI/ML/DS

Tools

Java

Python

Go

Job description

Director of Engineering, HR Service Delivery

• Full-time
• Employee Type: Regular
• Region: AMS - North America and Canada
• Work Persona: Flexible or Remote

It all started when engineer Fred Luddy wrote code that automated a tedious task for his coworker, Phyllis. She cried tears of joy. That moment inspired Fred to build a company that could do that for everyone—freeing people from busywork so they could focus on meaningful work. Today, ServiceNow is the AI control tower for business reinvention. Our ServiceNow AI platform brings together any AI, any data, and any workflow— helping 85% of the Fortune 500® work smarter, faster, and better. We're building an AI-native culture where technology and talent are unstoppable together. And we're just getting started.

Join us to put AI to work for people.

About the Role

ServiceNow is seeking a Director of Engineering to lead the architecture, delivery, and evolution of key services within the HR Service Delivery (HRSD) portfolio. HRSD helps organizations deliver seamless employee experiences through intelligent workflows, case management, knowledge, lifecycle events, document management, and AI-powered employee assistance.

As a Director of Engineering, you will lead an organization of approximately 20 engineers responsible for building and operating critical HRSD services that serve some of the world's largest enterprises. You will define technical strategy, drive execution, and ensure the delivery of highly scalable, reliable, and secure cloud services that power employee experiences across the ServiceNow platform.

This role also provides a unique opportunity to shape how AI transforms software engineering. You will drive the adoption of AI-assisted development practices, automation, and intelligent engineering workflows to improve productivity, accelerate innovation, and raise the quality bar across your organization. The objective is not simply efficiency, but reinvesting engineering capacity into delivering greater customer value and product innovation.

What You'll Do

Lead Critical HRSD Services

Own the technical strategy, architecture, delivery, and operational excellence of key services within the HR Service Delivery portfolio. Build scalable platform capabilities that support employee service management, knowledge experiences, lifecycle workflows, document management, and emerging AI-powered HR solutions.

Deliver AI-Powered Employee Experiences

Drive the development of intelligent, AI-native capabilities that help employees find information, complete tasks, resolve issues, and navigate key moments in their employment journey. Partner closely with product and design teams to translate customer needs into impactful solutions.

Drive Technical Strategy and Architecture

Make long-term architectural decisions that improve scalability, reliability, extensibility, and operational efficiency. Balance near-term delivery commitments with investments in platform modernization and technical innovation.

Transform Engineering Through AI

Champion the adoption of AI-assisted engineering practices across the software development lifecycle. Leverage modern AI capabilities to improve developer productivity, automate repetitive work, enhance quality, and accelerate delivery while maintaining strong engineering accountability and oversight.

Build World-Class Engineering Teams

Recruit, develop, and retain exceptional engineering talent. Coach engineers and emerging leaders, foster a culture of ownership and continuous learning, and create an environment where teams can perform at their highest level.

Establish a high bar for software quality, operational rigor, security, reliability, and maintainability. Use data and metrics to continuously improve engineering effectiveness, system health, and customer outcomes.

Partner Across the Organization

Collaborate closely with Product Management, Design, Customer Success, Platform Engineering, and executive leadership to align priorities, drive execution, and deliver customer value.

Ensure Security and Trust

Build services that meet the highest standards for security, privacy, compliance, and responsible AI. Safeguard sensitive employee information while enabling innovation at enterprise scale.

Qualifications

Leadership Experience

• 12+ years of software engineering experience with a proven track record of delivering enterprise-scale products and services
• 5+ years of engineering leadership experience, including experience managing engineering managers and senior technical leaders
• Demonstrated success driving technical strategy and execution across multiple teams and stakeholders
• Proven track record of building and leading high-performing engineering organizations

Technical Expertise

• Strong background in distributed systems, cloud-native architectures, APIs, data platforms, and enterprise software development
• Experience building and operating highly available, mission-critical services at scale
• Proficiency in modern programming languages such as Java, Python, Go, or similar technologies
• Strong understanding of software architecture, system design, observability, performance, and reliability engineering

AI and Automation Experience

• Experience building, integrating, or operating AI-powered product capabilities
• Familiarity with large language models, retrieval systems, agentic workflows, semantic search, and modern AI development frameworks
• Passion for applying AI and automation to improve both customer experiences and engineering productivity

Leadership Attributes

• Strong technical judgment and a customer-first mindset
• Ability to balance innovation with operational excellence
• Excellent communication and influence skills across technical and executive audiences
• Proven ability to build high-performing teams and develop future leaders
• Thrives in fast-moving environments and brings clarity to complex problems

Education

• B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.

Why Join ServiceNow

This is an opportunity to lead critical services within one of ServiceNow’s most strategic product portfolios while helping define the future of AI-powered employee experiences.

You will:

• Own foundational services that power employee experiences for leading global enterprises
• Help shape the next generation of AI capabilities across the HRSD portfolio
• Drive adoption of AI-assisted engineering practices that transform how software is built
• Partner with world-class engineering, product, design, and AI teams
• Lead a high-impact organization with significant influence on product strategy and technical direction

has context menu

For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $221,200 - $387,100, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.

We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.

Equal Opportunity Employer

ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity, veteran status, or any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements.

Accommodations

We strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact [e-mail] for assistance.

Export Control Regulations

For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities.

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