Senior Director of Engineering

Rippling; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Job summary

Rippling is building a unified platform to manage people, operations, and finances. We seek a Senior Director of Engineering for our Spend organization to shape technical strategy, scale teams, and deliver innovative fintech products.

You will lead architectural decisions, mentor leaders, and drive cross-functional collaboration with product and design to create exceptional customer experiences. You will help build scalable systems, balance platform investments with rapid product development,

Qualifications

• 12+ years of software engineering experience, including leading and scaling engineering organizations.
• Proven track record delivering complex, customer-facing products at scale, ideally in fintech or enterprise SaaS.
• Experience leading multiple engineering teams and developing engineering managers and senior leaders.
• Strong technical depth; able to engage in architectural discussions and guide teams through complex problems.
• Demonstrated success partnering with product and business leaders to translate product visions into scalable technical strategies.
• Experience operating in high-growth environments with bias toward action and ownership.
• Exceptional leadership and communication skills to influence across organizations and align teams.

Responsibilities

• Drive the engineering vision, strategy, and execution for a portfolio of financial technology products.
• Build, lead, and develop high-performing engineering teams with a culture of excellence and ownership.
• Partner with Product, Design, and cross-functional leadership to define strategy and deliver strong customer experiences.
• Lead architectural decisions across highly scalable systems balancing long-term platform investments with rapid product iteration.
• Establish engineering practices and structures that ensure reliability, security, and quality at scale.
• Identify opportunities to leverage automation, AI, and emerging tech in financial operations.
• Mentor and develop engineering leaders to build a strong leadership bench.
• Navigate ambiguity and drive execution across multiple teams in a fast-paced environment.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Scale engineering orgs

Fintech domain

Cross-functional collaboration

Architectural depth

Product alignment

Job description

Rippling gives businesses one place to run HR, IT, and Finance. It brings together all of the workforce systems that are normally scattered across a company, like payroll, expenses, benefits, and computers. For the first time ever, you can manage and automate every part of the employee lifecycle in a single system.

Take onboarding, for example. With Rippling, you can hire a new employee anywhere in the world and set up their payroll, corporate card, computer, benefits, and even third-party apps like Slack and Microsoft 365—all within 90 seconds.

Based in San Francisco, CA, Rippling has raised $1.4B+ from the world’s top investors—including Kleiner Perkins, Founders Fund, Sequoia, Greenoaks, and Bedrock—and was named one of America's best startup employers by Forbes.

We prioritize candidate safety. Please be aware that all official communication will only be sent from @ Rippling.com addresses.

About the Role

Rippling is building a unified platform that brings together the systems businesses rely on to manage their people, operations, and finances. Our Spend products are reimagining how companies manage and control business spending, bringing together financial workflows, automation, and real-time visibility into a single, seamless experience.

We're looking for a Senior Director of Engineering to help shape the next phase of growth for our Spend organization. This is a high-impact leadership opportunity at the intersection of financial technology, enterprise software, and large-scale distributed systems.

You'll play a critical role in defining technical strategy, scaling engineering teams, and delivering innovative products that solve complex problems for businesses of all sizes. We're looking for a leader who combines deep technical expertise with strong product instincts, organizational leadership, and a track record of building exceptional teams.

What You Will Do

• Drive the engineering vision, strategy, and execution for a growing portfolio of financial technology products.
• Build, lead, and develop high-performing engineering teams, fostering a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and innovation.
• Partner closely with Product, Design, and cross-functional leadership to define product strategy, prioritize investments, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
• Lead architectural and technical decisions across complex, highly scalable systems, balancing long-term platform investments with rapid product development.
• Establish engineering practices and organizational structures that enable teams to move quickly while maintaining high standards for reliability, security, and quality.
• Identify opportunities to leverage automation, AI, and emerging technologies to transform how businesses manage financial operations.
• Attract, mentor, and develop exceptional engineering leaders, building a strong leadership bench as the organization scales.
• Navigate ambiguity, make thoughtful tradeoffs, and drive execution across multiple teams and initiatives in a fast-paced environment.

What You Will Need

• 12+ years of software engineering experience, including significant experience leading and scaling engineering organizations.
• A proven track record of building and delivering complex, customer-facing products at scale, ideally within fintech, financial infrastructure, or enterprise SaaS.
• Experience leading multiple engineering teams and developing engineering managers and senior technical leaders.
• Strong technical depth, with the ability to engage in architectural discussions, challenge technical decisions, and guide teams through complex engineering problems.
• Demonstrated success partnering with Product and business leaders to translate ambitious product visions into scalable technical strategies.
• Experience operating in high-growth environments, with a strong bias toward action, ownership, and execution.
• Exceptional leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence across organizations and align teams around shared priorities.
• A builder's mindset, strong product intuition, and a passion for developing both technology and people.

This role will receive a competitive salary + benefits + equity. The salary for US-based employees will be aligned with one of the ranges below based on location; see which tier applies to your location here .

A variety of factors are considered when determining someone’s compensation–including a candidate’s professional background, experience, and location. Final offer amounts may vary from the amounts listed below.