Director of Software Engineering (SaaS & Streaming Platform)

About Bitkernel

Bitkernel Technology Inc. is redefining how the world experiences digital video. With a proven track record of innovation, we’re on a mission to revolutionize streaming technology and build complete content ecosystems. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with a growing office in Vancouver, B.C., we’re building our future in North America.

Powered by our groundbreaking platform, Goose, we’re creating a next-generation self-serve SaaS solution that enables content creators, broadcasters, and media companies to launch and scale OTT streaming services across Android, iOS, Web, and SmartTV platforms.

Why Join Bitkernel?

At Bitkernel, you’ll experience the energy of a startup with the stability of an established product—and the opportunity to make a global impact. You’ll help shape major technical innovations, collaborate with visionary leaders, and solve complex, global-scale challenges backed by long-term R&D investment.

We thrive on empathy, innovation, and continuous learning. Our team is made up of curious, strategic thinkers who combine deep technical expertise with emotional intelligence and a collaborative spirit across cultures and disciplines.

Join us to build, innovate, and grow as we redefine how the world experiences digital video.

Bitkernel DNA (is it in you?)

Startup Hustle: You thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with a hands-on, problem-solving attitude.

Boundary-Breaking Vision: You challenge conventions to pioneer innovative, world-class user interfaces.

AI-Enhanced Innovation: You harness AI to supercharge development workflows and push the boundaries of what’s possible.

About The Role

As the Director of Software Engineering, you will be responsible for the overall engineering strategy, architecture, and manage our North American Development Teams. This is a high-impact leadership role with ownership across Frontend, Backend, QA, and platform delivery, helping shape the technical direction, scalability, and performance of products used by customers globally.

You will work cross-functionally with Product, Design, DevOps, and executive leadership to define technical direction, streamline development processes, and deliver seamless video experiences to customers worldwide.

What You'll Own/Do

Lead Engineering Strategy & Team Growth

• Lead and scale multidisciplinary engineering teams across Frontend, Backend, and QA.
• Partner with Product, Sales, and executive leadership to define and execute the technical roadmap.
• Build a high-performance engineering culture focused on ownership, collaboration, quality, and continuous improvement.
• Mentor engineering managers and senior developers while helping attract and retain top technical talent.
  
  

Drive Architecture & Technical Excellence

• Provide technical leadership across distributed systems, APIs, cloud infrastructure, and frontend applications.
• Guide architectural decisions focused on scalability, reliability, security, and long-term maintainability.
• Champion engineering best practices, modern development standards, and operational excellence.
  
  

Full Lifecycle Delivery Ownership

• Oversee the full software development lifecycle (SDLC), from planning and design to testing, deployment, and maintenance.
• Ensure strong collaboration between frontend, backend, QA, and DevOps to deliver high-quality releases.
• Implement scalable development processes, CI/CD pipelines, and release management standards.
  
  

Own End-to-End Software Delivery

• Oversee the full software development lifecycle, from planning and architecture through deployment and maintenance.
• Improve development workflows, CI/CD pipelines, testing strategies, and release management processes.
• Ensure strong collaboration between engineering, QA, DevOps, Product, and Design teams to deliver high-quality releases.
  
  

Frontend & Product Experience Alignment

• Oversee frontend architecture and integration with backend systems to ensure seamless user experiences.
• Partner with Product and Design to deliver intuitive, high-performance applications.
  
  

Support Scalable Platform Development

• Guide development of scalable backend services and APIs using Java, Kotlin, and Spring-based technologies.
• Oversee frontend architecture and integration to deliver seamless, high-performance user experiences.
• Ensure platform availability, performance, observability, and reliability at scale.
  
  

Elevate Quality & Engineering Standards

• Establish metrics and processes that improve platform stability, release confidence, and engineering efficiency.
• Promote a culture of accountability, technical excellence, and continuous learning.
  
  

Help Shape the Future of Video & Streaming Technology

• Stay current with trends in SaaS, cloud infrastructure, OTT, and video streaming technologies.
• Drive innovation across platform scalability, multimedia delivery, and engineering operations.
  
  

What We Require For This Role

• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including leadership experience within SaaS, cloud, or streaming/media platforms.
• 5+ years leading and growing engineering teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams across Frontend, Backend, and QA functions.
• Strong technical background in Java, Kotlin, distributed systems, and microservices architecture.
• Experience building and scaling cloud-native applications using AWS and/or GCP.
• Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines, automated testing strategies, and modern software delivery practices.
• Experience with containerized infrastructure including Docker and Kubernetes.
• Expertise with scalable APIs, Spring-based frameworks, and enterprise system design.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence cross-functional teams.
  
  

Bonus Points For Candidates Who Have

• Video Streaming: Experience with live or VOD video streaming platforms.
• Multimedia: Familiarity with multimedia codecs (AVC, HEVC, VP9) and DRM systems (PlayReady, Widevine).
• Top-Tier Education: You hold a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field from a 4-yr accredited institution globally ranked in the top 500 universities.
  
  

Perks & Benefits

• Career Development Opportunities: Access to learning resources, mentorship, and professional growth.
• Collaborative Team Environment: Engage in team-building activities and thrive in a creative, supportive workplace.
• Great Work Environment: Work from our modern office, with flexibility to work from home on Fridays.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Extensive health & benefits plan, LTD & Life Insurance.
• Global Opportunities: Join a company with international reach and potential for future travel and team-building abroad.
• Pay Equity: We base pay on your experience, location, and internal equity to make sure everyone is compensated fairly and consistently.
  
  

The Pay Range For This Role Is

$170,000 - $210,000 CAD per year (Vancouver)