Head of Engineering

Want to change the world? At betterplace.org, we do. For real.

Do you believe in making a difference? Each one of the 35,000 NGOs on betterplace.org does. And as Germany’s leading donation platform, we bring them together with the people who can make their projects become a reality and help them change the world.

You prefer to make an impact instead of just another website? To create your own space instead of having it designed for you? To help real people instead of shareholders? Then this might just be the place for you.

Head of Engineering

Start January 2021 / 40 hours per week /office in Berlin-Kreuzberg + remote

We are looking for a Head of Engineering to help us grow from a small but dedicated development team into a capable multi-team setup for a growing company. You will work closely with our CTO to set up our engineering team(s) for new challenges.

Your Job:

You will be leading our development team(s) and help us to grow from 5 developers to about a dozen in 2021. You will be in charge of recruiting new developers, make sure they are integrated well into the existing team and develop a multi-team setup together with our CTO and other stakeholders. You’ll help your developers grow professionally and make sure new people can be onboarded smoothly.

Your technical expertise will assist us in finding an architecture that works well with our teams and in modularizing our (currently monolithic) code base for that.

Ideally, you have:

• Six years in web development, involving system-level architectural work.
• Familiarity with Ruby on Rails and Javascript frameworks are a bonus.
• Four years of experience in leading multiple technical teams in at least two different setups
• Experience in coaching and mentoring direct reports. Agile Coaching skills are a bonus.
• Hands-on experience with tech recruiting and candidate sourcing
• Experience with different software stacks, design patterns and team structures
• Fluency in English (at least level B2, or above). Knowledge of German is a bonus.

We offer:

• a great team working on a product that actually helps people
• the possibility to learn, teach and grow professionally
• family-friendly and flexible arrangements
• possibility to work from home, openness to discuss remote arrangements
• all the other perks you get from working at betterplace

Some side facts:

Language: We will be transitioning to English as a language in the development team, and you will get by using English. However, German is still used in many places outside the development team and a little German can be helpful. We will assist with language courses if needed.

Remote culture: Regular presence in Berlin must be possible for you - it’s worth it!

Freelancers: You’re welcome to send your portfolio/CV, but we’ll only reply if we actually have the need. We have no need for outsourcing teams at this time. Non-EU candidates: We can consider your application if you qualify for a EU blue card. This means that you must have a formal university degree that is recognised in Germany.

Application process:

You can easily apply through our online form and upload your CV. Do not include any picture of yourself, but please write a few words about yourself and what made you apply. Our recruiter will call you for a first informal conversation to get to know you a little. We’ll send you quick coding puzzle that shouldn’t take more than 2 or 3 hours to complete We’ll set up a 20-30 minute call with the development team to get a first impression and discuss the puzzle Next step: An interview day of 3-4 hours on which you’ll meet technical people from different roles, at least one product person and someone from a different team. Some of it will be hands-on coding.

What’s important to us:

We strive to become a more diverse workplace that fosters diversity, openness and mutual respect. Therefore we invite applications from all who are interested, regardless of origin, age, religion, sexual and gender identity, disability and from people with a migrant background and People of Colour.