Director of Engineering

Our client, a fast-growing AI SaaS company based in Maia (Porto), helps industrial clients make smarter production, pricing and procurement decisions – not just with forecasts, but with full decision intelligence. With strong market traction, an elite founder team and a high-performing tech squad, they’re now scaling their platform and product infrastructure. As Director of Engineering & AI Applications, you’ll shape the foundation of how these systems scale and deliver impact. You’ll lead a team of 10+ engineers across fullstack, data and AI domains – and report directly to the CEO. The company is international, casual in culture, and offers significant product ownership. If you’re ready to lead from the front and help move billions of datapoints into real-world decisions, this is your moment. Tasks As Director you lead a team of 10+ across backend, frontend, data and AI/ML. Build and scale engineering structures and practices that enable fast, high-quality delivery across domains. Define and own the product and technical roadmap in close collaboration with the CEO and Product leadership. Shape the architecture of fullstack systems, from PostgreSQL and ETL to React, LangChain and orchestration frameworks. Oversee DevOps and cloud infrastructure (Kubernetes, CI/CD, containerisation, monitoring) to ensure scalable deployments. Drive technical excellence through code reviews, testing strategies, documentation and velocity KPIs. Coordinate large cross-team projects, manage trade-offs and align timelines with product stakeholders. Ensure system security, GDPR compliance and operational reliability in AI-driven and data-intensive environments. Develop the talent pipeline by hiring, onboarding and mentoring engineers at all levels. Represent engineering in investor discussions, roadmap reviews and company-wide planning sessions. Foster a culture of technical curiosity, ownership and constructive feedback across teams. Requirements As Director, you bring 7–12+ years of software experience, including 3+ in senior leadership roles. Proven success leading cross-functional teams of 10+ engineers across fullstack, data and AI/ML domains. Familiarity with AI/ML systems and frameworks, including LLMs, agent-based architectures and LangChain/LangGraph. Strong background in Python development, modern web technologies (React) and system architecture. Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code and scalable deployment. Deep understanding of Agile delivery, sprint planning, stakeholder management and roadmap execution. Strong project management skills, including budget awareness and cross-team coordination. Experience with data-intensive applications, ETL pipelines and high-volume APIs or scraping systems. Excellent communication skills – both technical and non-technical – in English (C1 level or higher required). Background in SaaS, AI products, forecasting tools or industry-specific enterprise solutions is a plus. Benefits Equity Participation: You’ll receive a competitive executive-level salary and VSOP equity, with strong upside as the company grows. Strategic Ownership: You’ll lead all engineering domains and directly influence product and tech strategy with full autonomy and budget authority. Remote Work: If you bring high performance after the onboarding at the office side, you get the option to work up to fully remote Relocation Support: For your on-site onboarding or if you decide to move to Porto, you receive support with logistics, housing and onboarding connections to make it smooth. Flexible Working Hours: Meetings are between 9 and 17 – but your working hours are fully self-managed. Leadership Proximity: Direct reporting line to CEO/CTO – enabling real influence in strategic and product decisions. Growth Opportunity: You’ll scale the tech team from 10 onside colleagues to 20+ and build the backbone for future engineering structures. Professional Development Budget: Conference visits, certifications, or training – you’re supported in growing both technically and as a leader. Cultural Fit & Team: International, casual, highly collaborative. No ego, just product focus and shared wins. Real Impact: You’ll see how your engineering decisions translate into margin improvements, pricing strategies and working capital efficiency for global manufacturers. Events & Team Moments: From summer BBQs to game nights and annual off-sites – there’s always a chance to connect. What’s next? If you’re ready to lead, scale and make your mark in one of Europe’s most exciting AI SaaS environments, we’d love to meet you. Apply now as Director of Engineering & AI Applications.