Hybrid Head of Engineering

at Zalando

• Job title: Head of Engineering
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Lead
• Salary: Not specified
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Tech skills: AWS, Cloud, Docker, DynamoDB, EC2, Java, Kubernetes, Microservices, Python
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Ansbach, Germany

About the role

• Head of Engineering leading and mentoring engineering teams to build scalable SaaS solutions in the e-commerce sector. Drive delivery and ensure quality for high-load scenarios.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow multiple cross-functional engineering teams.
• Manage Engineering Managers, fostering a culture of ownership, psychological safety, and continuous improvement.
• Combine high-level architectural strategy with a hands-on mentality.
• Ensure our systems are scalable and robust, but dive into the code or architecture discussions to unblock teams or solve critical technical challenges.
• Work closely with Product Leadership to align technical roadmaps with business goals.
• Translate complex e-commerce requirements into a solid technical vision and ensure timely delivery of high-value features.
• Champion cloud-native best practices (AWS), microservices architecture, and operational excellence for high-load e-commerce scenarios.
• Define and enforce engineering standards across the department (CI/CD pipelines to testing strategies (TDD/E2E)).
• Actively shape the team structure, identify talent gaps, and drive the hiring process to attract top-tier engineers.

Requirements

• You have a proven track record of leading multiple engineering teams in a fast-paced SaaS or E-commerce environment, without losing touch with the technology itself.
• Leadership: proven experience managing multiple teams or "leaders of leaders." You know how to align teams towards a common goal.
• SaaS & E-commerce: Ideally, you will already have experience with e-commerce or SaaS.
• Hands-on Mentality: You are a leader who remains technically sharp. You can conduct code reviews, participate in architectural decisions, and speak the same language as your Senior Engineers.
• Strong Engineering Roots: You have a solid background in Software Engineering (originally coming from Java, Python, or a similar modern stack). You understand the nuances of the JVM or Python ecosystem.
• Architecture: Mastery of modern architecture patterns (Microservices, Event-Driven Architecture, REST/OpenAPI).
• Cloud Native: Deep understanding of AWS services (Lambda, EC2, SQS/Kinesis, RDS/DynamoDB) and containerization (Docker/Kubernetes).
• Modern Practices: You are a strong advocate for DevOps culture, CI/CD (GitLab/, ArgoCD), and Infrastructure as Code.
• Solution Oriented: You put the customer first and solve customer requirements with a product-led and solution-oriented approach.
• Business Acumen: You can translate technical debt and architectural needs into business value for stakeholders. You have excellent communication skills and a very good command of English (written and spoken). You act as a bridge between Engineering, Product, and Business.

Benefits

• Employee shares program
• 40% off fashion and beauty products sold and shipped by Zalando
• 30% off Lounge by Zalando
• discounts from external partners
• 2 paid volunteering days a year
• Hybrid working model - work where it works for you within Germany or the UK, with occasional office attendance required for moments that matter.
• Work from abroad for up to 30 working days a year
• 27 days of vacation a year to start for full-time employees
• Relocation assistance available (subject to prior agreement)
• Family services, including counseling and support
• Health and wellbeing options (including Wellhub, formerly Gympass)
• Mental health support and coaching available
• Drive your development with our training offerings and biannual peer-to-peer review