Principal - Platform Engineering

We are seeking a Head of Platform Engineering to lead and scale Descripts Platform organization. Operating as an internal product team, the Platform group focuses on providing tools, infrastructure, and services that enable our engineering teams to deliver exceptional products to our users.
Platform Organization
Infrastructure Team : Builds and maintains our core backend and development infrastructure, ensuring scalability, reliability, and performance.
Builder Experience Team : Focuses on the foundations of our client applications, CI/CD, build, test, and release.
AI Enablement Team : Develops and scales our AI/ML infrastructure to support cuttingedge research and integration of AI features into our products.
Media Team : Scales and improves our proprietary media server which handles playback and media serving.
Core Engineering : Responsible for monetization foundations (usage tracking, Stripe integration), identity services (auth, permissions, user/team management), and key enterprise integrations.
Build a scalable, reliable, and performant infrastructure to support the growth of our engineering, data, and research teams.
Product Transition : Lead the transition of our features and infrastructure from a desktop appheavy product to a webfirst and cloudbased user experience.
Establish the foundations for a worldclass developer experience, enhancing productivity and satisfaction across a fastgrowing, fullstack engineering organization.
AI/ML Integration : Scale our AI/ML platform to support innovative research, rapid productization of AI features, and a product feedback cycle for model improvements.
Strategic Leadership : Develop and execute a strategic vision and roadmap for the Platform organization, aligning with company goals.
Recruit, mentor, and grow engineering managers and engineers, fostering a culture of continuous learning.
Operational Excellence : Ensure predictable, reliable, and sustainable execution across the Platform teams.
CrossFunctional Collaboration : Work closely with Product, Design, and other Engineering teams to meet internal stakeholder needs.
Drive innovation within the Platform organization, continually improving our infrastructure, tools, and processes.
Culture Building : Help scale and evolve our company culture as we grow, promoting values of collaboration, inclusivity, and excellence.
Leadership Experience : 5+ years of engineering management, including leading multiple teams or an organization in a platform or developer experience domain.
Strong background in cloud platforms (preferably GCP), scalable infrastructure, and AI/ML technologies.
Communicates clearly and effectively, both in writing and verbally, across technical and nontechnical audiences.
Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent professional experience).
Startup Experience : Managing engineering teams at a highgrowth startup where the rate of change is extremely high.
AI/ML Background : Familiarity with AI/ML platforms, tools, and practices.
Background in building developer tools and enhancing developer experience.
Descript is building a simple, intuitive, fullypowered editing tool for video and audio. We are a team of 150 backed by investors such as OpenAI, Andreessen Horowitz, Redpoint Ventures, and Spark Capital. Our headquarters are located in the Mission District of San Francisco, CA. We support remote and hybrid roles and offer a generous healthcare package, 401(k) matching, catered lunches, and flexible vacation time.
We are dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status. We actively build a team rich in diverse backgrounds, experiences, and opinions to better allow our products, community, and employees to thrive.
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