Who we are:
Here at Focused Labs, we are a small, boutique, software consulting team that wants to become the “anti-agency” by showing our clients what software consulting should be. We take a unique approach to deliver products to market quickly with an emphasis on sustainable growth so that our clients are always in a better place.
Our values:
- Listen first - we are experts when it comes to software, but life long learners in the domain of our customers. We listen, collaborate, and iterate closely with our clients.
- Learn why - we are deeply invested in the outcomes of our clients and apply our expertise to make wise technology decisions with them.
- Love your craft - we love programming and the craft of software engineering.
What would you be doing?
The title “Director of Engineering” can cover a wide range of responsibilities that change over time. At Focused Labs we’re currently looking for a leader to help transition our talented team of engineers from the “storming” to the “norming” stage. This means learning deeply about what has made us successful, why our clients love us, and extracting those lessons to build a scalable engineering organization. Initially, you will be working on organization and execution as a technologist and business executive.
- Lead and manage a team of managers, software engineers, and tech leads, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
- Help grow our engineering team and culture.
- Act as a technical liaison with clients, understanding their business challenges, defining project scope, and recommending solutions.
- Manage all engineering hiring and performance evaluations to ensure a high-performing engineering organization.
- Own the quality and output for all engineers at Focused Labs, maintain consistency across projects, manage utilization, and coordinate allocations.
- Collaborate with the sales team on building strategy for pricing and packaging services to streamline Focused Labs offerings.
Why are we excited about you?
- You have multiple years of experience in technology consulting
- You have multiple years of experience as a manager or technology leader (VP of Engineering, General Manager, Sr. Manager, Head of Engineering, CTO, etc.)
- You are comfortable working as an executive and don’t shy away from rolling up your sleeves to be hands-on with client projects
- You love leading others and have experience managing engineering teams.
- You are comfortable working with non-technical stakeholders and are comfortable participating in regular meetings with clients.
- You grow expertise in the steadily evolving technology landscape.
If you had worked at Focused Labs over the last 3 months you may have:
- Paired with a teammate to build an e-commerce purchase flow.
- Started a new project using Kotlin, Rails, Vue, React, or Node!
- Worked with a client to prioritize their backlog for MVP.
- Deployed a Kubernetes cluster and applications to it.
- Integrated with GM OnStar to remotely control a vehicle.
- Helped our company define a Parental Leave Policy.
- Played Settlers of Catan with the team over happy hour.
- Written this job req.
What to know before you apply:
- We’re looking for team members in the Chicago and Denver areas so they can work in-person with individuals and leadership when possible. We believe this will provide the best opportunities for building relationships with the team.
The Chicago and Denver on-target earnings for this role are $190,000 - $250,000.
Benefits
... But with a nicer setup. Everyone on our team is reimbursed up to $1,000 to kit out a comfortable home office.
We all keep Focused Hours - 9 to 4 Central - to collaborate with your team. Adjust the rest of your weekly schedule based on client needs, location, and preference.
We don’t do annual reviews for the same reason we don’t release software once a year. We reward good work when it happens.
Our salary ranges are transparent and raises are discussed when you earn them, so everyone gets fair pay.
We match 100% of your contributions for the first 3% of your salary and 50% for the next 2%, vesting immediately.
We allow you to change your major medical plan up to 4 times per year.
21 vacation days, 5 sick days — enough time away to really like it when you're here.
Everyone gets 12 weeks of fully paid leave to welcome new family members — and a structured welcome back to work.
Our Core Values
Love your Craft
We’re passionate about being the best at what we do, down to every detail.
Listen First
We listen, collaborate and iterate closely with our clients and each other.
Learn Why
We keep asking questions, to continuously learn and continuously improve.