IT Director: Technology Leadership & Strategy

Company Overview

CapsLock is a global IT marketing company specializing in unique, scalable customer acquisition solutions for B2C clients. We resolve complex sales challenges for large North American partners across diverse industries. Our powerful, data-informed customer acquisition solutions integrate expertise in Digital Marketing, IT, Design, AI-driven analytics, proprietary MarTech, and sales consulting.

Innovation, technology, and people are central to CapsLock. Our core values drive the development of an internal product ecosystem that supports profitable acquisition models, flexible scaling, and optimized operations. Our diverse, global team, fluent in over 10 languages, fosters open collaboration and idea exchange to ensure client success.

Role Overview: Director of IT & Technology Foundation

The IT Director reports directly to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). This key leadership role is responsible for establishing a scalable, reliable, and secure technology foundation for CapsLock's internal products, including the MarTech platform, AI Agents, and Automation tools.

You will directly manage senior technical functions and leaders: the Head of Engineering, Head of QA, Security Manager, and the AI Team. Working closely with the Product Director, you will translate strategic goals into predictable delivery, modernize engineering and quality practices, and ensure platforms scale effectively to meet performance marketing demands.

This is a hands-on technology leadership position requiring dual focus:

• Collaboration with cross-functional teams and clear executive-level reporting.
• Deep engagement with internal engineering and domain teams to resolve complex challenges related to systems, data, and automation.

Responsibilities

Management and Collaboration

• Lead and develop the technology organization through senior leaders.
• Cultivate a high-performance engineering culture emphasizing innovation, continuous improvement, technical excellence, accountability, and an AI-driven mindset.
• Partner closely with the Product Director to align product vision, technical strategy, capacity planning, and quarterly delivery commitments.
• Collaborate with executive leadership on strategy, prioritization, and investment decisions (people, tooling, infrastructure).
• Establish a transparent reporting rhythm for all stakeholders.

Technology Strategy and Processes

• Define and drive a multi-year technology strategy.
• Establish an engineering operating system, including planning cadence, execution rituals, delivery metrics, decision logs, and scalable cross-team coordination.
• Own the technical roadmap in partnership with Product.
• Make pragmatic build-vs-buy decisions; evaluate vendors and technologies based on clear ROI and long-term maintainability.
• Implement agile methodologies across teams.
• Ensure security, compliance, and risk management across all IT systems.

Execution and Delivery Leadership

• Ensure predictable, high-quality delivery across Engineering and AI/R&D functions.
• Set standards for product specifications handoff, technical design reviews, estimation, and quality gates.
• Improve engineering throughput and quality using measurable indicators and targeted improvements.
• Champion pragmatic documentation practices.

Quality Assurance and Reliability

• Lead QA strategy through the Head of QA.
• Implement robust reliability practices.
• Own release governance and staged rollouts.

AI and R&D Leadership

• Guide the AI Team to deliver production-grade AI capabilities, transitioning from prototypes to reliable systems.
• Partner with Product to identify high-leverage AI opportunities and deliver measurable business impact.
• Set responsible AI practices: data privacy, model governance, human-in-the-loop controls where appropriate, and ongoing quality monitoring.

Talent, Hiring, and Team Development

• Shape organizational design and hiring plans to support growth objectives.
• Coach and mentor leaders; establish career ladders and performance expectations to retain top talent.
• Create a learning culture.

Required Skills & Experience

• 8+ years of experience in software engineering, including 4+ years in senior leadership roles (Director/Head/Engineering Manager leading managers).
• Proven experience leading multiple teams and senior leaders across Engineering, QA, and Security (directly or via strong managers).
• Strong background in building and scaling high-availability systems, automation platforms, and data-heavy products with clear performance requirements.
• Hands-on understanding of modern software architecture (services, APIs, event-driven systems) and pragmatic technical decision-making.
• Strong DevOps and cloud fundamentals: CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, containerization, server-less technologies, observability, and operational excellence.
• Track record of improving delivery predictability and quality through process, metrics, and technical leadership (not bureaucracy).
• Strong security mindset: experience implementing secure practices and partnering with security/compliance functions.
• Experience collaborating with remote teams across different cultures and time zones.
• Experience with agile methodologies and modern software development practices.

Essential Qualities for Success

• A people-first leader who raises standards while building trust, clarity, and a sustainable pace.
• A systems thinker capable of connecting product outcomes, engineering constraints, and operational realities into a unified plan.
• Calm, decisive, and accountable under pressure (incidents, tight deadlines, high-stakes automation).
• High ownership and autonomy: ability to build structure, remove friction, and make trade-offs explicit.
• Strong collaborator: excels when Engineering and Product are aligned and operating as one team.
• Ability to communicate clearly with executives and non-technical stakeholders, reporting progress and risk with crisp narratives.
• Strategic thinker who balances short-term needs with long-term objectives.
• Comfortable in fast-moving environments where business impact, uptime, and correctness are critical.

Nice to Have Qualifications

• Experience with performance marketing ecosystems (Meta, Google, TikTok) and the realities of CPA/ROAS optimization, pacing, and attribution.
• Experience with AI/ML technologies and implementing AI-driven solutions.
• Knowledge of marketing technology platforms and the digital marketing ecosystem.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure and microservices architecture.
• Experience with data platforms (lake/warehouse, ELT pipelines, event tracking, data contracts) and analytics governance.
• Familiarity with common stacks used for high-scale web services and data products (e.g., PHP, Node.js, Go; PostgreSQL or similar).
• Professional degree in Computer Science, IT, or a related field (bachelor degree, master degree, MBA, etc).

Why Join CapsLock? (Benefits & Perks)

• Remote Work: We are a truly remote-first company. Choose where you are most productive and comfortable.
• Paid Time Off: We support work-life balance with paid time off for rest and personal time.
• Unlimited Sick Days: Your health matters. Take the time needed to rest and recover.
• Ongoing Learning: We support continuous learning through workshops, online courses, conferences, and certifications.
• Home Office: We cover equipment and furniture expenses to help you set up your perfect workspace at home.
• Co-Working Space: Full cost coverage for a co-working space if you desire a change of scenery or social interaction.
• Medical Coverage: Reimbursement for medical insurance and health-related expenses, including dental care and psychological support.
• Physical Well-Being: Flexibility to stay active your way, covering gym memberships, yoga classes, home workout equipment, or a bicycle.
• Fun Stuff: We ensure connection and fun through gaming nights, fitness challenges, and annual retreats at world-class resorts.