Director of Engineering - Product Engineering

Zūm•Redwood City, CA

3d•$280,000 - $320,000•Hybrid

About The Position

This is a senior leadership role at the core of how ZÅ«m scales its platform. You will lead a team of 10–15 experienced engineers, set the technical direction for ZÅ«m's Connected Mobility Experience (CMX), and partner closely with Product, Design, and Leadership teams to deliver a platform that moves millions of students safely every day. You report to the CTO. ZÅ«m is revolutionizing mass mobility with its Connected Mobility Experience (ZÅ«m CMX™) system that connects and coordinates people, vehicles, and operations in real time. In the $50 billion student mobility market – the largest segment of the mass mobility industry – ZÅ«m CMX is transforming a daily source of anxiety and disruption into a reliable, transparent, and efficient mobility experience for students and families. Today, more than 4,500 schools rely on ZÅ«m CMX. Recognized globally for its innovative approach and operational execution, ZÅ«m has been named to Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies, CNBC Disruptor 50 and Changemakers, the World Economic Forum, and the Financial Times’ Fastest Growing Companies lists. ZÅ«m is backed by leading investors including Sequoia Capital, GIC, TPG, and Softbank.

Requirements

10+ years of software engineering experience, including 5+ years in an engineering leadership role.
Track record building and scaling complex, multi-component platforms.
Demonstrated ability to hire and grow senior engineering teams at a scaling company.
Hands-on experience with AI integration in production systems.
Excellent written and verbal communication — deep with engineers, clear with executives

Nice To Haves

Background in mobility, logistics, marketplaces, or other physical-plus-software platforms
Experience with enterprise SaaS sold into the public sector or regulated industries.

Responsibilities

Own the product architecture of CMX — routing algorithms, real-time dispatch, fleet management, marketplace, and the AI layer underneath it all.
Stay hands-on enough to earn credibility with a senior team — you can read system designs, hold the line on quality, and if needed, roll up your sleeves to write/debug code
Hire, develop, and retain exceptional engineers. The team is small but mighty today and expanding quickly.
Instill strong engineering practices: code review, incident response, and delivery cadence. Build a culture of execution with urgency and ownership.
Run engineering operating cadences (sprint reviews, roadmap planning) that give leadership an honest view of progress and risk.
Embed AI capabilities directly into how CMX is built — real-time dispatch, predictive exceptions, AI-optimized navigation.
Evaluate and adopt new tools. If a new model, framework, or architecture improves outcomes, you move on it.