Director of Engineering - Content Platform (Catalog)

Spotify
London, United Kingdom
Remote

Who this role is best for

A natural match if you have experience leading distributed engineering teams in AI or data-intensive systems.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with leadership experience in distributed engineering teams and a background in AI or data-intensive systems
    — “You have experience leading engineering organizations through other leaders and scaling teams effectively.”
  • Individuals who have guided platform-level transformations and legacy system modernization
    — “You have experience evolving legacy systems and guiding long-term platform transformations.”
  • Professionals with a track record of aligning technical strategy with business goals in high-impact environments
    — “You have worked on complex, data-intensive systems where accuracy, consistency, and reliability at scale are critical.”

Things to consider

  • The role requires some in-person meetings despite remote flexibility
    — “There will be some in person meetings, but still allows for flexibility to work from home.”
  • Candidates must be comfortable with high-impact decision-making and trade-offs
    — “You are comfortable navigating ambiguity and making thoughtful trade-offs in high-impact environments.”

How to stand out

  • Highlight your experience in building scalable, reliable distributed systems for global content platforms
    — “We’re hiring Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineers to build and scale foundational ML systems that power content understanding...”
  • Emphasize your ability to modernize complex legacy systems and guide platform transformations
    — “Guide the evolution and modernization of complex legacy systems into scalable, reliable architecture.”
  • Showcase your leadership in fostering inclusive engineering cultures and team growth
    — “Build an inclusive engineering culture where teams continuously improve how they work and deliver.”
  • Demonstrate your ability to align technical strategy with broader company and platform goals
    — “Own and drive the technical strategy for a critical platform domain, aligning it with broader company and platform goals.”
  • Position yourself as a strategic thinker who balances immediate priorities with long-term investments
    — “Develop and execute a long-term roadmap that balances immediate priorities with strategic investments.”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Company

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • led and developed multiple engineering teams
  • enabled teams to build product experiences efficiently
  • improved system reliability
Typical background
experience leading engineering organizationsworked on complex, data-intensive systems

Skills & requirements

Required

Machine LearningPlatform-level ML SystemsSystem DesignDistributed SystemsTeam LeadershipTechnical StrategyAutomationAI

Preferred

Multimodal Content UnderstandingSafetyRisk DetectionPolicy EnforcementCompliance

Stack & domain

Machine LearningData-intensive SystemsDistributed SystemsSystem DesignArchitectural Decision-makingLeadershipCross-functional CollaborationStrategic ThinkingContent PlatformCatalogAIML SystemsSafetyRisk DetectionPolicy EnforcementCompliance

About the role

Original posting from Spotify via Lever

We design Spotify’s consumer experience—end to end, moment to moment, across every screen, platform, and partner integration. Our mission is to make listening feel effortless, personal, and joyful for billions of users around the world. That means turning complexity into clarity across hundreds of touchpoints—from our mobile and desktop apps to the smart speakers, TVs, cars, and integrations where Spotify shows up every day. If it touches a consumer, we shape it. We bring deep insight into human behavior, design, and technology to craft experiences that feel intuitive, expressive, and unmistakably Spotify.

This position sits at the heart of Spotify’s Content Platform, responsible for the systems that define, structure, and govern content across the platform. Our mission is to provide a trusted, consistent source of truth so content can be reliably managed and reused across every Spotify experience. We build and operate the core systems and workflows that ensure content is accurate, complete, and available, from APIs and lifecycle orchestration through to content quality and integrity.

As Spotify’s content ecosystem continues to grow in scale and complexity across new formats, use cases, and regulatory environments, this domain plays a critical role in helping us scale intentionally while maintaining the trust and quality our users and creators expect.

We’re seeking a Director of Engineering to lead this domain, shaping its technical direction, developing teams, and evolving the systems that underpin Spotify’s global content platform.

What You'll Do:

  • Lead and develop multiple engineering teams through engineering managers, supporting their growth and impact.
  • Own and drive the technical strategy for a critical platform domain, aligning it with broader company and platform goals.
  • Enable teams across Spotify to build product experiences efficiently by improving the underlying catalog systems.
  • Guide the evolution and modernization of complex legacy systems into scalable, reliable architecture.
  • Partner closely with product and cross-functional leaders to align priorities and drive execution.
  • Improve system reliability and reduce operational friction in workflows that directly impact content availability.
  • Identify and apply opportunities for automation and AI to improve data quality and engineering productivity.
  • Build an inclusive engineering culture where teams continuously improve how they work and deliver.
  • Develop and execute a long-term roadmap that balances immediate priorities with strategic investments.

Who You Are:

  • You have experience leading engineering organizations through other leaders and scaling teams effectively.
  • You have worked on complex, data-intensive systems where accuracy, consistency, and reliability at scale are critical.
  • You bring strong system design and architectural decision-making experience in distributed systems.
  • You are comfortable navigating ambiguity and making thoughtful trade-offs in high-impact environments.
  • You have experience evolving legacy systems and guiding long-term platform transformations.
  • You influence effectively across engineering, product, and business stakeholders.
  • You have experience leading distributed teams and creating alignment across locations.
  • You communicate clearly and can explain complex technical topics to a range of audiences.
  • You are curious about how AI and automation can improve systems and workflows and apply that thinking pragmatically.
  • You care about building inclusive, collaborative environments where teams can grow and do their best work.

Where You'll Be:

  • This role is based in Stockholm or London
  • We offer you the flexibility to work where you work best! There will be some in person meetings, but still allows for flexibility to work from home.

Source: Spotify careers (Lever)

Similar roles