Director of Engineering

Job Description

The Director of Engineering at Torchlight is a senior role responsible for leading the engineering team in the development, architecture, and maintenance of our product lines. Reporting directly to the Chief Technology Officer, this role involves significant strategic leadership (approximately 70% of time) and active hands‑on technical architecture/code contributions (approximately 30% of time), while coaching and directing the team, ensuring alignment with business objectives, and translating stakeholder expectations into actionable engineering strategies.

The role emphasizes extensive collaboration with business units to drive innovation in cloud‑based analytics solutions, with a strong emphasis on DOD compliance and secure, scalable architectures. Applicants must be eligible to receive or possess a DOD SECRET Security Clearance.

• Lead and direct a high‑performing engineering team, providing mentorship, performance feedback, while actively contributing to hands‑on knowledge of the code and architecture by dedicating time to key contributions.
• Architect and oversee the design of secure, scalable cloud solutions leveraging our API services and platform, ensuring adherence to best code practices, including code reviews, CI/CD pipelines, and maintainable, efficient codebases.
• Collaborate effectively and confidently with business stakeholders, serving as the primary technical liaison for high‑value deal closures and translating complex expectations and requirements into technical roadmaps, prioritizing features that align with government and corporate needs in defense and intelligence sectors.
• Drive technical strategy for DOD‑compliant systems, incorporating cloud architecture best practices, with a preference for GCP environments, to support custom integrations, data flows, and analytics capabilities.
• Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, implementing agile methodologies, conducting architectural reviews, and ensuring engineering efforts directly support business growth and high‑value deal closures.
• Partner with cross‑functional teams, including Product, Sales, and Solutions, to provide technical feasibility assessments, risk mitigation, and strategic guidance throughout the product lifecycle.
• Develop and enforce good code practices across the team, including documentation, testing, and security protocols, while staying proactive on industry trends in cloud computing and analytics.
• Lean in aggressively to business initiatives, participating in executive discussions, workshops, and planning sessions to bridge technical and business domains effectively.

• Cloud Architecture
  
  Experience:
  
  Proven expertise in designing and implementing scalable cloud architectures on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), including integration patterns (e.g., REST APIs, webhooks), database management, and secure data flows. GCP Professional Cloud Architect or Professional Cloud Security Engineer certification is highly desired.
• DOD
  
  Experience:
  
  Demonstrated experience working with Department of Defense projects, including familiarity with compliance standards, security protocols, and government sector challenges.
• Good Code Practices:
  Strong understanding and enforcement of best practices in software engineering, such as clean code principles, version control (e.g., Git), automated testing, and code reviews.
• Strategic Team Development & Culture Building:
  Proven success in scaling and mentoring technical teams, and defining a high‑accountability engineering culture focused on performance and continuous innovation.
• Business
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Skill in working closely with business units, translating stakeholder expectations into technical deliverables, and leaning in aggressively to align engineering with organizational goals.
• Problem‑Solving & Analytical Thinking:
  Ability to diagnose complex technical and business challenges, design creative solutions, and drive execution in a fast‑paced environment.
• Security Clearance:
  Ability to obtain a DOD SECRET Security Clearance
• Proactive Learner:
  Self‑driven, with a commitment to staying updated on cloud technologies, API advancements, and…