Director of Product Engineering

Who we are:

At Help Scout, we’re on a mission to help businesses delight more customers. We’ve been on this journey since 2011, and today more than 12,000 companies use our platform to provide outstanding customer support. We’ve been fully remote from the beginning, and have a team of 140+ people all over the world.

We love crafting beautiful products and growing a business together, but we're also trying to do something bigger. We're building a company that brings out your best and leaves the world a better place — a company that seeks balance between profit and purpose. That's why we've been a Certified B Corporation since 2019 and have pledged 1% of our equity back to the community.

Help Scout’s success hinges on hiring talented, high-accountability people who want to be part of creating a culture where we all feel challenged and supported to do our best work. We hope that excites you to join us! 

Company values:

Happy to Help

Help is our first name. We show up for others, not because we have to, but because we want to. We share knowledge and give freely by default, and operate with generosity and empathy for each other, our customers, and our community. After all, there is no I in team (or software).

Craft over Convention

Although it’s tempting to follow a well-worn path, we push ourselves to run beyond it — even when that sets us apart from our peers. We’re building a culture where it’s safe to be ambitious and hold each other to high standards. That’s why we obsess over the last 10%, because it shows up for our customers and the business in powerful ways.

Progress not Perfection

The work of building a product, culture, and brand is never done – we ship our best effort, listen, iterate, then repeat. Seeking progress requires the vulnerability to be curious, humble, and hungry to learn. Great ideas can come from anywhere, so we share our work openly, welcome the perspective of others, and continuously search for what can be improved.

Own the Outcome 

Ownership is key to our collective success. We consider the impact on our team and our community before we act, and believe that trust and integrity are non-negotiable. To create a better future, our decisions are made with stakeholders today and ten years from now in mind.

Read more about how we define, share, and live these values here. 

Check out our Pitch Deck ⬅️

Your Impact

As the Director of Product Engineering at Help Scout, you will lead our product engineering teams in creating impactful, delightful, and customer-centric solutions for our customers. Your leadership will ensure that we build great features and sustain our business’s growth by keeping innovation, customer satisfaction, and rapid delivery at the forefront of all development efforts.

The Team

Our Product Engineering team is at the heart of building Help Scout’s products. By leading diverse teams of talented engineers, you will oversee the development of our flagship products and services, ensuring they meet our high standards for quality, security, and customer experience. You will be part of our broader Experience Organization, working under the leadership of our CEO, Nick Francis, and alongside product managers and designers to deliver outstanding results.

Time Zone Note

We are a globally distributed team, with members spread between EU and PT time zones. To facilitate effective collaboration, we require your working hours to significantly overlap with 8 am to 12 pm ET, ensuring productive interactions with your team members.

We are only able to hire in the United States for this role.

About the Role

• You will define and implement a strategic vision for product engineering, aligning team efforts with business objectives and customer needs. Your leadership will foster a culture of innovation, excellence, and continuous improvement. As a practitioner leader, you will lead by example, engaging in coding, design reviews, and system architecture discussions.
• You are excited about building and nurturing a top-tier engineering team. Attract, hire, and retain exceptional talent while ensuring continuous growth and development. Your role as a practicing engineer ensures that you stay connected with the challenges and advancements in the field, enhancing your ability to lead effectively.
• You’ll work with product management, design, and other stakeholders to prioritize, plan, and execute our product roadmap. Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and meet Help Scout’s quality standard. Your hands-on project involvement will serve as a beacon of technical excellence and dedication.
• You’ll drive the adoption of new technologies and methodologies to enhance product functionality and user experience. Keep the customer at the center of all product engineering efforts, aiming to exceed their expectations and solve their challenges effectively. Your direct engagement in engineering work ensures a deep understanding of our products from a technical and user perspective.
• You’ll work with other stakeholders to streamline processes and implement best practices to improve efficiency and scalability. Ensure the engineering teams have the tools and methods to achieve their goals. Your active participation in engineering practices will help identify and address inefficiencies firsthand.

About You

• Strategic Leader & Practitioner: You have a proven track record of leading product engineering teams to deliver innovative and impactful solutions and are well-versed in the hands-on aspects of software engineering. Your strategic thinking aligns technical initiatives with business goals, and your direct involvement in the craft ensures a deep connection with your team and the work.
• Exceptional Communicator: Your strong communication skills enable you to collaborate effectively with all levels of the organization and external partners. You’re adept at articulating technical vision as a leader and an active participant in the engineering process.
• Technical Expertise: With a deep understanding of modern software development practices and technologies, you are not only able to guide your teams through complex technical challenges but also contribute directly to codebases, design discussions, and architectural decisions.
• Customer-Centric: You have a strong focus on customer experience and satisfaction. Your decisions and leadership are driven by a deep understanding of our customers’ needs, enhanced by your hands-on involvement with the product.
• Results-Oriented: You are driven by the impact of your work on the company’s success and customer satisfaction. You have a track record of delivering projects that drive business growth and enhance user experience, underpinned by your direct contributions to the engineering efforts.

More information about our culture and organization

• Engineering Leadership Team Values
• Success Measure and Guiding Principles 
• Experience Org: mission, vision, strategy

Compensation

Each role at Help Scout has a pay range aligned to our salary formula and based on national market data. We take a competency-based approach and pay is based on the level and band of your role. We assess leveling during the hiring process for new teammates, during our bi-annual performance review cycles, and when a teammate’s role changes.

Our remote compensation philosophy is not based on the employee’s geographic location. You are paid the same no matter where you live.

We're offering $237,000-273,000 for this role.

Perks & Benefits

Help Scout offers a variety of perks and benefits to support you and your family. Our offerings include healthcare coverage, wellness resources, and so much more. Visit our careers page to learn more.

Hiring Guidelines: 

All of our roles are remote, however, some roles may carry specific location-based eligibility requirements. Additionally, because Help Scout is a fully remote company and we hire from many countries, we do not sponsor visas. Help Scout teammates need to be authorized to work from their home location. 

For our Sales, Product Management, Product Design, and Engineering roles, we are only able to hire in the United States.

For other roles, we are only able to hire in the following countries: United States, Canada, Australia, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, and Norway.

We’re working on expanding this list. Our Talent Acquisition team can help answer any questions about location after starting the recruiting process.

We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to building a company that embraces and celebrates diversity and inclusion. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We have read the studies and understand that diverse teams build better products, bring more perspective to the table, contribute to a company’s financial success, and help foster a more inclusive environment for all employees, but the bottom line is that it's the right thing to do.

To provide you with the best experience, we can support you with accommodations or adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Simply inform our recruitment team during your conversation with them.

About Help Scout

We're on a mission to help businesses delight more customers. We love crafting beautiful products and resources to solve that challenge, but we're also trying to do something bigger. We're trying to build a company that brings out your best and leaves the world a better place — a company that seeks balance between profit and purpose. That's why we've been a Certified B Corporation since 2019, have pledged 1% of our equity back to the community, and have been remote since day one, now with 140+ people in 115 cities worldwide.

To learn more about who we are, visit the About page.