Posted 3 days ago
Executive Technical Director
AI Summary
Leads the technical vision and engineering practice for a design and technology agency, partnering with creative, product, and delivery leaders to define architecture, standards, and AI-enabled delivery.
About this role
Instrument is a design and technology company. We build brands, products, and experiences that move businesses forward—by making the complex simple.
For over 20 years, we’ve partnered with companies like Google, ServiceNow, Uber, Eventbrite, and ŌURA, helping them navigate change, launch new ideas, and grow with intention.
Our work spans Brand, Marketing, and Product, but what defines us is how we work. We bring strategy, design, and engineering together from the start, moving quickly from idea to execution and refining as we go. We aim to do great work and be great to work with, because both matter.
We’re a collaborative, hands-on team with roots in Portland and New York and a distributed presence across the U.S. and Europe. We build teams around the needs of the work, staying nimble without sacrificing craft.
We value curiosity, perspective, and continuous learning, and we’re committed to building an inclusive environment where people can do their best work.
If that sounds like you, we’d love to meet you.
We're looking for an Executive Technical Director to lead our engineering practice, guide technical strategy across complex digital experiences, and help define what an AI-enabled software organization looks like.
This is more than an engineering leadership role. You'll partner closely with creative, product, and delivery leaders to bring ambitious ideas to life while serving as the technical voice for enterprise clients. You'll set engineering direction, mentor senior technical leaders, and build the systems, processes, and teams that deliver exceptional work.
This role is ideal for someone who loves balancing strategic leadership with technical craft. You're just as comfortable discussing architecture with engineers as you are advising executive stakeholders. You stay close to emerging technology, especially AI, and know how to turn new capabilities into practical solutions that improve both client outcomes and the way teams work.
West coast candidates preferred.
What You'll Do
- Lead the technical vision for Wizard Studio, setting engineering standards, architecture direction, and delivery practices across the team.
- Serve as the senior technology partner for one of Instrument's most significant client relationships, building trusted partnerships with engineering and product leaders.
- Drive our evolution into an AI-first engineering organization by championing AI adoption, developing team capabilities, and identifying new ways AI can improve delivery.
- Guide technical strategy across complex digital products, helping teams make thoughtful decisions around architecture, scalability, performance, security, and maintainability.
- Partner closely with Delivery, Design, and Product leadership to shape technical approaches, staffing plans, project scopes, and long-term roadmaps.
- Mentor engineering managers and technical leads, fostering a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, and inclusive leadership.
- Review technical scopes, estimates, and solution approaches, ensuring work is grounded in sound engineering and realistic planning.
- Build scalable engineering operations through reusable patterns, automation, AI-enabled workflows, and modern development practices.
- Stay ahead of emerging technologies and translate industry shifts into meaningful opportunities for both our clients and our engineering practice.
