Director of Engineering

Location: Hyderabad, India | Department: Engineering & Product Development | Compensation: ₹40-50 LPA (Fixed)

About SmartDocs

SmartDocs is a 16-year-old, profitable, bootstrapped enterprise SaaS company providing procurement and spend management solutions to large enterprises globally. We compete head-to-head with SAP Ariba and Coupa, serving 26 enterprise customers—primarily major US infrastructure organizations whose operations depend on our platform processing millions of dollars in procurement transactions daily.

Our platform processes millions of dollars in procurement transactions for Fortune 500 companies. We're in the midst of an ambitious R&D transformation evolving from our successful bootstrapped roots to implement Silicon Valley-grade engineering operations, processes, and excellence.

This is not a corporate job. This is a builder's role.

People who were associated with US tolling system, spend management platform or Vendor Management system is highly preferable

Who We're Looking For

The Ideal Background

We're specifically seeking technical leaders with entrepreneurial battle scars—those who've been founding engineers, technical co-founders, or early engineering leaders who built something from scratch. You understand what it takes to ship quality software when every decision matters. You've made tough technical calls with real consequences. You know the difference between perfectionism and pragmatism because you've lived both.

You might be:

• A technical co-founder or founding engineer who took a startup from idea to production

• An early engineering leader (first 5-10 hires) who architected and scaled a product

• A tech-savvy entrepreneur who built and shipped a technical product to real customers

• A CTO or Engineering Director from a bootstrapped, capital-efficient company

• Someone who worked shoulder-to-shoulder with founders/CEOs on mission-critical applications where system reliability directly impacted business survival

What matters most: You've built something significant with your own hands, made critical technical decisions with constrained resources, and understand the weight of engineering choices when real customers and revenue depend on your platform.

We value entrepreneurial experience—whether your venture achieved unicorn status, profitability, got acquired, or taught you invaluable lessons through a pivot or wind-down. What we care about is that you were in the arena making things happen.

The Technical Must-Haves

This isn't about checking boxes—we need someone who can actually architect, build, and fix things when necessary:

Core Technical Requirements

• 7-15 years of hands-on software engineering experience

• Someone who have experience with products or projects in US tolling system, Vendor management system or spend Management.

• Expert-level proficiency in:

• Java and Spring Boot (not just familiarity—you've architected and built production systems)

• MongoDB (you understand document design, indexing, performance optimization)

• React or Angular (you can jump into frontend code when needed)

• Exposure to Azure (VMs, cloud services, deployments)

• Experience with mission-critical applications where system failures have serious business consequences

• 3-5+ years leading engineering teams—you've managed managers and scaled teams

The "Founder/Builder" Technical DNA

• You've written production code recently—not just reviewed it from a distance

• You understand technical debt as business trade-offs, not engineering failures

• You've made build-vs-buy decisions with real budget constraints

• You know how to extract maximum value from lean teams

• You've shipped features with imperfect information and learned fast

• You've worked directly with business stakeholders (founders, CEOs, customers) translating technical complexity into business outcomes

The Role: What You'll Actually Do

Engineering Leadership (Not Just Management)

• Lead 4 engineering managers and 15+ engineers building our Java/Spring Boot/MongoDB/Angular platform

• Own end-to-end execution: from sprint planning to production deployment to customer success

• Make real-time technical decisions—architecture reviews, production incident response, technical feasibility assessments

• Balance feature delivery against technical debt with P&L consciousness (like an owner, not just an employee)

• Roll up your sleeves when critical issues need senior technical intervention

Building World-Class Operations (Without Corporate Bureaucracy)

• Implement engineering processes that actually improve velocity (not ones that look good on slides)

• Establish meaningful metrics—code quality, deployment frequency, incident response times, team velocity

• Build CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and deployment automation from scratch or improve existing ones

• Create engineering standards that balance enterprise requirements with startup agility

• Scale processes from 15 to 50+ engineers without losing execution speed or creating red tape

Strategic Partnership with Leadership

• Report directly to our CTO—partner on technical strategy and architecture decisions

• Work closely with CEO on company trajectory, R&D transformation, and growth initiatives

• Translate technical constraints and opportunities into business language for stakeholders

• Collaborate with Product Management on roadmap prioritization and technical feasibility

• Coordinate with US-based customers on implementations, integrations, and technical requirements

Technical Transformation Initiatives

• Consolidate customer-specific code branches into unified, maintainable codebase

• Reduce technical debt systematically without stalling feature delivery

• Modernize legacy components while maintaining 99.9% uptime for enterprise customers

• Build scalable architecture that supports future growth without over-engineering

• Drive adoption of modern development practices that fit our business reality

What Success Looks Like

In 90 Days:

• Built credibility with the team through technical competence and decisive action

• Identified top 3-5 process improvements and started implementation

• Resolved at least one critical technical issue that was blocking progress

• Established clear communication rhythms with engineering managers, CTO, and CEO

In 6 Months:

• Engineering velocity measurably improved with new processes yielding results

• Technical debt reduction roadmap defined and actively in execution

• Team morale demonstrably high—engineers respect your technical judgment and leadership

• Quick wins delivered that prove your impact to the business

In 12 Months:

• Engineering organization operates with startup efficiency and enterprise reliability

• Processes scale to support 30-50 engineers without adding bureaucracy

• Technical foundation is solid for next phase of company growth

• You're the technical leader the CEO and CTO depend on for critical decisions

• You're thinking like a business owner, not just an engineering leader

What Makes Someone Right for This

Must-Have Qualities

✅ Execution obsession – You ship. You don't just plan, discuss, and strategize endlessly.

✅ Technical credibility – Engineers respect you because you can do the work, not just manage it.

✅ Owner mentality – You think about ROI, customer impact, and business outcomes.

✅ Comfort with ambiguity – You've operated without perfect processes or unlimited resources.

✅ Direct communication – You tell it straight, especially when delivering hard truths to leadership.

✅ Customer empathy – You've felt the pain of production incidents affecting real users and business operations.

✅ Pragmatic perfectionism – You know when "good enough now" beats "perfect later."

✅ Strategic thinking – You connect engineering decisions to business outcomes naturally.

Deal-Breakers

❌ Pure "process people" who've never written production code or made technical decisions under pressure

❌ Leaders who need perfect information before making decisions

❌ Those seeking predictable 9-to-5 corporate roles with clearly defined swim lanes

❌ Anyone uncomfortable with hands-on technical work when business needs demand it

❌ Leaders who create process for process's sake rather than business value

❌ People who see engineering as separate from business success

Why This Opportunity is Different

It's Real

• Profitable company – 16 years, real revenue, real customers (not burning through funding rounds)

• Enterprise customers – Major US infrastructure organizations depend on our platform for daily operations

• Mission-critical systems – When we go down, procurement operations for major infrastructure companies stop

• Technical challenges – Scaling, modernization, integration complexity—substantive engineering problems

• Proven product-market fit – We're not searching for PMF; we're scaling what works

It's Rare

• Bootstrapped DNA – We think like owners, not corporate employees spending someone else's money

• Transformation opportunity – Build Silicon Valley-grade engineering in a profitable, established company

• Direct impact – Your decisions directly affect company trajectory and customer success

• Leadership access – Work directly with CEO and CTO, no layers of middle management or politics

• Entrepreneurial environment – In a company with stability, revenue, and runway

It's Yours to Build

• Autonomy – Implement processes your way (as long as they deliver results)

• Growth path – Scale team from 15 to 50+ engineers as you prove the model works

• Culture creation – Define the engineering culture and standards that will shape the company's future

• Long-term impact – This is a career-defining role, not a stepping stone or a layover

• Ownership mindset – Treated like a business partner, not just a hired hand

What We Offer

Compensation & Structure

• ₹40-50 LPA (Fixed) based on experience, background, and entrepreneurial track record

• Performance-based bonus tied to engineering KPIs, team performance, and company success

Professional Growth

• Direct partnership with CEO and CTO on strategic initiatives and company direction

• Budget for conferences, certifications, and continuous learning

• Opportunity to build and lead team from 15 to 50+ engineers

• Work on enterprise-scale technical challenges serving major enterprises

• Shape the technical future of a company with real momentum

Work Environment

• On-site in Hyderabad with our core R&D team

• Sustainable pace—we value intensity and focus during work hours, not burnout culture

• Collaborative environment with low politics, high ownership, and straight talk

• No VC pressure, unrealistic growth targets, or quarterly fire drills

• Work with people who've chosen to be here, not waiting for their next opportunity

Stability Meets Opportunity

• Profitable company with 16-year track record

• Established customer base generating predictable revenue

• Growth trajectory that's ambitious but sustainable

• Resources to invest in the right talent and technology

Our Tech Stack

Current State:

• Backend: Java, Spring Boot

• Frontend: Angular

• Database: MongoDB (Atlas)

• Infrastructure: Microsoft Azure (VMs)

• Integration: REST APIs, enterprise connectors

• Serving: Enterprise companies across US time zones

Where We're Going (with your leadership):

• Unified codebase consolidation across customer implementations

• Modern CI/CD and deployment automation

• API-first architecture for seamless integrations

• Enhanced observability, monitoring, and incident response

• Multi-tenant platform evolution (longer-term strategic initiative)

• Whatever improvements you identify that drive business value

How to Apply

Send your application to: careers@smartdocs.ai

Subject line: "Director of Engineering - Hyderabad"

What to Include:

1. Resume/CV highlighting:

• Your startup/founding team/entrepreneurial experience

• Technical hands-on work (not just management oversight)

• Experience with mission-critical applications serving enterprise customers

• Direct work with founders/CEOs/stakeholders on business-critical decisions

• Track record of building and scaling engineering teams

2. Cover Letter addressing these specific questions:

a) Your entrepreneurial journey:

Tell us about a company/product you built or helped build from early stages. What was your role? What were the outcomes? What did you learn about building software that matters to customers and the business?

b) A critical technical decision:

Describe a significant technical decision you made with incomplete information and substantial business consequences. What was at stake? How did you decide? What was the outcome?

c) Process implementation under constraints:

Share an example of implementing engineering processes in a resource-constrained environment (startup, small team, limited budget). What worked? What didn't? How did you measure success?

d) Why SmartDocs, why now?

Given your background and what you're looking for in your next role, why does this opportunity appeal to you? What specifically excites you about leading engineering in a profitable, bootstrapped SaaS company?

3. Optional but impressive:

• Link to GitHub/GitLab with code you're proud of

• Technical blog posts, talks, or content you've created

• Reference from a founder/CEO/business leader you've worked closely with

• Brief description of a technical problem you're particularly proud of solving

Final Note

This role requires a specific mindset.

If you're looking for a well-oiled machine with perfect processes already in place, this isn't it. If you need clearly defined swim lanes and predictable days, this isn't it. If you want to "manage from above" without rolling up your sleeves, this isn't it.

But if you're a technical builder who misses the intensity and impact of startup life while wanting the stability of a profitable company...

If you're experienced enough to implement scalable processes but pragmatic enough to avoid corporate bloat...

If you've learned valuable lessons from entrepreneurial experiences (successful or otherwise) and want to apply them to a company with real traction, real customers, and real revenue...

If you think like a business owner and want to be treated like one...

Then let's talk.

We're not just hiring an engineering leader. We're looking for a technical partner who thinks about engineering outcomes in terms of business impact, customer success, and company growth.

If that's you, we want to hear your story.

SmartDocs is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We especially welcome applications from those who've taken entrepreneurial risks, built things from scratch, learned from both successes and setbacks, and are ready to channel that experience into building something exceptional with staying power.

Director of Engineering

What we know about this role

Skills required

Job description

Director of Engineering

About SmartDocs

Who We're Looking For

The Ideal Background

The Technical Must-Haves

Core Technical Requirements

The "Founder/Builder" Technical DNA

The Role: What You'll Actually Do

Engineering Leadership (Not Just Management)

Building World-Class Operations (Without Corporate Bureaucracy)

Strategic Partnership with Leadership

Technical Transformation Initiatives

What Success Looks Like

In 90 Days:

In 6 Months:

In 12 Months:

What Makes Someone Right for This

Must-Have Qualities

Deal-Breakers

Why This Opportunity is Different

It's Real

It's Rare

It's Yours to Build

What We Offer

Compensation & Structure

Professional Growth

Work Environment

Stability Meets Opportunity

Our Tech Stack

Current State:

Where We're Going (with your leadership):

How to Apply

What to Include:

Final Note

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