Director, Engineering Strategy and Operations

Job Description

Uplight is creating a new category of energy. We make software that manages energy resources in homes and businesses—including things like smart thermostats, electric vehicles, solar panels, storage batteries, heat pumps, and even people’s behavior—to generate, shift, or save energy to balance the grid, making it more efficient and reliable. This creates clean energy capacity that can be used by the power grid instead of burning more fossil fuels. Our solutions accelerate the transition to clean energy and save money for energy customers.

We are looking for an experienced, driven Director, Engineering Strategy and Operations to drive our company forward, and help us lead the clean energy revolution!

What you get to do

This role reports to the CTO to work across Uplight to ensure we are an effective organization at delivering software that delights our customers towards achieving their outcomes - on time, at high quality, and as efficiently as possible. The opportunity is to make this scalable as we grow rapidly towards achieving our mission.

A key to success for the role is to lead process and coordination across the product development organization while amplifying effective communication in the organization. You drive focus in product and engineering while helping the CTO senior leadership team prioritize their efforts across the company, as a Chief of Staff.

The ideal candidate is a strategic and integral member of our CTO leadership team, and will work closely with all of our product, design, and engineering leaders to collaborate in creating annual and quarterly investment decision-making through OKRs and iterating on the system to more effectively execute them. This role serves as a force multiplier for the CTO leadership team. Some experience that will be helpful to succeed in this role:

How you will make an impact

• Own and iterate engineering and product KPIs and metrics, partnering with product managers and leaders
• Lead product and engineering OKR development and execution oversight, providing updates to stakeholders
• Own and iterate on the product and engineering planning process
• Be extremely open and challenge the status quo looking for opportunities to continuously improve and prioritize our execution as a business in service of our customers
• Represent the CTO and the product and engineering org in key executive leadership functions
• Streamline and improve decision making and information sharing within product and engineering
• Oversee new and existing strategic initiatives including emerging technology, process improvement, and organizational transformations
• CTO logistics and day-to-day CTO staff operations, including managing the product and engineering corporate calendar and cadences
• Implement new processes within product and engineering and in partnership across the organization
• Connect work streams that would otherwise remain siloed, accounting for the needs across the enterprise (connect teams that are working on similar initiatives.)
• Operate at tactical, operational, and strategic levels, handling the oversight of projects that do not neatly fit within the organizational chart or that fall between departments or leadership areas of responsibility.
• Be a source of innovation in ways of working for efficiency
• Coordinate and support the development of high-quality product and engineering presentations, reports and materials (i.e. board materials, Quarterly Business Reviews, etc)

What you bring to Uplight

• Strong alignment and passion for the Uplight Value and Mission.
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
• 7+ years of experience in a strategic role (i.e. Chief of Staff, Program Management, Operations leadership, Management Consultant) within a fast-paced, growth-oriented organization
• Experience leading global, cross-functional teams without formal authority
• Proven ability to navigate teams through risk and uncertainty
• Successfully driven change management through global teams with desired outcomes
• Demonstrated to work collaboratively and efficiently with stakeholders throughout the organization
• Organized by data-driven decisions gathered by evolving feedback loops

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women, marginalized genders and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Uplight we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Why Join Uplight in Leading the Fight Against Climate Change?

At Uplight, we're not just offering a job – we're offering a chance to be part of the solution to one of the world's biggest challenges. As a certified B Corporation, we're deeply committed to both social and environmental responsibility. Here's why you should join our team of passionate Uplighters:

• Make a Meaningful Impact: Your work directly impacts our mission of decarbonization and building a more sustainable future.
• Grow Your Career: We offer ample advancement opportunities, robust learning and development programs, and a supportive team environment that fosters collaboration and innovation.
• Thrive: We offer comprehensive benefits, including flexible time off, generous parental leave, a wellness stipend, and work flexibility to help you thrive both personally and professionally.
• Belong to an Inclusive Community: We celebrate diversity and foster an inclusive workplace where everyone feels respected, empowered, and heard. Our Employee Resource Groups offer opportunities to connect with colleagues who share your interests and backgrounds.
• Be Part of a Growing Movement: Join a team of dedicated individuals who are passionate about creating a more sustainable future. We offer a collaborative environment where your ideas are valued and your contributions recognized. Together, we can build a brighter tomorrow.

To learn more about our comprehensive benefits package and other perks, visit uplight.com/careers

Salary Range: $154,000 to 192,000 USD + bonus

In accordance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, the approximate annual base compensation range is listed above. The actual offer, reflecting the total compensation package and benefits, will be determined by a number of factors including the applicant's experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity among our team.

Uplight provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race (including hair texture and hairstyles), color, religion (including head coverings), age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.