Software Engineering Team Lead, Luminary

At Literati, we believe in the power of great books. We’re on a mission to ignite a love of learning and a love of life by curating transformative literary experiences for every reader:  anyone who dreams, anyone who wonders, of any age.  There are some stories no child should live without and no adult should ever forget.

Literati is the fastest growing company in Arts + Literature in the United States, and the #5 fastest growing company in Texas. Launching an innovative try-before-you-buy print book club for Kids in 2017, the company expanded in 2020 into hosting print and digital book clubs for the world's top authors, celebrities and brands. Clients include: Sir Richard Branson, Stephen Curry, Malala, Susan Orlean, Jesmyn Ward, Cheryl Strayed, Elin Hilderbrand, Roxane Gay, and Austin Kleon. Lovingly referred to as Austin's "fiction factory" the company curates and fulfills over a million books per quarter.

As a Software Engineering Manager focusing on building out Literai’s Luminary product, you will play a crucial role in helping Literati keep up with the hyper-scale we’ve been experiencing.  In this role, you will partner closely with internal stakeholders across teams in our Product, Customer Service, Accounting, Finance, and work closely with the Luminary Engineering team to define, scope, and build these complex applications.  You will be directly involved in driving massive growth in the Luminary product by being a player/coach for the Luminary team while working across the engineering team to define, plan and execute key initiatives for the business.

WE’RE GOOD AT:
Bringing the fire. We are a startup, with all the fierce dedication and sparkling energy to accomplish great feats. Iron sharpens iron, and so we’ve refined our teams from only the strongest metals: open minds, bright ideas, and bold determination.

YOU’RE GOOD AT:

• A proven leader - you have a track record of being in a player/coach role.  You’ll be responsible for managing the team as well as all technical aspects of everything that the Luminary team develops and ships for the business.
• Product focused engineering - you’re able to work closely with the product team to build out plans for executing against high level business goals.
• People oriented - proven track record of investing in your team, building out growth plans and helping your team grow as the business grows.
• Data-driven. You believe that great data enables you and others to make better decisions and are comfortable defining the KPIs you need to track. 
• Builder/Entrepreneur - Building and creating something new and groundbreaking is your jam.  
• User experience obsessed - you go above and beyond to achieve elegant user experiences and strive for award-winning design.  
• An accomplished Juggler. You manage competing priorities, and you make it look easy.
• Technical. You know how to effectively communicate with the business and translate the needs to the engineering team. 
• Adaptable. You adjust to changes with ease and are up for a challenge.

YOU WILL NEED:

• Minimum 3 years experience being in an engineering leadership player/coach role.
• Minimum of 5 years as an engineer prior to moving into a people management oriented role.
• BS Degree in Computer Science (or equivalent). A master’s degree is a plus.
• Strong communication, planning, critical thinking, and organizational skills required. 
• Must be able to analyze data, solve problems, make decisions, and continuously improve
• Well versed in agile development and its tools (Jira, Clubhouse, GitLab)

YOUR DAY-TO-DAY WILL LOOK LIKE: 

• Spend the majority of your time focused on all aspects technical on the Luminary team.  This is not a “hands off” role.
• Own the product roadmap for Luminary jointly with the product team.  Jointly responsible for roadmap definition and execution.
• Working closely with internal stakeholders and department heads in engineering, fulfillment, data and data science to define roadmap for tools and fulfillment at Literati.
• Taking the time to deeply understand the needs of internal stakeholders to continuously improve the tools they use and thus make them more efficient.
• Ruthlessly ensuring that we are delivering products on time without sacrificing quality. 

We seek people with drive and a touch of alchemy—and if that sounds like you, you should join us. Even if your experience isn’t a precise match for the role, passion and prowess will always win the day in our book. And if your career has taken you to some spectacular (or spectacularly strange) places? We love a good story.

At Literati, we value the power of reading for all: anyone who dreams, anyone who wonders, anyone of any age, from any background. We are dedicated to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness that sees, reflects, welcomes, and celebrates the innovation and talent of a diverse array of people.