Engineering Director

Join Proton and build a better internet where privacy is the default

At Proton, we believe that privacy is a fundamental human right and the cornerstone of democracy. Since our inception in 2014, founded by a team of scientists from CERN, we have dedicated ourselves to providing free and open-source technology to millions worldwide, ensuring access to privacy, security, and freedom online.

Our journey began with Proton Mail, the largest secure email service globally, and has since expanded to include Proton VPN, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, and Proton Pass. These tools empower individuals and organizations to take control of their personal data, break away from Big Tech’s invasive practices, and defeat censorship. Our work impacts hundreds of millions of lives, from activists on the front lines defending freedom to leaders in governments protecting sensitive information. In some cases, Proton’s services have even been instrumental in saving lives by enabling secure and private communications in high-risk situations.

Proton is a profitable company that does not rely upon VC funding, supporting over 100 million user accounts with a growing team of over 500 people from over 50 different countries, from the world's top companies and universities. We value intelligence, learning potential, and ambition in our hiring process. Adaptability is key as we navigate uncharted territories and redefine how business is conducted online.

Hiring at Proton is highly selective, with less than 1% of candidates hired. We believe smaller teams of exceptional talent will always prevail over larger teams with lower talent density. You will have the opportunity to work with many of the world's top minds in their fields, ranging from former international math and science olympiad winners to chess champions.

We have a global mindset and big ambitions but remain a start-up at heart. We value empowerment and flexibility and keep our structure flat to keep moving fast and avoid unnecessary politics. Tired of blending into the crowd? Join us and do work you can truly be proud of. Check our open-source projects here!

Purpose of the role:  

Proton continues to grow rapidly as increasing numbers of people across the globe seek greater privacy controls of their information online. To accelerate our growth, we are seeking a senior leader to drive engineering for one of our many existing or upcoming Products.

We are seeking a Director of Engineering to one of our existing or upcoming Products. This role involves setting and executing technical strategy, team management, and working closely with your senior product managers counterparts, to ensure high-velocity delivery of new products.

As a key member of the engineering leadership team, you will shape the company’s technical strategy and contribute to Proton’s mission of creating a privacy-centric internet. Each product will have its unique challenges and areas of focus, nevertheless we require all Engineering Directors for our Products to have a demonstrated track record of building and scaling customer facing applications, in either a B2C or B2B context, for millions of users, across multiple platforms (mobile, desktop, backend systems and platforms).

In addition to technical expertise, Engineering Directors as senior leaders within Proton, have excellent communication skills, a business mindset, and a strong sense of empathy for the end customers.

What you will do:

• Setting technical direction and vision for one of our Products
• Lead technical design and platform discussions
• Drive continuous improvement in our DevSecOps practices, and improve lead times and time to market while maintaining exceptional standards of product quality
• Hold yourself and team accountable for timely delivery of scalable, quality-focus user experiences and features
• Develop efficient processes, and motivate your team to operate with high velocity, ownership, and accountability
• Lead through others, and develop the next generation of engineering leaders at Proton
• Inspire, coach, and develop your teams
• Optimize your organizational structure, and continuously raise the bar on hiring
• Build strong relationships with senior leaders, and advance your long-term platform and engineering vision
• Contribute to Proton's technology and open source communities
• Foster an inclusive and diverse environment for your team to show up and give their best each day

Our Tech stack:

• Applied cryptography (PGP, TLS, etc.)
• REST APIs
• Event architectures 
• HTTP networking
• SQL, Redis
• PHP (Symfony), Rust, Python
• iOS, macOS (Swift)
• Android (Kotlin, Jetpack)
• Web (Typescript, React)
• Desktop (C#, Swift)
• Infrastructure: MySQL / Ceph

We need you to have:

• Experience in software engineering in progressively complex roles

• Experience directly leading and managing engineers

• Demonstrable experience as a manager of managers

• A history of collaboration with senior leaders in engineering, product on developing technical and product strategy

• Great empathy and collaboration skills, and even greater resilience

• A curious, passionate, and growth-oriented mindset

• Deep experience as a hands-on software engineer creating well-crafted, maintainable systems

• Mobile-first background (ideally former mobile developer)

• Practical experience leading DevOps and SRE initiatives and driving best practices

• Experience with cryptography preferred

• Bonus points for each of the following:

• • Experience with performance tuning and scaling across client, backend, infrastructure
  • Working closely with C-level executives to align on direction, vision and execution
  • Having both, the experience of operating at global scale with millions of customers but also thriving in the chaotic growth phase of scaling up to reach it.

What We Offer

• Office First: Collaboration is easier and more effective in person, which is why we have offices in Geneva, Zurich, Prague, Barcelona, Paris, London, Vilnius, Skopje, and Taipei. You can also enjoy working from home up to 30% of the time, while enjoying great company during our three core days in the office. 
• Technology: We provide all the devices and software you need to excel in your role, ensuring you have the best tools at your disposal to achieve your goals.
• Food: Lunch and snacks are provided by Proton every day at our offices.
• Transport: We will always support our employees with transport costs through subsidizing public transport, bike allowances, or parking spaces based on your office location.
• Stock Options: At Proton, we are all owners of the company and you get stock options when you join us.
• Flexible Working: You can define your own working hours as long as it works with team meetings.
• Learning and Development: We are committed to your professional growth. Proton offers various learning opportunities, including training programs, conferences and events, and continual learning.
• Employee Benefits: Comprehensive health insurance plans, competitive retirement savings options, generous vacation and leave policies, and wellness programs.
• Work that Matters: Proton is a community-first organization, started with the support of a crowdfunding campaign and built with community input. To this day, Proton’s only source of revenue is user subscriptions. Over 100 million people trust and support Proton, and we put our users and community first in everything we do. Read more about our impact here.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At Proton, we believe diversity drives innovation and strengthens our mission to provide privacy as a default for all. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical ability, or socio-economic background, feel valued and empowered. We strive to create equal opportunities, promote open dialogue, and support continuous learning to ensure every voice is heard and respected.

If you need any extra support or reasonable adjustments during the hiring process, please let your talent partner know.

Candidate Privacy Notice

When you apply for a position, refer a candidate, or are considered for a role at Proton Technologies AG (Proton, we, us, or our), your information is stored in Greenhouse, in accordance with their Service Privacy Policy. This information is used to evaluate your suitability for the posted position. We also retain this information for consideration for future roles that you may apply for or that we believe may align with your background and skills.

If we no longer have a legitimate business need to process your information, we will either delete or anonymize it. Should you have any inquiries about how we use or manage your information, or if you wish to access, correct, or delete your data, please contact our privacy team at careers@proton.ch.

Proton does not accept unsolicited resumes from any sources other than directly from candidates. We will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from an unsolicited offer, even if the candidate is subsequently hired by Proton.

To learn more about our privacy policy, please visit our privacy policy page.

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