Descript · 3 months ago
Head of Platform Engineering
San Francisco, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
$224K/yr - $296K/yr
5+ years expDescript is a company focused on creating a next-generation platform for audio and video content creation, trusted by major businesses and influencers. They are looking for a Head of Platform Engineering to lead and scale their Platform organization, which is crucial for empowering engineering teams with tools and infrastructure to deliver exceptional products. This role involves strategic leadership, team development, and driving innovation within the organization.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)AudioConsumer SoftwareMusicSpeech RecognitionVideo Editing
Responsibilities
Develop and execute a strategic vision and roadmap for the Platform organization, aligning with company goals and ensuring cross-team collaboration
Recruit, mentor, and grow engineering managers and engineers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development
Ensure execution across the Platform teams is predictable, reliable, and sustainable, implementing best practices in project management and engineering processes
Work closely with Product, Design, and other Engineering teams to ensure platform initiatives meet the needs of internal stakeholders
Drive innovation within the Platform organization, continually seeking ways to improve our infrastructure, tools, and processes
Help scale and evolve our company culture as we grow, promoting values of collaboration, inclusivity, and excellence
Qualification
Required
Has 5+ years of engineering management experience, including leading multiple teams or an engineering organization, preferably in platform or developer experience domain
Demonstrates a strong technical background with experience in cloud platforms (GCP preferably), scalable infrastructure, and AI/ML technologies
Can develop and communicate a clear vision, aligning teams and resources to achieve strategic objectives
Excels at creating collaborative, empowering, and high-performing team environments
Communicates clearly and effectively, both in writing and verbally, across technical and non-technical audiences
Thrives in fast-paced, rapidly changing environments, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and drive results
Holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or has equivalent professional experience
Preferred
Experience managing engineering teams at a startup or high-growth company where the rate of change is extremely high
Familiarity with AI/ML platforms, tools, and practices
Background in building developer tools and enhancing developer experience
Benefits
Generous healthcare package
401k matching program
Catered lunches
Flexible vacation time
Company
Descript
Descript is a collaborative audio and video editor that transcribes audio to a text document for editing, training, and collaboration.
51-200 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Descript has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (2)
2024 (4)
2023 (3)
2022 (6)
2021 (4)
2020 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$100MKey Investors
OpenAISpark CapitalAndreessen Horowitz
2022-10-27Series C· $50M
2021-02-01Series B· $30M
2019-09-18Series A· $15M
Leadership Team
Sophie Hinkley
VP People
Andrew Mason
Executive Chair
Recent News
2025-11-24
International Business Times
2025-11-07
Company data provided by crunchbase