Director of Engineering - eBay Live

Company: eBay
Location: San Jose
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

At eBay, we're more than a global ecommerce leader — we’re changing the way the world shops and sells. Our platform empowers millions of buyers and sellers in more than 190 markets around the world. We’re committed to pushing boundaries and leaving our mark as we reinvent the future of ecommerce for enthusiasts. Our customers are our compass, authenticity thrives, bold ideas are welcome, and everyone can bring their unique selves to work — every day. We're in this together, sustaining the future of our customers, our company, and our planet. Join a team of passionate thinkers, innovators, and dreamers — and help us connect people and build communities to create economic opportunity for all. eBay Live Engineering builds and operates the real-time platform behind eBay’s live shopping and interactive experiences. We combine low-latency video, interactive chat, and commerce actions with robust trust, safety, and analytics—at global scale. We’re seeking a Director of Engineering to lead eBay Live, our real-time shopping platform. You will guide highly motivated, collaborative, and driven engineering teams building low-latency video streaming, interactive chat, commerce actions, moderation tooling, and analytics—delivering safe, reliable, and engaging live experiences at global scale. You’ll partner with world-class designers, product managers, business stakeholders, and analysts in a fun, fast-paced environment to reshape how buyers and sellers connect in real time. Key Responsibilities Technical Vision & Strategy: Define and drive the long-term technical vision, roadmap, and architecture for the engineering organization. Align engineering strategy with overall business goals and product vision. Evaluate and recommend new technologies, tools, and methodologies. Ensure technical decisions support scalability, reliability, security, and maintainability. Team Leadership & Management: Lead, mentor, and grow multiple Engineering Managers and/or Team Leads. Oversee the hiring, onboarding, performance management, and career development of engineering staff (including managers and senior ICs). Foster a high-performing, collaborative, innovative, and inclusive engineering culture. Build and maintain team morale, engagement, and retention. Delivery & Execution: Supervise the planning, execution, and timely delivery of complex software projects across multiple teams. Ensure teams adhere to best practices (coding standards, code reviews, testing, CI/CD). Manage engineering budgets, resource allocation, and capacity planning. Track key performance indicators (KPIs) related to delivery velocity, quality, and system health Process & Operational Excellence: Establish, optimize, and standardize engineering processes (SDLC, Agile/Scrum/Kanban, release management, incident response). Drive continuous improvement in engineering efficiency, productivity, and quality. Implement and monitor metrics to measure team and organizational performance. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Product Management, Design, Data Science, Security, and IT/Operations to define requirements, prioritize work, and ensure successful product delivery. Collaborate with senior leadership (Sr. Directors, other Directors, Executives) on strategic initiatives and company-wide goals. Represent the engineering organization in cross-functional meetings and strategic discussions. Technical Oversight & Quality: Provide high-level technical guidance and oversight across projects. Champion software quality, best practices, and operational reliability (e.g., SLOs, SLIs). Ensure systems are designed for scalability, performance, and cost-efficiency. Manage technical debt and advocate for necessary refactoring/infrastructure investments. Resource Management: Growing your team through coaching, mentoring Forecast hiring needs and participate in recruitment strategy. Job Requirements: 10 years of software engineering experience, with 5 years in direct people management and 3 years managing other managers. Master's degree in Computer Science, or Bachelor's degree with equivalent experience Proven ability to lead, inspire, mentor, and grow large engineering teams and managers. Strong coaching skills. Significant hands-on technical background (software development, architecture, systems design). Ability to understand complex technical challenges and trade-offs deeply, even if not coding daily. Ability to set technical vision, translate business strategy into engineering execution, and make long-term architectural decisions. Proven track record of shipping complex, high-quality software products at scale. Expertise in Agile methodologies. Exceptional written and verbal communication skills. Ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences (including executives). Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills. Ability to build strong cross-functional partnerships. Strong analytical and critical thinking skills. Ability to navigate ambiguity and make sound decisions under pressure. Experience establishing processes, metrics, and driving continuous improvement. Preferred Qualifications: Experience in the company's specific industry (e.g. E-commerce). Experience scaling engineering organizations during rapid growth. Experience managing distributed/remote teams. Competitive Compensation and Benefit - No matter where you are in the world, eBay supports your health and wellbeing with benefits as unique as you. Explore the benefits that help you be your best self. Check out our benefits here: https://www.ebaybenefits.com/index.html. The base pay range for this position is expected in the range below: $233,200 - $311,300 Base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including location, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a target bonus and restricted stock units (as applicable) in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as PTO and parental leave). Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, employees will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors. Please see the Talent Privacy Notice for information regarding how eBay handles your personal data collected when you use the eBay Careers website or apply for a job with eBay. eBay is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, and disability, or other legally protected status. If you have a need that requires accommodation, please contact us at talent@ebay.com . We will make every effort to respond to your request for accommodation as soon as possible. View our accessibility statement to learn more about eBay's commitment to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. 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Keywords: eBay, San Rafael , Director of Engineering - eBay Live, IT / Software / Systems , San Jose, California