Director of Engineering

About us

Ushahidi is a global technology non-profit organization that empowers people through citizen-generated data to develop solutions that strengthen their communities. Our overarching goal is to ensure that people everywhere can quickly gather data and generate insights that help tackle issues that matter most to them. 

Since 2008, Ushahidi’s open-source platform has been the most widely used tool for crisis response globally. It’s been deployed 200,000+ times in over 160 countries, gathering 50 million+ citizen reports in four main categories of social impact:

• Humanitarian and Disaster Relief: Supporting communities affected by conflict, natural disasters and humanitarian situations.
• Human Rights Protection: Protecting human rights during periods of violence and discrimination.
• Good governance: helping to hold duty bearers to account and uphold the integrity of elections and democracies around the world
• Climate Change: Including marginalized groups in climate action to build community resilience

Job Summary

As a Director of Engineering, you are a member of the Executive Team, which is led by the Executive Director, overseeing the organization's running. You are responsible for translating Ushahidi’s overall vision and strategy into a strategy and vision for the organization’s Engineering function. You will help shape Ushahidi’s vision and strategy, align the engineering team’s work with its mission, and oversee the development, implementation, and maintenance of all technological systems within Ushahidi. This role will report directly to the Executive Director and work closely and harmoniously with the Directors of Operations and Product to bring Ushahidi's product vision to life by developing world-class technology tools. 

Products

Since its inception in 2008, Ushahidi has pioneered technology tools that prioritize including disenfranchised communities in dialogues about matters that affect them. Our open-source data collection technology is designed as infrastructure that users can either download and self-host or sign up and use on Ushahidi’s cloud-based service. The platform’s features are built to adapt to varying contexts, with customizable surveys and categories and online and offline data collection abilities through wide-reaching low-technology channels like SMS, USSD, and WhatsApp. 

By 2026, Ushahidi aims to use technology to raise 20 million additional voices, ensuring disenfranchised communities are heard and better served. This will involve evolving Ushahidi’s technology products to advance our mission by:-

• Expanding data collection channels and Leveraging AI to support faster data processing.
• Building an accessible and immutable data archive, making citizen-generated datasets on Ushahidi’s cloud-based service openly accessible and interoperable with other relevant datasets. 
• Build open-source AI models tailored to specific impact areas, uncovering patterns and extracting valuable insights from Ushahidi’s accessible data archives.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Strategy:

• Setting Engineering Vision and Goals: Aligning engineering efforts with the organization's overall strategy and objectives.
• Technical Leadership: Providing guidance and strategic direction to the engineering team, making critical decisions regarding technologies and architectures.
• Team Management: Hiring, mentoring, and developing a high-performing engineering team.
• Collaboration: Working closely with other departments (e.g., product, design, marketing) to ensure alignment and successful product delivery.
• Staying Current: Keeping up with industry trends and emerging technologies.

Engineering Operations Oversight:

• Project Management: Overseeing the execution of engineering projects, ensuring they are delivered on time and within budget.
• Resource Allocation: Managing engineering resources effectively, including staffing, budgeting, and infrastructure.
• Quality Assurance: Oversee implementation of processes and standards to maintain high code quality and ensure product reliability across all Ushahidi products.
• Security: Overseeing the security of systems, networks, and data.

Culture and Innovation:

• Fostering a Culture of Excellence: Creating an environment that encourages innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Promoting Learning and Development: Providing opportunities for engineers to expand their skills and knowledge.
• Supporting Diversity and Inclusion: Building a diverse and inclusive engineering team.

External Representation:

• Stakeholder Management: Communicating effectively with senior leadership, investors, and other stakeholders.
• Industry Engagement: Representing the company at conferences and events and in the broader tech community.

Requirements

• Over eight years of engineering leadership experience, including at least 3 years directly managing and guiding engineering teams.
• Experience working with open-source projects, including collaborating with  community and UX design teams
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical ideas clearly and effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.
• A proven track record of strategic thinking with at least three years in a relevant role and the ability to see the big picture to align engineering efforts with broader organizational goals.
• Experience leading, managing, and fostering collaboration within geographically dispersed teams.
• Capable of exercising sound judgment and making decisions.
• A proactive self-starter who thrives in a collaborative environment, driving projects forward.
• Proven success in partnering with product management, contributing to product strategy, and playing a key role in delivering product roadmaps.