Director of R&D

Description:

We’re looking for an inspirational and experienced Director of R&D to lead our Talent Group, focused specifically on Fiverr’s Sellers journey. This is a critical leadership role that combines strategic technological oversight with a commitment to fostering a world-class engineering culture. You will be instrumental in defining and executing the technology roadmap, working closely with the VP of R&D and the Talent business leaders to ensure our sellers experience is powered by cutting-edge technology and a deeply embedded AI-first approach.

• Lead and Mentor: Oversee and mentor multiple team leads and their respective engineering teams, driving high performance, accountability, and professional growth across the domain.
• Set Technological Vision: Define and drive the technology roadmap for the Talent group, ensuring all systems are scalable, reliable, and leveraging the latest advancements in AI and data-driven solutions.
• Drive AI Innovation: Champion an "AI mindset" across all teams, leading the charge in integrating hands-on AI tools into product development and internal processes.
• Cultivate Culture: Partner closely with the VP of R&D and senior management to nurture a positive, inclusive, and high-velocity engineering culture built on technical excellence.
• Strategic Collaboration: Work cross-functionally with Product, Design, and Platform to translate business objectives into impactful technical strategies and deliver tangible value to Fiverr’s sellers.

• Proven Director Experience: Extensive experience as an R&D Director (or equivalent senior leadership role), successfully leading multiple engineering teams.
• AI-Native Expertise: Fully AI mindset with proven, hands-on experience in leveraging AI tools (e.g., LLMs, Cursor, Claude Code) to build or enhance production systems and internal tools.
• Technical Acumen: Strong background in large-scale, distributed web application development with a deep understanding of modern cloud architectures, microservices, and system design.
• Educational Background: BSc or MSc in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field from a top-tier university.
• Communication & Influence: Exceptional communication, presentation, and negotiation skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical strategy to both technical teams and executive leadership.
• Cultural Leadership: Demonstrated success in building, scaling, and maintaining a high-performing, positive, and diverse engineering culture.
• Business Ownership: Strong product sense and a deep sense of ownership over the business outcomes driven by the technology teams.

At Fiverr, we’re not about checklists. If you don’t meet 100% of the requirements for this role but still feel passionate about the position and think you have the right skills and qualifications to excel at it, we want to hear from you.