Senior R&D Team Leader - Accounts Team

As the Senior Team Leader of the Accounts Team, you will lead the “nerve center” of Cloudinary’s R&D. This team provides the essential platformic services - User Management, Authentication (SSO, SAML, OAuth), Authorization, and Notifications - that allow our product teams to focus on delivering world-class value to end-users.
You will be the guardian of our platform services, transitioning our stack from Ruby to Go, while leading a talented cross-functional team toward a culture of high performance, technical excellence, and massive impact.
What You’ll Do
The “Power Couple” Partnership: Partner closely with a dedicated Product Manager to own the “What” and the “How.” Together, you are fully accountable for the team’s roadmap, execution, and long-term vision.
Elevate the Standard: Inherit an existing team and build it into a high-performing engine. You will set the bar for “what good looks like,” coaching engineers, and make sure the team is pushing its limits.
Architectural Oversight: Guide the team through a critical technical area together with our architect. While you won’t be coding daily, you will be “in the weeds” with your developers, challenging their designs, reviewing code, and ensuring the system is robust and secure.
R&D Influencer: Act as a leading voice beyond your team. You will collaborate with the Group Architect and peer TLs to ensure the Accounts platform scales with the company’s vision, often serving as a consultant for other teams’ integration needs.
The Art of “No”: Manage a high volume of requests from across the organization (DevOps, CS, Product). You will use your exceptional communication skills to prioritize ruthlessly, managing expectations while maintaining strong relationships.
What You Bring
Proven Leadership: You have successfully led engineering teams in fast-paced, high-growth environments for at least 8 years. You know how to build a culture of accountability and are not afraid to lead through change.
Deep Technical Roots: You are a “developer at heart” with extensive experience in Ruby and/or Go. You can hold your own in a deep-dive architectural discussion and can spot a bottleneck or a security flaw from a mile away.
Identity & Auth Savvy: While you don’t need to be a “Security Engineer,” you have a strong grasp of AuthN/AuthZ patterns (OAuth, SAML, etc.) and a deep commitment to security best practices.
Exceptional Communication: You are a “people person” who can translate complex technical debt into business value for stakeholders and gracefully navigate difficult prioritization conversations.
AI-pushing: While working with people is a must, the world is changing and we have no intention to miss that train. AI is the train, and you’re expected to be driving it.
Execution Mindset: You are a “closer.” You have a track record of taking under-performing or stagnant projects and driving them to a successful, high-quality delivery.
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