Director of Technical Operations

Employment Type: Full-Time, Hybrid

About Us

Datavault AI, along with its event-technology subsidiary Event Citadel (formerly CompuSystems), operates across a diverse portfolio of technology and service divisions.

Datavault AI Inc. delivers high-performance computing software, Web 3.0 data-management solutions, and advanced audio technologies to a broad range of industries. Its Acoustic Science division licenses spatial and multichannel HD audio technologies—including ADIO®, WiSA®, and Sumerian®—to customers in sports & entertainment, events & venues, automotive, finance, and other sectors.

Event Citadel (formerly CompuSystems), founded in 1976, is a trusted provider of end-to-end event technology solutions, offering registration, ticketing, lead retrieval, and attendee-engagement services for events of all sizes across trade, association, corporate, and government markets.

Job Description

We are seeking a highly technical, execution-focused Director of Technical Operations to partner closely with the CTO in scaling our engineering organization. This role blends deep hands-on technical expertise (with strong JavaScript ecosystem experience) and operational leadership. You will drive engineering excellence, standardize technical processes, mentor engineering leaders, and ensure scalable, high-performance systems in a fast-paced startup environment.

This is a leadership role for someone who thrives in ambiguity, builds structure where needed, and raises the bar on technical quality and operational rigor.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Provide hands-on technical oversight across JavaScript-based systems (Node.js, React, TypeScript, and related frameworks).
• Partner with engineering leads on architecture decisions, scalability strategy, and performance optimization.
• Ensure best practices in system design, security, observability, and reliability.
• Conduct architectural reviews and provide actionable technical direction.

Engineering Operations & Process

• Establish, refine, and enforce engineering SOPs and operational standards.
• Lead initiatives around CI/CD, deployment processes, code review standards, and release management.
• Improve development speed while maintaining high quality and stability.
• Drive adoption of documentation standards, knowledge sharing, and technical governance frameworks.
• Implement metrics and KPIs to track engineering productivity and system health.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead and mentor engineering managers and senior engineers.
• Conduct performance reviews, career development planning, and succession planning.
• Provide structured feedback and coaching to engineers at all levels.
• Support hiring strategy, interview processes, and onboarding improvements.
• Foster a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Product, Design, DevOps, and Data teams to align technical execution with business objectives.
• Translate business priorities into scalable technical roadmaps.
• Communicate technical risks, tradeoffs, and operational needs to executive leadership.

Startup Execution & Scalability

• Bring operational maturity to a high-growth, fast-moving environment.
• Balance speed with technical sustainability.
• Help scale engineering from startup stage to structured, high-performing organization.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of software engineering experience, with strong depth in JavaScript/TypeScript ecosystems.
• 3+ years in engineering leadership (Engineering Manager, Head of Engineering, or similar).
• Proven experience in fast-paced startup or high-growth tech environments.
• Strong expertise with:
  • Node.js and server-side JavaScript architectures
  • React or modern front-end frameworks
  • API design (REST/GraphQL)
  • Cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
  • CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
• Experience building and implementing engineering SOPs and operational frameworks.
• Demonstrated success leading performance reviews and career development for engineers.
• Strong understanding of Agile/Scrum or modern product development workflows.
• Experience scaling teams from early-stage startup to growth phase.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• A fast-paced, high-impact work environment.
• Opportunity to work closely with executive leadership.
• The chance to work with cutting-edge technologies and make a significant impact.
• A culture of innovation, ownership, and growth.