Director, Product Engineering

Location: IND - Hyderabad; Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Department: Engineering

About StarRez

StarRez is the global leader in student housing software, providing innovative solutions for on and off-campus housing management, resident wellness and experience, and revenue generation. Trusted by 1,400+ clients across 25+ countries, StarRez supports more than 4 million beds annually with its user-friendly, all-in-one platform, delivering seamless experiences for students and administrators. With offices in the United States, Australia, the UK, and India, StarRez blends the robust capabilities of a global organization with the personalized care and service of a trusted partner.

The Role 

We are seeking a strategic, people-first Director of Product & Engineering to lead and grow a portfolio of product and engineering teams in India. Reporting to the VP of Engineering and India Site Lead, you will lead Engineering Managers and senior technical leaders across multiple teams, with accountability for strategy, delivery, organisation design and team performance. Working closely with the global Engineering, Design, Quality and business leaders, you will turn customer and business needs into clear strategic direction and predictable outcomes. You will build a high-performing, AI-first product and engineering organisation that delivers meaningful value for customers

What You Will Own

• Engineering leadership and high-performing teams: Lead, coach and grow Engineering Managers and senior technical leaders across multiple teams. Build strong succession, capability and career-development practices, and create an accountable, inclusive and high-performing engineering culture.

• Technical direction and architecture: Set the technical direction for your teams in partnership with global Engineering and Architecture. Drive sound decisions on architecture, scalability, security and platform investment, and balance feature delivery with technical debt and long-term system health.

• Delivery excellence: Partner with Product Managers and the Director of Product to turn the product roadmap into realistic engineering plans, capacity and milestones. Own predictable, high-quality delivery, and surface risks, dependencies and trade-offs early.

• AI-first engineering: Lead the practical adoption of AI across the software development lifecycle, including coding, testing, code review and delivery. Measure its impact on productivity and quality, and share what works across the global organisation. 

• Quality, reliability and operational excellence: Own engineering standards, CI/CD, test automation, observability and incident management for your teams. Use metrics such as DORA, defect rates and uptime to drive continuous improvement, and ensure strong handling of production issues and customer escalations.

• Security and compliance: Ensure your teams build and operate software that meets StarRez security and data privacy standards, including obligations such as SOC 2, GDPR and FERPA for student data. 

• Organisation design and scale Define team structures, ownership boundaries and operating rhythms as the India Product & Technology organisation grows. Own headcount planning for your teams, manage vendor relationships, and partner with Talent Acquisition and global leadership to hire and retain exceptional talent.

• Global partnership and stakeholder visibility: Build trusted partnerships with Product, Engineering, Design and Quality leaders in the US, UK and Australia. Keep teams aligned with customer needs and business priorities, and give stakeholders clear visibility of plans, progress, risks and outcomes

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years in software engineering, including 5+ years leading Engineering Managers or multiple engineering teams.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a related field.

• Proven experience leading engineering teams in a SaaS product environment, managing multiple teams.

• Track record of improving delivery, quality and reliability using agile, DevOps and engineering metrics.

• Hands-on experience driving practical use of AI tools in engineering teams.

• Strong people leadership, including coaching leaders, building high-performing teams and shaping organisation design.

• Experience partnering with globally distributed Product, Engineering and business stakeholders across time zones.

• Strong customer, commercial and stakeholder orientation, with the ability to connect strategy to measurable outcomes

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience building or scaling product and engineering teams in India for a global product company.

• Experience leading AI-enabled change in product development or engineering operations.

• Experience in property management technology, student housing or higher education is a plus.

Even if you don't have all of the Preferred Qualifications listed above, but feel you have what it takes to succeed in the role, we would love to hear from you!

Reasons to join our Team:

StarRez is not just a workplace - it is a place to belong, build, and grow.

• A Culture That Lasts: Many of our team members have been with us for 20+ years - a testament to our people-first philosophy.

• Global Impact, Local Ownership: Join a team that spans across Australia, the USA, the UK, and Canada, working on industry-leading solutions while building the India centre for Product & Technology.

• Long-Term Vision: We are not here for short-term gains. We invest in our people for the long haul, creating an environment where you can grow, lead, and thrive. • Innovation with Stability: Backed by Vista Equity Partners, we combine the agility of a scaling SaaS company with the stability of long-term industry leadership.

• Z-Factor: We take pride in our culture of passion, care, and high performance. The Z-Factor defines how we support our teams, foster growth, and ensure that everyone at StarRez thrives. If you are excited about shaping product strategy, growing exceptional leaders and building game-changing products in a high-impact, collaborative environment - StarRez India is the place for you

StarRez is an equal opportunity employer.