Dir engineering – Global Technology Strategy & Enablement

Now Brewing – dir engineering – Global Technology Strategy & Enablement – Nashville, TN 

From the beginning, Starbucks set out to be a different kind of company. One that not only celebrated coffee and the rich tradition, but that also brought a feeling of connection. We are known for developing extraordinary leaders who share this passion and are guided by their service to others.

We’re looking for a director of engineering to lead Global Technology Strategy & Enablement, shaping how technology is designed, standardized, and scaled across Starbucks markets. This role sets the global technical direction for our retail and digital platforms and then makes it real in region—connecting US-based Starbucks Technology teams, Starbucks Digital Solutions, and regional teams so that we build once, adopt widely, and give every market the full benefit of Starbucks scale.

You’ll lead a team of senior engineering leaders and work through influence well beyond it. Partnering with US-based Starbucks Technology teams, Starbucks Digital Solutions, and regional technology leaders, you’ll define the architecture standards, reference patterns, and engineering practices that markets build against, and steer regional roadmaps toward common platforms rather than local variants. The work spans strategy, governance, and hands-on enablement: judging where a global product fits a market as-is, where it needs to flex, and where fragmentation is quietly costing us speed and money. Success looks like consistent engineering standards adopted across regions, faster deployment of global capability into market, and a clear, well-evidenced technology strategy that business and technology leaders act on.

As a director, engineering, you will…

• Own the global technology strategy for international retail and digital platforms, translating enterprise direction into a clear, prioritized regional roadmap
• Partner with US-based Starbucks Technology teams and Starbucks Digital Solutions to shape global products so they scale cleanly into international markets
• Define and drive engineering standards, reference architectures, and best practice that regional teams design and build against
• Lead and develop a team of senior engineering leaders, setting direction, raising the technical bar, and growing their scope
• Drive consistency across regions, reducing duplicated builds, local variants, and fragmentation that slow adoption and raise cost to serve
• Enable regional and market teams to adopt global platforms through clear guidance, architecture review, and hands-on technical partnership
• Leverage Starbucks scale by identifying reusable capability, aligning shared investment, and making the case for build-once solutions
• Establish pragmatic governance that gives leaders visibility of architecture decisions, technology risk, and delivery health across markets
• Represent international needs in global technology forums, influencing roadmaps and design decisions without direct authority
  
  

We’d Love To Hear From Leaders Who Can Set Technology Direction And Make It Stick Across a Complex, Multi-market Retail Environment. In Addition To Strong Engineering And Platform Experience

• Deep expertise in modern engineering ecosystems, including cloud platforms, application development, and integration architecture
• Proven track record setting technology strategy and translating it into standards, reference architectures, and practices that teams genuinely adopt
• Experience leading engineering across multiple markets or regions, balancing global consistency with local operating realities
• Strong record of influence without authority, aligning peer engineering, product, and business leaders around shared platforms and shared outcomes
• Experience partnering with central or enterprise technology groups and digital product teams to shape roadmaps and land capability in region
• Ability to identify duplication, fragmentation, and platform gaps, and to build the business case for consolidating on common solutions
• Experience leading and developing a small, senior team of engineers and engineering managers
• Comfort with technical governance—architecture review, standards assurance, and technology risk—applied pragmatically rather than bureaucratically
• Experience operating in fast-paced, high-impact environments with multiple competing priorities and stakeholders across time zones
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in software, platform, or data engineering, with 5+ years leading engineers and engineering managers
• Experience leading engineering at director-level scope within large, complex, multi-market organizations
• Experience in retail, hospitality, or other store-based operations at scale
• Strong background in modern cloud, data, and integration architecture
• Experience defining and rolling out engineering standards, governance, or architecture practice across an enterprise
• Demonstrated success hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing engineering teams
• Strong executive communication skills, with the ability to translate technical strategy into business impact
• Experience working across distributed teams and time zones, influencing across organizational boundaries
  
  

As a Starbucks partner, you (and your family) will have access to medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, and other voluntary insurance benefits. Partners have access to short-term and long-term disability, paid parental leave, family expansion reimbursement, paid vacation from date of hire*, sick time (accrued at 1 hour for every 25 hours worked), eight paid holidays, and two personal days per year. Starbucks also offers eligible partners participation in a 401(k)-retirement plan with employer match, a discounted company stock program (S.I.P.), Starbucks equity program (Bean Stock), incentivized emergency savings, and financial well-being tools.  Additionally, Starbucks offers 100% upfront tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor’s degree through Arizona State University’s online program via the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, student loan management resources, and access to other educational opportunities.  You will also have access to backup care and DACA reimbursement.   Starbucks will comply with any applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, and in accordance with its plans and policies. This list is subject to change depending on collective bargaining in locations where partners have a certified bargaining representative. For additional information regarding partner perks and more detailed information about benefits, go to starbucksbenefits.com.

• If you are working in CA, CO, IL, LA, ME, MA, NE, ND or RI, you will accrue vacation up to a maximum of 120 hours (190 in CA) for roles below director and 200 hours (316 in CA) for roles at director or above.  For roles in other states, you will be granted vacation time starting at 120 hours annually for roles below director and 200 hours annually for roles director and above. 
  
  

 

The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate will be based on multiple factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge/skills, experience, geographical location, and internal equity.  At Starbucks, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the high end of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate. 

 

This role is located in Nashville and will be in office Monday – Thursday.

Join us and inspire with every cup. Apply today! 

Starbucks Coffee Company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.  

Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with all federal, state and local ordinances. 

  

Starbucks Coffee Company is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at applicantaccommodation or 1(888) 611-2258.