Head of Engineering
$190k - $220k USD
About Hook
Hook is a social music platform, backed by top-tier investors, building the next generation of music discovery, fan expression, and creator growth. We turn the songs people love into sounds they can play with — enabling fans and creators to reimagine music through intuitive, remix-friendly experiences with zero learning curve. By partnering directly with artists, labels, and rightsholders, Hook ensures music is discovered, shared, and expressed in ways that respect and reward the people behind it. At Hook, music isn’t just consumed — it’s experienced, expressed, and made personal.
Role Overview
We’re looking for a Head of Engineering to establish and lead best-practice engineering processes as we scale the company. This is a senior leadership role responsible for setting our technical vision, building and scaling the engineering team, and ensuring high-quality execution across all product areas.
You’ll work closely with the founders and product leadership to translate company goals into a scalable, reliable, and pragmatic technical roadmap.
What You’ll Do
Engineering Leadership & Process
Establish and continuously improve engineering best practices appropriate for our stage of company
Set clear standards around code quality, reliability, security, documentation, and delivery
Build lightweight but effective processes that enable speed without sacrificing quality
Team Building & Scaling
Lead and grow a lean engineering organization
Scale the team thoughtfully in line with company growth goals
Hire, mentor, and retain high-performing engineers
Balance internal hires and contractors to maximize efficiency and flexibility
Create a strong engineering culture focused on ownership, collaboration, and execution
Technical Strategy & Architecture
Own the company’s technical strategy and long-term architecture
Make key decisions on tech stack, infrastructure, and tooling
Architect scalable, reliable systems that can grow with the business
Lead execution on complex technical projects and unblock high-risk initiatives
Ensure engineering decisions align with business priorities and product roadmap
Delivery, Alignment & Execution
Be accountable for delivering high-quality technology that supports product and platform goals
Track engineering output and progress across teams, ensuring work is visible and measurable
Align closely with Product, Design, and other stakeholders to set clear expectations and timelines
Ensure projects ship on time, with the right level of quality, scope, and predictability
Proactively identify risks, unblock teams, and course-correct when needed
Required Skills & Experience
Proven experience leading engineering teams in a startup or high-growth environment
Strong technical background with the ability to be hands-on when needed
Demonstrated ability to scale teams and systems in a lean, pragmatic way
Comfortable operating in ambiguity - able to make sound decisions and keep teams moving forward without perfect information
Strong sense of ownership and accountability for quality, delivery, and outcomes
Experience introducing structure and process that improves execution without becoming cumbersome
Ability to track output across teams and create clarity around priorities, timelines, and expectations
Excellent communicator who can align engineering work with product and business goals
Experience managing engineering contactors and vendor relationships
Why This Role Matters
This role will shape how engineering operates at the company—how we build, how we scale, and how we execute. You’ll have significant ownership, influence, and the opportunity to build a world-class engineering function from the ground up.
Compensation
Competitive base salary, meaningful equity ownership, and the opportunity to build and lead growth at a fast-growing consumer company.
For U.S.-based roles, the base salary range for this position is $190K - $220K, with additional equity and benefits. Final compensation will be determined based on experience, location, and role level.