Sr. VP, Engineering

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the Senior Vice President of Engineering will serve as a critical technical leader and a key member of the executive leadership team. This executive will oversee a team of over 70 FTEs spanning functions that support our B2 Cloud Storage and Computer Backup products. The SVP will be responsible for shaping and executing long-term technical and strategic plans that drive innovation, accelerate growth, and reinforce Backblaze’s market leadership.

This role blends strategic vision with hands-on leadership. The SVP, Engineering will lead teams to enhance and maintain the storage platform and products that sit upon it, fostering a high-velocity, customer-centric product development culture. A central architect of Backblaze’s AI strategy, this leader will ensure the company is both leveraging AI internally to enhance development, and building AI into the platform and products to enhance and optimize.

This leader will work cross functionally with our Chief Product Officer to innovate customer value, with our SVP CloudOps, to ensure our platform operates in a world-class way, with our CTO to plan for long-term technical architectures, and overall across the rest of the executive team.

The ideal candidate combines visionary thinking, operational rigor, and servant leadership. They bring experience scaling global engineering teams in both high-growth and mature environments and are energized by the opportunity to deliver meaningful value to customers through technology. The right leader will not only be an excellent SVP of Engineering, but also an excellent Backblaze executive team member.

• Set Technical Vision & Strategy: In partnership with the CPO, SVP CloudOps, CTO, and others, champion the short and long-term technical architecture and innovation roadmap for Backblaze, aligning with business and customer needs.
• Lead Engineering: Lead the Engineering organization, fostering a culture of innovation and velocity, while continuing predictability and the appropriate levels of robustness.
• Own Platform Modernization: Spearhead the evolution of our architecture into a modern, modular platform built for rapid product delivery and global scale. 
• Drive A.I. Innovation: Guide the development and application of AI/ML across the company’s product portfolio and internal approaches, ensuring Backblaze is leading - not following - the AI curve.
• Ensure World-Class Reliability: Continue to ensure exceptional durability, availability, security, and privacy thus ensuring customer trust.
• Scale Organizational Capability: Recruit, develop, and mentor a diverse and high-performing technical leadership team that can drive large, complex new initiatives.
• Collaborate Across the Business: Partner with peers in Product, Cloud Operations, CTO, Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success to align technology delivery with customer and commercial outcomes.
• Operate with Velocity: Balance bold technical bets with pragmatic execution. Drive a culture of decision-making, experimentation, and speed.

The ideal candidate for the SVP of Engineering at Backblaze is a transformative technology leader with deep experience scaling complex platforms in growth-stage and enterprise environments. They are a hands-on, servant leader who blends technical depth with business acumen, capable of architecting modern, AI-forward systems while preserving Backblaze’s reliability and customer trust.

They have a proven track record of leading distributed engineering teams, driving platform modernization, and applying AI/ML across products and internal operations. This leader brings a global mindset, a passion for innovation, and a commitment to building high-performing, inclusive engineering cultures.

They are energized by the opportunity to shape the future of a mission-driven company that safeguards the world’s most important digital assets.

• Engineering Leadership (15+ years). Executive-level experience in both scale-up and large-scale tech environments (500 - 2,000+ employees).
  Budget Ownership and Executive Team Participation. Operated with full budget accountability. Played a key role at the leadership table, aligning technology with growth and customer success.
• Large-Scale Platform Modernization. Led efforts to evolve complex systems while balancing innovation, reliability, and legacy investment.
• AI/ML Strategy and Delivery. Built and scaled AI/ML initiatives across infrastructure, product, and internal operations. Delivered real-world applications with measurable value.
• Cloud Infrastructure and Data Management. Strong technical understanding of cloud storage, IaaS, and data protection - especially relevant to enterprise and AI workloads.
• Public Company and IPO Readiness. Experienced in or familiar with the operational rigor of public companies and IPO preparation.
• Global and Distributed Team Leadership. Successfully built and led high-performing teams across geographies. Brings emotional intelligence and cultural fluency.
• Technical Credibility. Operates effectively from architecture through code-level detail. Trusted to make strong technical decisions and lead from the front.
• Stakeholder Communication. Communicates complex technical topics clearly to executive peers, employees, the board, and partners. Builds alignment through clarity.

• Mission-Driven, Customer-Focused. Aligned with Backblaze’s purpose. Prioritizes long-term impact and customer trust over short-term gains.
• Servant Leadership. Leads with humility and empathy. Invests in talent and builds inclusive, psychologically safe environments.
• High Integrity, High Accountability. Consistent and transparent, especially under pressure. Embraces feedback and leads by example.
• Strategic and Practical. Connects long-term vision to near-term execution. Understands cascading impact of technical decisions.
• Curious and Learning-Oriented. Stays current on emerging technologies, particularly in AI, infrastructure, and leadership practices.
• Resilient and Steady Under Pressure. Comfortable with ambiguity. Brings clarity and stability in fast-changing environments.
• Inclusive and Collaborative. Builds trust across teams, functions, and locations. Values diverse perspectives and backgrounds.
• Promote Sustainable Work Rhythms. Design workloads that preserve team energy, prevent burnout, and deliver critical milestones reliably.
• Technically Hands-On. Engaged with the work. Balances credibility with engineers and communication with executives and customers.

• Healthcare for family, including dental and vision
• Competitive compensation and 401K  
• RSU grants for full-time employees 
• ESPP program  
• Flexible vacation policy 
• Maternity & paternity leave 
• MacBook Pro to use for work plus a generous stipend to personalize your  workstation 
• Childcare bonus (human children only) 
• Fertility treatment and support 
• Learning & development program 
• Commuter benefits 
• Culture that supports a healthy work-life balance 

To provide greater transparency to candidates, we share base pay ranges for all US-based job postings regardless of state. We set standard base pay ranges for all roles based on function, level, and country location, benchmarked against similar-stage growth companies. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including candidate location, skills, depth of work experience, and relevant licenses/credentials, and may vary from the amounts listed below.

The base pay range for this position is $375,000 - $400,000 plus Bonus Plan, Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) + Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) + compelling benefits package

At Backblaze, we value being fair and good to our customers, partners, and employees. That’s why diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core of our values. We are committed to fostering a workforce where all employees feel a sense of belonging regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, socio-economic status, ability, veteran status, and education. We believe that our dedication to cultivating a diverse workspace not only allows us to better serve our customers in over 175 countries, but further reinforces our commitment to doing the right thing. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To understand more about the data we collect and process as part of your application, please view our Backblaze Employee Privacy Notice.

This role is being managed exclusively by our partner, Diversified Search. Please apply directly to [email protected] - applications made via the Backblaze website/Applicant Tracking System will not be reviewed.