director engineering – Retail Technology Platforms, Licensed Coffeehouses – Seattle, WA

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 own the full technology stack Starbucks offers its licensees. This leader is the single point of reference for the hardware and software solution that powers roughly 5,000 licensed stores: Point of Sale, Point of Sale peripherals, order fulfillment, edge compute, endpoint management, and the API-driven integrations that connect Starbucks to each licensee's bespoke loyalty and sales systems. You will set the technology roadmap for that estate and make sure every licensee gets a reliable, supportable, and scalable store experience.

Just as important, this role is charged with rationalizing and converging our store technology stacks across Company Operated, Licensed, and International markets. Today, those channels have grown along separate paths; you will define the target architecture, build the business case, and lead the multi-year path toward common platforms, so that we build once, deploy widely, and give every store, regardless of ownership model, the full benefit of Starbucks scale.

You'll lead a team of engineering managers and senior engineers and work through influence well beyond it, partnering with licensee technology teams, the Licensed Stores business, Company Operated store technology, International technology leaders, Architecture, Product, and our hardware and software vendors. Success looks like a clear, trusted licensee technology roadmap, measurable improvements in store uptime and time-to-deploy, faster and more repeatable licensee integrations, and visible progress toward a converged store platform across channels.

As a director, engineering, you will…

• Own the end-to-end licensee technology stack across hardware, firmware and software, including Point of Sale, POS peripherals (payment devices, printers, scanners, displays), order fulfillment, edge compute, and endpoint management
• Serve as the single point of reference and accountable owner for the licensed stores technology roadmap across approximately 5,000 stores, balancing licensee needs, Starbucks standards, and total cost of ownership \
• Lead the rationalization and convergence of store technology stacks across Company Operated, Licensed, and International markets, defining the target-state architecture, sequencing the migration, and retiring redundant platforms and local variants
• Define and govern the API and integration strategy that enables licensees to connect bespoke loyalty, sales, payments, and reporting systems to Starbucks platforms in a secure, scalable, and repeatable way
• Drive the hardware lifecycle for the licensed estate, including device certification, refresh planning, vendor and OEM partnerships, and supply and deployment readiness
• Establish edge compute and endpoint management standards that improve store reliability, security posture, patching and software distribution, and remote supportability at scale
• Partner with licensee technology leaders and the Licensed Stores business to onboard new licensees and formats, translating business commitments into clear technical requirements, timelines, and support models
• Raise the bar on operational excellence for licensed store technology, owning store-level availability, incident and problem management, release quality, and service-level performance
• Build the business case for platform consolidation, quantifying duplication, cost to serve, and risk, and securing alignment and investment from technology and business executives
• Lead and develop a team of engineering managers and senior engineers, setting direction, raising the technical bar, and growing leaders
• Represent licensed and international store needs in enterprise technology forums, influencing Company Operated and digital roadmaps so that shared capabilities work for every channel

We'd love to hear from leaders who bring...

In addition to strong engineering and platform experience:

• Deep expertise in retail store technology, including Point of Sale platforms, POS peripherals, payments, and order fulfillment systems
• Hands-on understanding of edge compute and endpoint management in distributed environments, such as device provisioning, configuration management, software distribution, monitoring, and remote support across thousands of locations
• Strong background in API-first and integration architecture, including partner-facing APIs, event-driven integration, and enabling third-party systems such as loyalty, sales, and payments to integrate securely
• Proven track record owning a hardware and software technology roadmap, including vendor management, device certification, and lifecycle planning
• Demonstrated success rationalizing and converging technology platforms across business units, channels, or regions, balancing global consistency with local operating realities
• Experience working directly with external partners, franchisees, or licensees, managing contractual, commercial, and technical expectations
• Strong record of influence without authority, aligning engineering, product, operations, and business leaders around shared platforms and outcomes
• Ability to identify duplication, fragmentation, and platform gaps, and to build a compelling, well-evidenced business case for consolidation
• 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 store systems engineering, with 5+ years leading engineers and engineering managers
• Experience leading engineering at director-level scope for store technology in retail, restaurant, hospitality, or other store-based operations at scale
• Experience supporting a franchise or licensed business model, including multi-tenant platforms and partner onboarding
• Experience leading large-scale platform migrations or POS replacements across thousands of locations
• Familiarity with payment security and compliance requirements (such as PCI DSS) and store-level security practices
• Strong background in modern cloud, edge, data, and integration architecture
• Demonstrated success hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing engineering teams
• Strong executive communication skills, with the ability to translate technical strategy into business impact for both internal leaders and external partners

General Engineering Leadership Qualifications

We expect the scope of this role to evolve over time, so we're looking for a well-rounded engineering leader who can thrive across multiple director-level positions. We'd love to see:

• Breadth to lead across multiple engineering domains, including store, digital, platform, and enterprise systems, and to step into new scope as business priorities evolve
• Hands-on familiarity with modern languages and frameworks, including Go (GoLang), C# and .NET, React, Electron, and GraphQL
• Working knowledge of Windows, Linux, and Android environments, from cloud and enterprise services to store devices and edge endpoints
• Experience applying generative AI across the software development lifecycle, including AI-assisted design, coding, testing, code review, and documentation, with sound practices for quality, security, and responsible use
• Strong engineering fundamentals in system design, distributed systems, CI/CD and DevOps, observability, security by design, and software quality
• Proven ability to build and scale high-performing teams, develop future leaders, and foster an inclusive, accountable engineering culture
• Sound financial and operational management, including budget ownership, vendor and contractor management, and capacity planning
• Data-driven decision making, using engineering and business metrics to set priorities, manage trade-offs, and measure outcomes
• Adaptability and a learning mindset, with comfort navigating ambiguity, changing priorities, and new technology

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.

We believe we do our best work when we're together, which is why we're onsite four days a week.

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 [email protected] or 1(888) 611-2258.