Director of Engineering - Media and Discovery

Patreon is a media and community platform where over 300,000 creators give their biggest fans access to exclusive work and experiences. We offer creators a variety of ways to engage with their communities and build a lasting business including: paid memberships, free memberships, community chats, live experiences, and selling to fans directly with one-time purchases.

Ultimately our goal is simple: fund the creative class. And we're leaders in that space, with:

• $8 billion+ in revenue generated since Patreon's inception
• 60 million+ free new memberships for fans who may not be ready to pay just yet, and
• 10 million+ fans paying each month for exclusive access to creators' work and community.

We're continuing to invest heavily in building the best creator platform with the best team in the creator economy and are looking for a Director of Engineering - Media and Discovery to support our mission.

This role is based in New York or San Francisco and open to those who are able to be in-office 2 days per week on a hybrid work model.

About the Team

The Media & Discovery organization is at the heart of the creator and fan experience on Patreon. This group consists of four cross-functional teams: Feed, Creator Tools (Creation), Media, and Live Feed. Together, these teams are responsible for building new surfaces and features that allow creators to express themselves, connect meaningfully with their fans, and grow their communities on-platform.

From our dynamic homepage and discovery features to powerful live-streaming and media capabilities, this org builds the tools creators rely on to share and monetize their work — while ensuring fans find the content and creators they love.

About the Role

As the Director of Engineering – Media & Discovery, you’ll lead a 45 person organization focused on delivering innovative, high-impact products across Patreon’s core creator and fan surfaces. You’ll be responsible for setting the technical and organizational vision, building and nurturing high-performing teams, and collaborating closely with Design, Product, and Data to drive end-to-end execution.

In this role, you’ll:

• Oversee engineering execution across multiple product teams (Feed, Creator Tools, Media, Live)
• Partner with Product and Design leaders to shape and deliver the future of the creator experience
• Cultivate a culture of technical excellence, inclusion, and velocity across a growing org
• Balance scrappy iteration with long-term platform investments that scale with our users
• Help define the strategy for how creators publish content and how fans discover it
• Attract, retain, and grow engineering talent at all levels, from senior ICs to emerging leaders

About You

• You’re an experienced people and org leader with a track record of leading 25–50+ person consumer-focused engineering teams
• You’ve managed multiple cross-functional teams and understand how to prioritize, scale, and evolve org structure as the company grows
• You’re comfortable operating in fast-paced, product-driven environments with a growth-stage mindset
• You bring strong technical and product instincts, especially around content, discovery, and user engagement
• You foster a culture of ownership, experimentation, and continuous learning
• You care deeply about building tools that serve creators and make their lives easier
• You’re energized by ambiguity and know how to create clarity for your teams
• You are a builder — not just of systems and software, but of teams, culture, and vision
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field, or the equivalent

Bonus if you have:

• Experience in consumer media, social platforms, or creator-focused products
• Exposure to live streaming, content discovery, or media infrastructure at scale

About Patreon

Patreon powers creators to do what they love and get paid by the people who love what they do. Our team is passionate about making this mission and our core values come to life every day in our work. Through this work, our Patronauts:

• Put Creators First | They’re the reason we’re here. When creators win, we win.
• Build with Craft | We sign our name to every deliverable, just like the creators we serve.
• Make it Happen | We don’t quit. We learn and deliver.
• Win Together | We grow as individuals. We win as a team.

We hire talented and passionate people from different backgrounds because workplace diversity and inclusion is critical to our ability to serve creators worldwide. If you’re excited about a role but your past experience doesn’t match with every bullet point outlined above, we strongly encourage you to apply anyway. If you’re a creator at heart, are energized by our mission, and share our company values, we’d love to hear from you.

Patreon is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected class. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the interview process, please let us know via email at accomodations@patreon.

Patreon offers a competitive benefits package including and not limited to salary, equity plans, healthcare, flexible time off, company holidays and recharge days, commuter benefits, lifestyle stipends, learning and development stipends, patronage, parental leave, and 401k plan with matching.

Patreon operates under a hybrid work model, where employees based in office locations are expected to come into the office two days per week, excluding sick time and paid leave. The goal of this policy is to be intentional about the in-person time we spend together to strengthen the feeling of community at Patreon. Candidates outside of our office hubs are not expected to meet the same requirements.

At Patreon, we believe in fair and transparent pay. In compliance with New York and California pay transparency laws, we are sharing the expected salary range for this role.

The posted salary range is dependent on the location and the level. This range may encompass multiple levels within the role’s job family. The final offer will be based on candidate’s experience, skills, competencies, and geographic location, aligning with the appropriate job level within Patreon’s leveling framework. For remote employees located outside CA and NY, salary may vary based on location and local market conditions.

Patreon reserves the right to modify or update compensation and benefits at any time.