Engineering Director, Specialty Travel at Navan · London

We believe “It’s all about the user. All of them.” We’re passionate about providing a seamless one-stop experience for business travelers, no matter how they travel, where they stay, or where they’re going. Navan is hiring a Director of Engineering to oversee our Specialty Travel and Events division. You will lead the teams building our core Events Platform and architecting new products for customers with complex, specialized requirements. As a pivotal technical leader, you will be responsible for setting the engineering roadmap, mentoring future leaders and hiring top talent, and ensuring our solutions remain reliable, scalable, and relentlessly user-focused. What You’ll Do Technical Leadership: Guide the technical direction and roadmap for critical systems within the travel domain. Must have 10+ years of Software Development Experience with 5+ years of experience leading/managing cross-functional development teams and 3+ years of managing managers. Team Development: Hire, develop, and mentor a high-performing organization of engineers and engineering managers. Industry Partnership: Work closely with vendors and suppliers to implement modern, API-driven technical approaches and integrate new standards. System Architecture: Drive the scalability, reliability, and extensibility of backend systems that handle complex real-world constraints and high-volume transactions. AI Integration: Guide the implementation of AI-driven workflows, leveraging Navan’s proprietary travel data to provide context-rich outcomes that go beyond generic models. Cross-Functional Execution: Partner closely with Product, Design, and Operations to deliver ambitious, cross-team initiatives that redefine the traveler experience. Operational Excellence: Modernize long-standing technical assumptions into flexible models, ensuring rapid progress is balanced with the quality and trust required by enterprise customers. What We’re Looking For Experience: Strong background in building and operating large-scale backend systems, with a proven track record of managing engineering teams and scaling team capabilities. Technical Depth: Deep expertise in complex distributed systems and the ability to engage deeply with engineers on architectural details. Execution Focus: A record of delivering complex, cross-functional outcomes in ambiguous environments where you help shape the direction. Successful leaders at Navan know when to roll up their sleeves and work alongside their teams. Domain Curiosity: While travel experience is a strong plus, you must have a relentless desire to go "under the hood" to understand how the industry actually works rather than treating it as a black box. Global Collaboration: Ability to communicate clearly and work effectively across diverse cultures and time zones (SF, London, Berlin, Tel Aviv, and beyond). Partner Engagement: The ability to engage effectively with external industry partners and providers, building credibility through your technical depth. Strong Ownership: A "builder" mindset with the follow-through necessary to guide your teams through a rare industry transformation.