Fractional Engineering Leader

Fractional (day-rate)

, 

Remote

A game-changing food-tech platform helping restaurants manage demand.
Apply Now

Hello from EatClub!

About EatClub

EatClub is a world-first customer engagement platform that revolutionises the dining industry. Founded by esteemed chef Marco Pierre White, EatClub empowers restaurants to manage demand for their tables and improve profit margins through dynamic pricing.

Key features of EatClub:

  • Helps restaurants fill tables during off-peak times by offering diners last-minute deals via the app
  • Partners with over 3,000 restaurants, bars, pubs, and nightclubs
  • Operational in major Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and Adelaide

EatClub's innovative approach benefits both restaurants and diners, creating a win-win situation in the competitive hospitality industry.

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The Challenge

EatClub is at a critical juncture in its product development lifecycle, facing several challenges:

  • CTO Overload: The long-standing CTO manages both Product and Engineering teams, leading to potential bottlenecks.
  • Major Development Deadlines: Pressing product development milestones need to be met to maintain EatClub's competitive edge, including a new region launch.
  • Technical Debt: A database rewrite is underway to modernise the infrastructure and address accumulated technical debt. This is the current priority of the CTO.
  • Team Management: The engineering team (10 software engineers across iOS/Android/Web) requires day-to-day management and support.
  • Product-Engineering Alignment: Better coordination is needed between the Product (3 Product Managers led by a Head of Product) and Engineering teams to prioritise features and roadmap effectively.
  • Rapid Onboarding: The company needs someone who can quickly integrate into the team and make an immediate impact to support time-sensitive initiatives.

The right fractional Head of Engineering will help EatClub navigate its current challenges by efficiently managing the engineering team, streamlining processes, and supporting the CTO in achieving critical development milestones. Their expertise will be crucial in balancing immediate operational needs with long-term technical debt reduction and infrastructure modernisation, all while ensuring that EatClub's platform continues to provide value to its restaurant partners and users across Australia.

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‍Ideal Arrangement:

  • Time Commitment: 2-3 days a week (depending on experience, skill set, and availability)
  • Duration: 2-3 months
  • Estimated Start Date: As soon as possible
  • Reporting To: CTO
  • Rate Range: $1,500-$2,500 per day
  • Performance Incentives: Not applicable
  • Location: Fully remote

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Milestones / OKRs
To be discussed and determined with candidate(s)

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What You'll Bring

‍Experience:

  • Senior-level engineering leader with a track record of managing diverse tech stacks and teams in fast-paced environments
  • Experience in developing and executing product roadmap for native mobile and web
  • Customer-centric product management playbook

Industry Knowledge:

  • Must have:
    • Experience with native mobile app development (iOS and Android) and web technologies (React)
    • Experience working with AWS infrastructure
    • Experience scaling apps internationally and multi-region development
  • Nice to have:
    • Experience in similar food tech or marketplace platforms

Hard Skills:

  • Proficiency in iOS and Android development environments
  • Strong understanding of React and web technologies
  • Experience with AWS infrastructure and cloud services
  • Knowledge of database systems and migration strategies, particularly relevant to the ongoing database rewrite
  • Familiarity with scalable architectures to support EatClub's multi-city operations

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Soft Skills:

  • Strong team management and mentoring abilities
  • Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills
  • Proven track record in process improvement and risk management
  • Ability to balance day-to-day operations with strategic initiatives
  • Excellent communication skills to liaise between Product and Engineering teams
  • Adaptability to work in a fast-paced, growth-oriented startup environment

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Leadership Style:

  • Strategic and hands-on leader who can partner with the CTO to build strategy, systems, and capabilities
  • Ability to work independently and drive initiatives forward
  • "Thinker-doer" type leader who loves straddles strategy and execution

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‍Why we think EatClub is awesome

  • Lead engineering strategy for a high-growth platform in the competitive food-tech market
  • Flexible engagement model with executive-level impact (2-3 days/week)
  • Collaborate directly with leadership team to shape product vision and go-to-market strategy
  • Opportunity to work with cutting-edge technologies and solve complex challenges in a dynamic industry

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Sound like you?
Apply now.

At Shepherd, we facilitate matchmaking with a human touch via short video applications. To apply, simply record a short personalised video in response to the fractional brief.

When creating your video, aim to keep it concise and informative—ideally 2-3 minutes long. Share similar projects or real-world examples, and be authentic to give us a true sense of what it would be like to work with you.

Good luck!

Here's some guidelines:

  • Personal Introduction: Start with a brief personal introduction to establish a connection.
  • Career & Project Relevance: Briefly highlight your career history and experience relevant to this role. Discuss any products, clients, or domains you've worked with that relate to this job. Mention key achievements that you believe would excite the founder.
  • Core Skills & Unique Strength: Showcase your strongest skills and tools you're proficient with. Highlight anything unique that sets you apart from other candidates.
  • Project Duration & Availability: Mention your availability and how you can engage with this project (e.g., weekends, a few hours each day/week, or 2-3 days per week). Be specific about your capacity to ensure a good fit.
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At Shepherd, we facilitate matchmaking with a human touch via short video applications.


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