About

Max Countryman is a results-driven engineering leader with a passion for building high-performing teams that deliver exceptional outcomes. With over 13 years of relevant experience, Max has developed a reputation for his ability to leverage DevOps and Lean methodologies to drive millions in recurring revenue. As the Senior Director of Engineering at Lob, Max is responsible for leading the company's engineering efforts, with a focus on developing systems that accelerate business growth. Max's leadership style is centered around putting people first. He believes that by investing in his team members and stakeholders, he can create a foundation for success that drives exceptional outcomes. Throughout his career, Max has led teams across a variety of industries, including education technology and digital marketing. At Pathstream, Max served as the Director of Engineering, Platform, where he led half of the engineering team in a focus on holistic, systemic improvement that resulted in a more robust and reliable product. Max is a champion of Lean and DevOps methodologies, which he has used to reduce lead-time-to-change from months to days. He has also spearheaded the adoption of new vendors, such as Amplitude, which has enabled new digital marketing workflows and saved millions of dollars in ad spend. Additionally, Max has introduced data infrastructure standards, such as Airflow, to support core business operations and growth. Max is a graduate of The Evergreen State College, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Cultural Anthropology. He also holds a degree in Anthropology and Japanese from Eastern Washington University and studied Cultural Anthropology at the University of Miyazaki. Max's technical skills include Senior Software Engineering, DevOps, infra, and Apache Airflow. Max is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and he prioritizes diversity as a core tenant of the hiring process. He is committed to creating a psychologically safe environment that fosters growth and development for his team members.