Director, Software Development

Job Description:

We are seeking a dynamic and forward-thinking Director of Software Engineering to lead the development of our customer portal platform and other mission-critical applications. This role will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the software development lifecycle, from strategy to execution, ensuring alignment with business goals and technical excellence.

As a key leader within the organization, the Director of Software Engineering will shape our software development strategy, identify and implement modern technical solutions, and drive execution to deliver high-quality products and services on time. You will be accountable for fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement, while ensuring scalability, performance, and maintainability of our solutions. The individual will have a strong technical background in software engineering, cloud-based platforms, and Agile processes, with a focus on improving time to market, driving innovation, continuously improving development processes, and collaborating closely with our Product organization.

Key Responsibilities and Essential Job Functions:

• Leadership:  Lead and mentor a team of software engineers (employees, off-shore and near-shore contractors), fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, accountability and excellence, ensuring alignment with business and technical objectives. Proven track record leading and coordinating multiple development teams.  Establish and communicate clear performance expectations, provide regular feedback, and support professional growth and development.   In conjunction with our Product and Enterprise Architecture teams, develop and execute a strategic roadmap for the customer portal.  Champion the use of AI and other advanced technologies to optimize the development lifecycle and product functionality.

• Software Development & Delivery: Oversee the development of our customer portal platform, improving its functionality and user experience.   Ensure adherence to SAFe methodology for Agile planning, execution, and continuous improvement.  Continuously assess and improve software development processes, improve time to market, optimize workflows, enhance development standards, and implementing best practices.  Ensure rapid, iterative delivery by applying Agile and DevOps practices to optimize time to market.  Manage both onshore and offshore engineering teams, ensuring seamless collaboration and productivity across geographies.

• Technical Leadership: In conjunction with the Enterprise Architecture team, set the technical direction for software development efforts, ensuring alignment with the company's strategic goals.  Stay abreast of emerging technologies and industry trends, recommending their adoption when beneficial.

• Innovation & Process Improvement: Drive innovation in software development practices by leveraging new technologies, including AI, to improve development speed and quality.  Continuously evaluate the team's development processes, identifying areas for optimization and process automation.  Introduce and promote best practices in software engineering and coding standards.

• Collaboration & Communication: Partner closely with the Product organization to ensure alignment with the functional and strategic direction of the portal.  Foster strong cross-functional relationships with other internal teams, such as other platform development teams, QA, IT Operations, Infrastructure, and DevOps.  Communicate progress, challenges, and risks to senior leadership, offering actionable insights and solutions.

• Resource & Project Management: Oversee the planning, execution, and successful delivery of software development projects, ensuring they are completed on time and within budget.  Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Product Management, to define project scope, objectives, and deliverables.  Monitor project progress, identify risks, and take proactive steps to mitigate issues. Experience managing and executing on multiple complex projects.

Required Qualifications:   

• BS/BA in Computer Science or related field preferred.  A Master’s degree is a plus.

• 8+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role directly managing software developers in an Agile/Scrum environment familiarity with the SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework), DevOps practices, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.

• Strong leadership, communication and team-building skills.  Previous experience in leading distributed teams, including off-shore & near-shore contractor teams.

• Project management experience, including