Senior Manager, Software Engineering, LMS

Senior Manager, Software Engineering, LMS
American Public Education, Inc. 

At American Public Education, Inc. (APEI), the Senior Manager, Software Engineer, Learning Management System (LMS) role is pivotal in advancing our digital learning initiatives, particularly with Brightspace and/or Anthology Blackboard.  This role demands a blend of technical and LMS expertise, focusing on the development, delivery, operations, integrations, and support and will champion continuous improvement and overall team performance.  She/he will provide leadership to work effectively and efficiently in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, collaborating with internal and external software engineering, infrastructure, operation/support, project management, architecture, and business departments/groups.  The Senior Manager will lead the entire project lifecycle, encompassing solution architecture, design, prototyping, development, testing, and deployment.

The Senior Manager, Software Engineering, LMS will be instrumental in fostering a collaborative and forward-thinking work environment, steering initiatives that integrate custom and COTS applications, blending on-premises and cloud solutions while adhering to standards like PCI/PII/FERPA/ADA standards.  Integral to this role is the collaboration with integration and classroom support experts to enhance the learning experience for students and faculty, ensuring that initiatives align with educational goals and technology standards.  She/he will be responsible for hands-on guidance to the LMS Engineering team, providing mentorship and assistance to members, and partner with IT and Business teams to identify, define, analyze, and implement solutions with high scalability, performance, and 24x7 availability.

Responsibilities: 

• Manage team performance assessments, emphasizing optimization of the LMS domain, including people, process, and technology.  
• Solution design and guide teams with developing custom plugins, integrations, and features for the Brightspace and/or Anthology Blackboard LMS platforms; utilizing a diverse set of programming languages such as Java, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
• Collaborate closely with instructional designers and subject matter experts to create e-learning solutions tailored to a variety of audiences, ensuring these solutions are both innovative and effective.
• Lead the integration of Brightspace/Anthology with other systems and applications, with integration platforms, APIs and other technologies.
• Lead and support ADA and Digital Accessibility initiatives.
• Spearhead prototyping, integration testing, performance optimization, and scalability testing to ensure robust and efficient LMS applications.
• Maintain a strong focus on the security and compliance of LMS applications, overseeing change management processes and managing vendor relationships effectively.
• Develop comprehensive technical specifications, system architectures, and deployment plans, focusing on the efficiency and scalability of LMS operations and new initiatives.
• Apply a tactical and strategic approach to solution design, utilizing best practices and innovative methodologies to deliver impactful e-learning solutions.
• Stay up to date of emerging trends and technologies in e-learning, applying these insights to continually enhance the LMS platform and stay ahead of industry developments.
• Analyze complex problems and deconstruct them into actionable technical solutions, leveraging your deep understanding of LMS applications.
• Engage in project planning, estimation, and documentation, contributing your expertise to ensure successful project execution.
• Leads business process improvements and design alternatives to optimize LMS technical solutions, demonstrating a keen understanding of both technical and business needs.
• Perform additional duties as assigned

Requirements: 

• In-depth experience developing custom plugins, integrations, and features for the Brightspace and/or Anthology Blackboard LMS platform, including leveraging APIs and other integration technologies.
• Familiarity with Brightspace SDK, including access to Brightspace APIs, client libraries, tools, samples, and walkthroughs.
• Knowledge of Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) standards
• Strong proficiency in programming languages commonly used in web development, such as Java, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
• Expertise in integrating LMS with other systems and applications, such as CRM systems, student information systems, and payment processing systems, using REST APIs, SOAP APIs, and other integration technologies.
• Knowledge of instructional design principles and e-learning best practices, and experience implementing these principles to design and dev