Director, Software Engineering

About the role

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Director, Software Engineering based in the United States.

As Director of Software Engineering, you will shape the technical foundations, engineering practices, and security strategy behind a growing education technology platform. Working across eight product squads, you will identify and prioritize complex technical initiatives that require coordination beyond individual teams, including platform modernization, authentication, dependency management, and security. You will lead and develop a team of Staff Engineers, empowering them to drive meaningful improvements across the engineering organization. A central part of your role will be strengthening application and cloud security while coordinating standards, reporting, and compliance with a centralized security organization. Partnering closely with senior R&D leaders, you will influence technical priorities, balance business needs against engineering risks, and ensure critical initiatives move forward. This is a highly autonomous leadership opportunity where your decisions will have a direct impact on product quality, engineering velocity, and organizational resilience.

Accountabilities You will provide technical leadership across the engineering organization, taking ownership of cross-functional initiatives, developing senior technical talent, and ensuring security practices are embedded into the software development lifecycle.

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Cross-Organizational Technical Strategy

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Identify and prioritize technical challenges that span multiple product squads, including platform modernization, authentication, dependency health, and security.

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Work with Staff Engineers to define problems, establish scope and timelines, assess technical risks, and prepare initiatives for execution.

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Present recommendations and business cases to R&D leadership, explaining the urgency, expected impact, and trade-offs of proposed initiatives.

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Participate in engineering prioritization decisions, helping determine which initiatives should be addressed in each development cycle.

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Support teams in making sound technical decisions and delivering cross-functional improvements within their existing capacity.

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Staff Engineering Leadership and Development

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Build, lead, and expand the Staff Engineer team through strategic hiring and professional development.

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Establish team direction and allocate engineering resources according to organizational priorities.

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Coach Staff Engineers in navigating ambiguous technical challenges, building alignment across teams, and documenting important decisions.

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Help senior technical contributors develop their influence and effectiveness across the engineering organization.