Director of Software Engineering

Frederick Fox; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Frederick Fox is seeking an experienced Director of Software Engineering to provide strategic and technical leadership for a growing software engineering organization. This role will oversee scalable, high-performance software platforms while establishing the engineering vision, roadmap, architecture, and development practices needed to support continued growth.

The ideal candidate is hands-on and strategic, with extensive experience building and managing high-performing teams in fast-paced,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field and 10+ years of software engineering experience.
• 5+ years of experience leading software engineering teams or organizations.
• Proven experience delivering large-scale, high-performance software platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute engineering strategies and roadmaps.
• Strong understanding of modern software architecture, distributed systems, APIs, and cloud tech.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a high-performing software engineering organization with technical direction and mentorship.
• Develop and execute a long-term engineering strategy aligned with product priorities and customer needs.
• Establish engineering roadmaps, standards, priorities, and delivery goals.
• Balance near-term execution with long-term architectural investments and improvements.
• Drive a culture of technical excellence, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance of scalable platforms.
• Guide architecture to ensure secure, reliable, and scalable systems for growth.
• Lead exploration and implementation of AI, ML, and NLP capabilities with business value.
• Partner with product, design, data, and leadership to translate objectives into technical solutions.
• Recruit, develop, and retain high-performing engineering talent and leadership.
• Establish clear performance expectations and support career development.
• Ensure high availability, security, compliance, and operational excellence.

Skills

Leadership

Strategy & Roadmaps

Mentorship & People Mgmt

Stakeholder communication

Cloud architecture

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, IT, or related field

Job description

Director of Software Engineering

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Director of Software Engineering to provide strategic and technical leadership for a growing software engineering organization. This role will oversee the development of scalable, high-performance software platforms while establishing the engineering vision, roadmap, architecture, and development practices needed to support continued growth.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on and strategic engineering leader with extensive experience building and managing high-performing teams in fast-paced, technology-driven environments. Experience with AI, machine learning, natural language processing, healthcare technology, or other data-intensive platforms is highly preferred.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering Leadership & Strategy

• Lead and manage a high-performing software engineering organization, providing technical direction, mentorship, and strategic guidance.
• Develop and execute a long-term engineering strategy aligned with company objectives, product priorities, and customer needs.
• Establish and maintain engineering roadmaps, priorities, development standards, and delivery goals.
• Balance near-term execution with long-term architectural and technology investments.
• Drive a culture of technical excellence, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Software Development & Architecture

• Oversee the design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance of scalable software platforms.
• Guide architectural decisions to ensure systems are secure, reliable, maintainable, and capable of supporting significant growth.
• Ensure engineering teams consistently deliver high-quality software within established timelines and performance expectations.
• Identify opportunities to improve system performance, scalability, reliability, and development efficiency.
• Establish best practices for software development, code quality, testing, documentation, and deployment.

AI & Emerging Technologies

• Lead the exploration and implementation of AI, machine learning, and natural language processing capabilities where they provide meaningful business and customer value.
• Partner with data science and product teams to identify opportunities for intelligent automation and data-driven product enhancements.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and determine how they can be responsibly incorporated into the organization’s technology strategy.
• Ensure AI-enabled solutions are designed with appropriate considerations for security, privacy, accuracy, scalability, and regulatory requirements.

Product & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Product, Design, Operations, Data, and executive leadership to translate business objectives into technical solutions.
• Collaborate with product leaders to prioritize initiatives and establish realistic delivery plans.
• Communicate technical strategies, risks, dependencies, and progress clearly to executive and non-technical stakeholders.
• Serve as a senior technical representative in strategic product and business discussions.
• Ensure engineering priorities remain aligned with customer needs and organizational goals.

Team Development & Talent Management

• Recruit, develop, and retain high-performing software engineering talent.
• Build effective organizational structures, teams, and career development frameworks.
• Coach engineering managers and senior engineers while supporting their continued leadership development.
• Establish clear performance expectations and provide regular feedback and development opportunities.
• Promote collaboration, knowledge sharing, and continuous technical learning across the engineering organization.
• Develop succession plans and strengthen the organization’s technical leadership pipeline.

Reliability, Security & Operational Excellence

• Establish engineering practices that support high availability, system reliability, scalability, and operational resilience.
• Partner with infrastructure, security, and technology teams to maintain appropriate security and compliance standards.
• Monitor engineering performance and system health through meaningful technical and operational metrics.
• Identify and address technical debt, system risks, and scalability challenges before they impact customers.
• Lead initiatives to improve development velocity, deployment processes, and operational efficiency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a related technical field.
• 10 years of professional software engineering experience.
• 5 years of experience leading software engineering teams or organizations.
• Proven experience delivering large-scale, high-performance software platforms.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing engineering strategies and roadmaps.
• Strong understanding of modern software architecture, distributed systems, APIs, cloud technologies, and software development practices.
• Experience managing engineering managers, senior engineers, and multidisciplinary technical teams.
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a startup, scale-up, or other highly dynamic technology environment.
• Experience with artificial intelligence, machine learning, or natural language processing.
• Experience building healthcare technology, clinical research, health information, or other regulated technology platforms.
• Experience with data-intensive applications and AI-enabled products.
• Experience designing systems requiring high availability, scalability, and performance.
• Familiarity with healthcare privacy, security, and regulatory requirements.
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or a related discipline.