Director Software Engineering

Freethink; Remote; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading Edtech firm is seeking an experienced engineer for a pivotal role focused on driving technical strategy and team management. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years in web-based applications with expertise in Ruby on Rails and AWS. Responsibilities include hands-on coding, leading architectural decisions, and managing a small team. This role offers work-from-home flexibility, growth opportunities, and comprehensive benefits. Salary ranges from $140,000 to $180,000.

Benefits

Work from home flexibility

Growth and mentorship

Comprehensive benefits

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in building web-based applications.
• Experience managing and developing a small engineering team.
• Deep knowledge of secure software development practices.

Responsibilities

• Drive technical strategy and manage a team of engineers.
• Contribute to architecture decisions and critical features.
• Lead initiatives involving complex technical tradeoffs.

Skills

Ruby on Rails

PostgreSQL

AWS

JavaScript frameworks

ETL or ELT workflows

Collaboration skills

Job description

At Big Think+, we’re on a mission to empower organizations to unlock leadership potential. We collaborate with the world’s most influential thinkers to create transformative learning experiences that spark curiosity, elevate performance, and inspire meaningful change.

If you’re driven by innovation, energized by possibility, and excited to help shape the future of workplace learning, you’ll thrive here. Join us—and help create the leaders of tomorrow.

Watch the trailer video on our website to learn more: https://bigthink.com/plus/.

About The Role

Big Think+ is redefining how organizations develop leaders. Instead of generic, facilitator-led training, we deliver a world-class library of expert-driven, learning-designed content powered by a platform built to change mindsets and behaviors. Companies around the world rely on us to develop leaders at scale, and technology is at the core of how we do it.

We’re looking for an experienced engineer who thrives on solving complex problems, enjoys elevating the craft of engineering, and is energized by opportunities to influence how a platform—and a team—evolves over time.

What You’ll Do

Your responsibilities will span technical leadership, team management and hands‑on execution.

• Set and drive technical strategy aligned with company objectives, balancing speed, scalability, reliability, and long‑term platform health
• Manage and develop a small team of engineers, including hiring, coaching, performance management, and career development
• Remain hands‑on in the codebase, contributing to architecture decisions and implementing critical features and infrastructure improvements
• Own platform architecture and evolution, ensuring our systems are secure, performant, scalable, and maintainable
• Lead high‑impact initiatives, especially those involving complex technical tradeoffs, cross‑functional dependencies, or architectural change
• Champion a culture of accountability, craftsmanship, and continuous improvement across the engineering team

What You’ll Need

• 10+ years of hands‑on experience building web‑based applications, with strong, recent work in Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, Cloud Platforms (e.g. AWS, Heroku), and JavaScript frameworks (e.g., Svelte, React, Vue)
• A proven track record of leveraging the latest and greatest (often AI) tools to improve the throughput and quality of your team’s work.
• Prior experience managing and developing engineers, ideally within a small, high‑ownership team
• Experience building and maintaining data pipelines and integrations, including ETL or ELT workflows, data transformation and modeling
• Experience in Edtech, working with learning platforms or AI engineering is a plus
• Demonstrated ability to set technical direction and lead architecture for complex systems
• Deep knowledge of secure software development practices, including security compliance and auditing, performance tuning, and scalable multi‑tenant systems
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills - able to influence cross‑functional partners and explain complex ideas clearly

What You’ll Get

• Work from home flexibility: We’ve been remote first since inception
• Growth and mentorship: Join a supportive, collaborative team with opportunities to grow in a fast‑paced startup environment
• Competitive benefits: Enjoy comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability coverage, 401(k), and more!

Salary Range: $140,000–$180,000

Due to the large number of applications, we will only be contacting you if we would like to move forward with an interview.