Engineering Director - Remote

First American; Santa Ana (CA); Remote; USD 197,000 - 263,000; Full time

Job summary

First American, a Fortune 100 Best Company to Work For, seeks a Director of Software Engineering in California to lead multiple software teams and drive technical excellence. You will align engineering strategy with business goals, mentor leaders, and deliver scalable solutions across product, design, and QA.

You will oversee architecture, DevOps practices, and hiring while coordinating distributed teams to accelerate delivery and quality in a regulated financial services environment.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software development experience, with at least 8 years in a leadership role managing engineering teams.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to dive into system architecture, design, performance metrics, code, test plans, deployments, and operations.
• Exceptional leadership and team-building skills, capable of inspiring teams to pursue objectives.
• Proven track record delivering large-scale enterprise products and services.
• Experience leading geographically distributed teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the software engineering strategy aligned to business goals.
• Partner with Product, Design, and QA to meet customer needs.
• Drive end-to-end engineering delivery with cross-functional teams.
• Ensure architectures are scalable and maintainable; lead architecture reviews.
• Improve engineering processes (Agile, DevOps) and foster continuous improvement.

Skills

Technical leadership

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Communication

Distributed teams

Tools

C#

.NET Core/.NET Framework

TypeScript

React

Node.js

AWS

Azure

GCP

Security/compliance

Job description

Who We AreJoin a team that puts its People First! Since 1889, First American (NYSE: FAF) has held an unwavering belief in its people. They are passionate about what they do, and we are equally passionate about fostering an environment where all feel welcome, supported, and empowered to be innovative and reach their full potential. Our inclusive, people-first culture has earned our company numerous accolades, including being named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list for eleven consecutive years. We have also earned awards as a best place to work for women, diversity and LGBTQ+ employees, and have been included on more than 50 regional best places to work lists. First American will always strive to be a great place to work, for all. For more information, please visit www.careers.firstam.com.What We DoWe are seeking a dynamic and experienced Director of Software Engineering to lead our software development teams, drive technical excellence, and collaborate with key stakeholders to deliver innovative, scalable software solutions. As the Director, you will oversee the entire software development lifecycle, ensuring that projects are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with business goals. This role requires a strong leader with a passion for technology, strategic thinking, and the ability to mentor and grow high-performing engineering teams.What You’ll Do:· Technical Strategy: Define and execute the software engineering strategy, aligning with overall business objectives. Stay abreast of emerging technologies and drive innovation within the development teams.· Collaboration: Partner with cross-functional teams, including Product, Design, and QA, to develop software that meets customer needs and business requirements.· Inspire Impact : Drive end-to-end engineering delivery by partnering with product and UX leaders, as well as cross-functional business, product, and technology teams to create meaningful impact.· Architecture & Design: Ensure that software architecture is scalable, maintainable, and follows industry best practices. Lead architecture reviews and contribute to design decisions.· Process Improvement: Implement and refine engineering processes (e.g., Agile, DevOps) to improve team efficiency and product quality. Foster a continuous improvement mindset across the engineering organization.· Hiring & Retention: Lead the recruitment and retention efforts for the software engineering team, ensuring the team is composed of top talent with the right skills to meet company goals.What You’ll Bring:· 10+ years of software development experience, with at least 8 years in a leadership role managing engineering teams.· Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to dive into system architecture, design, performance metrics, code, test plans, project plans, deployments, and operations.· Exceptional leadership and team-building skills, capable of inspiring teams to pursue and realize ambitious objectives.· Proven innovation skills with an impactful track record of driving business transformation and measurable outcomes.· Proven track record of delivering and supporting large-scale enterprise products and services.· Exceptional project management skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent projects with competing priorities.· Outstanding communication abilities, adept at engaging and swaying stakeholders across all organizational tiers through both verbal and written means.· Previous experience leading multiple geographically distributed teams.Ideally, you will also have experience with:· C# (.NET Core, .NET Framework), TypeScript & React / Node.js· Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP)· Proven success in scaling teams and implementing best practices in software development· Knowledge of security, privacy, AI, and compliance standards in software development· Working within a highly regulated industry such as Financial Services or Healthcare#ST2Pay Range: $197,200.00 - $263,000.00 AnnuallyThis hiring range is a reasonable estimate of the base pay range for this position at the time of posting. Pay is based on a number of factors which may include job-related knowledge, skills, experience, business requirements and geographic location.** Note that the following statements only apply to candidates who will be working from an unincorporated area within Los Angeles County. **First American will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with arrest or conviction records, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws (e.g., the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act).First American intends to conduct a review of an applicant’s criminal history in connection with a conditional offer. First American reasonably believes that a criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following material job duties for this position potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment: handling of confidential, proprietary or trade secret information belonging to First American or its customers, administrating or facilitating financial transactions, and the ability to meet customer-imposed criminal history requirements.What We OfferBy choice, we don’t simply accept individuality – we embrace it, we support it, and we thrive on it! Our People First culture is inclusive for all employees - not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it's the key to our success. We are proud to foster an authentic and inclusive workplace For All. You are free and encouraged to bring your entire, unique self to work. First American is an equal opportunity employer in every sense of the term.Based on eligibility, First American offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401k, PTO/paid sick leave and other great benefits like an employee stock purchase plan.