Engineering Excellence Architect & Enablement Lead

Shieldai; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a Director of Engineering Excellence & Enablement to lead strategy, execution, and organizational design for the engineering organization. Reporting to the VP of Engineering, this role aligns product strategy with scalable capabilities and enterprise-wide initiatives.

The role focuses on developer productivity, governance, and engineering metrics, driving planning cadences, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous improvement while maintaining alignment with the

Qualifications

• 10+ years of engineering leadership or related experience.
• Experience leading large-scale cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience establishing operating models, governance, planning processes, and execution frameworks.
• Strong understanding of Agile, DevOps, and engineering metrics in Aerospace & Defense.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders without direct authority.
• Exceptional communication and executive presentation skills.
• Strong analytical mindset with data-driven decision making.

Responsibilities

• Translate business and product strategy into engineering capabilities and execution plans.
• Develop the engineering operating system with governance and rhythms.
• Identify capability gaps and recommend investments.
• Define and drive engineering excellence initiatives and metrics.
• Establish reporting dashboards for organizational health and delivery.
• Lead cross-functional enterprise programs like AI enablement.
• Improve organizational health and leadership maturity.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Operating models

Agile & DevOps

Data-driven decisions

Executive communication

Job description

Shield AI is seeking a Director of Engineering Excellence & Enablement to lead strategy, execution, and organizational design for the engineering organization. Reporting to the VP of Engineering, this role aligns product strategy with scalable capabilities and enterprise-wide initiatives.

The role focuses on developer productivity, governance, and engineering metrics, driving planning cadences, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous improvement while maintaining alignment with the