Sr Director, Software Engineering

Axon Enterprise; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 220,000 - 352,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary & 401k

PTO

Parental leave

Fitness programs

Wellness support

Snacks in office

Job summary

Axon Enterprise in Seattle is seeking a Senior Director of Software Engineering to own the core infrastructure platform for Axon cloud services. You will lead globally distributed teams, set technical direction, and ensure reliable, secure systems with exceptional developer experience.

You will partner with product and security, drive AI-enabled engineering practices, and mentor engineering managers to raise the bar across the organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or an equivalent highly technical field.
• 15+ years of experience leading engineering teams, including experience leading managers of managers.
• Hands-on experience growing software development organizations that build large-scale distributed systems.
• Experience running cloud services at scale on a major cloud provider such as AWS or Azure.
• Deep domain expertise in modern Infrastructure-as-Code technologies and core infrastructure components, such as compute, networking, observability, and developer platforms, with a track record of leading platform or infrastructure engineering teams.
• Deep understanding of delivering high-quality, high-velocity software to production.
• Hands-on experience applying AI in engineering workflows, with the ability to evaluate effectiveness, manage cost, and drive adoption at scale.
• Proven results delivering outcomes while managing ambiguity, organizational change, and competing priorities.
• Experience collaborating with diverse stakeholders, including business leaders, customers, and security teams.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, backed by strong technical and business vision.
• Experience leading globally distributed teams across multiple regions and time zones, with the ability to build a cohesive culture and strong execution across locations.

Responsibilities

• Define the long‑term technical strategy and architecture for the core infrastructure platform, and lead the critical technical decisions that shape it
• Deliver highly reliable, secure, and scalable systems that meet a high bar for quality
• Ensure the core infrastructure platform enables a delightful developer experience for the engineers who build on it
• Partner with peer engineering leaders, Product Management and Security to align long‑term strategy with near‑term roadmaps and customer commitments
• Lead the transformation of how we engineer, coaching engineers into AI‑native technical leaders
• Lead and develop a team of engineering managers and technical leads, hire exceptional talent, and raise the engineering hiring bar across Axon
• Build a culture of candor, accountability, continuous learning, and strong team engagement

Skills

Leadership

Distributed systems

Cloud platforms

AI in engineering

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science/Engineering

Tools

AWS

Azure

Terraform

Job description

At Axon, we’re on a mission to Protect Life. We’re explorers, pursuing society’s most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other.

Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you’ll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter.

Your Impact

Axon's Platform Services organization builds the cloud platforms and tools that public safety products and the engineers behind them depend on. As Senior Director, Software Engineering, you own the core infrastructure platform that all Axon cloud services depend on to deploy, provision and maintain cloud infrastructure resources, including critical components such as IaC platform, compute, networking, and observability. You lead a group of globally distributed engineering teams at an important point in their growth. You set the direction for, and drive the engineering and operation of, the core infrastructure platform. You shape the group as priorities evolve, and are accountable for how it delivers.

The role owns the end-to-end success of the organization, including delivery, reliability, security, and customer outcomes. You partner with peer engineering leaders, Product and Security to balance near‑term commitments against long‑term investment, so that speed never comes at the expense of the trust our customers place in us. You also lead how the organization builds software as AI tools reshape engineering.

What You’ll Do

Work Location: This role is based out of our Seattle Office and follows a hybrid schedule. We rely on in‑person collaboration and ask that team members work onsite Tuesdays through Fridays, with the flexibility to work remote on Mondays, unless there is an approved workplace accommodation. We believe that connection fuels innovation, and our in‑office culture is designed to foster meaningful teamwork, mentorship, and shared success.

Reports to: Vice President, Platform Services

Direct Reports: A team of engineering managers and technical leads

• Define the long‑term technical strategy and architecture for the core infrastructure platform, and lead the critical technical decisions that shape it
• Deliver highly reliable, secure, and scalable systems that meet a high bar for quality
• Ensure the core infrastructure platform enables a delightful developer experience for the engineers who build on it
• Partner with peer engineering leaders, Product Management and Security to align long‑term strategy with near‑term roadmaps and customer commitments
• Lead the transformation of how we engineer, coaching engineers into AI‑native technical leaders
• Lead and develop a team of engineering managers and technical leads, hire exceptional talent, and raise the engineering hiring bar across Axon
• Build a culture of candor, accountability, continuous learning, and strong team engagement

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or an equivalent highly technical field
• 15+ years of experience leading engineering teams, including experience leading managers of managers
• Hands‑on experience growing software development organizations that build large‑scale distributed systems
• Experience running cloud services at scale on a major cloud provider such as AWS or Azure
• Deep domain expertise in modern Infrastructure‑as‑Code technologies and core infrastructure components, such as compute, networking, observability, and developer platforms, with a track record of leading platform or infrastructure engineering teams
• Deep understanding of delivering high‑quality, high‑velocity software to production
• Hands‑on experience applying AI in engineering workflows, with the ability to evaluate effectiveness, manage cost, and drive adoption at scale
• Proven results delivering outcomes while managing ambiguity, organizational change, and competing priorities
• Experience collaborating with diverse stakeholders, including business leaders, customers, and security teams
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, backed by strong technical and business vision
• Experience leading globally distributed teams across multiple regions and time zones, with the ability to build a cohesive culture and strong execution across locations

Benefits that Benefit You

• Competitive salary and 401k with employer match
• Discretionary paid time off
• Paid parental leave for all
• Fitness Programs
• Emotional & Mental Wellness support
• And yes, we have snacks in our offices

Benefits listed herein may vary depending on the nature of your employment and the location where you work.

Axon is a total compensation company, meaning compensation is made up of base pay, bonus, and stock awards. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: level, function, training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs, geographic market, and often a combination of all these factors. Our benefits offer an array of options to help support you physically, financially and emotionally through the big milestones and in your everyday life. To see more details on our benefits offerings please visit https://www.axon.com/careers .

Base Pay Range

$219,750 - $351,600 USD

Don’t meet every single requirement? That’s ok. At Axon, we Aim Far. We think big with a long‑term view because we want to reinvent the world to be a safer, better place. We are also committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they check every box in the job description. If you’re excited about this role and our mission to Protect Life but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed here, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions.

Some roles may also require legal eligibility to work in a firearms environment.

Axon’s mission is to Protect Life and is committed to the well‑being and safety of its employees as well as Axon’s impact on the environment. All Axon employees must be aware of and committed to the appropriate environmental, health, and safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Axon employees are empowered to report safety concerns as they arise and activities potentially impacting the environment.

We are an equal opportunity employer that promotes justice, advances equity, values diversity and fosters inclusion. We’re committed to hiring the best talent — regardless of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances — and empowering all of our employees so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or special need that requires assistance or accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email [e-mail]. Please note that this email address is for accommodation purposes only. Axon will not respond to inquiries for other purposes.