VP, Software Engineering

Blackboard; Phoenix (AZ); Hybrid; USD 226,000 - 282,000; Full time

Job summary

Blackboard seeks a Vice President of Software Engineering to define the strategy, vision, and direction for a global engineering organization. This hybrid role anchors on the 2026 operating system for efficient, AI-powered software development and strong executive partnership across CTO, Product, Design, Security, and Cloud Ops.

Salary is competitive and reflects broad impact. The leader will drive transformation across reliability, quality, and automation, while aligning with business

Qualifications

• Leads large software orgs and executive teams.
• Sets strategy for AI adoption and automation in software.
• Drives cost efficiency in cloud and tooling investments.
• Experience leading organizational change and transformation.

Responsibilities

• Define strategy and operating model for the engineering org.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration with Product, Design, Security, and Cloud Ops.
• Drive AI-enabled transformation and Software Factories across the company.
• Ensure compliance and governance across engineering programs.

Skills

Executive leadership

AI strategy

Engineering transformation

Budget & cost mgmt

Stakeholder mgmt

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Job description

VP, Software Engineering

Hybrid Remote - Phoenix, Arizona (3 days in office per week)

About the Role

We are looking for a Vice President of Software Engineering to set the strategy, vision, and direction for our global software engineering organization and lead it through the next evolution of Blackboard.

This is not a role for maintaining an existing product estate. As a member of the CTO's leadership team, this leader will define and drive a new operating system for how the company builds software, set engineering-wide standards for tools and processes, and lead the use of artificial intelligence to transform software engineering and deliver more value for our customers.

The measure of success will be that the company runs better, teams move faster, and engineering makes a measurable contribution to Blackboard's financial results and competitive position.

Why Now

Blackboard reestablished as an independent business in March 2026 and has launched into its next era. We've started with real strengths and real opportunities, as both a brand-new company and as a brand our customers have trusted for thirty years.

We serve institutions and their students, all of whom are navigating how artificial intelligence changes teaching and learning. How we rethink the operations of our own business is a credibility asset as we help others through our offerings. We intend to be a reference for AI transformation, and this leader will be one of its most visible champions, both inside the company and with customers and partners.

What You Will Own

• The estate. Accountability for engineering across the core Blackboard Learn platform, including its long-term technical direction, reliability, and quality.
• The transformation. The operating system of our work needs to be refreshed to suit a 2026 company: to drive productivity and leverage AI. Beyond individual productivity, this role sets the vision and owns the strategy for efficiency and automation across software engineering, and influences how adjacent functions adopt AI. You will define that transformation, secure executive alignment, and lead its execution through your leadership team.
• The partnership. Executive partnership with the CTO and leaders across Product Management and Design, Security, Cloud Operations, and the broader business. Product Development systems decisions are business decisions; you will shape them with your executive peers, negotiate trade-offs on the most critical matters, and represent engineering with key customers and external partners.
• The team. Designing, building, and in places restructuring a global, multi-layered organization led through Senior Directors, Directors, and Managers. You will develop a strong leadership bench and succession plan. Some of this work will change what roles exist. You will lead that honestly and with care.
• The budget. Accountability for the financial results of the software engineering function, including headcount, vendor, tooling, and for how those choices affect company performance.
• Audit and compliance. ISO 27001, SOC 2, FedRAMP, and GovRAMP are requirements of doing business. You set the engineering compliance posture, know what those obligations require of corporate systems, and ensure your organization partners with Security and the auditors, producing evidence as needed.

What Success Looks Like

• 2026: Full assessment of current state, building a plan and beginning execution on prioritized transformations
• 2027: By the end of 2027, transformation of engineering practices leveraging AI-DLC and Software Factories to build at scale.
• Beyond: Transition to a run/growth phase.

Required Skills and Experience

• You bring a minimum of 12 years of related experience with a bachelor's degree, 10 years with a Master's degree, or a PhD with 8 years of experience, or equivalent experience, including significant time leading leaders of managers.
• You have led a large, multi-layered software engineering organization through Directors and Senior Directors, and you transformed its effectiveness.
• You have set the strategy for, and led the adoption of, artificial intelligence and automation to build and deploy software on a global scale.
• You are fluent in cost. You have owned the financial results of an engineering function, driven cost out of cloud spend through frugal architect principles and found further opportunities for savings.
• You have led through organization-wide structural change and treated the people involved as adults. You have delivered difficult news, kept your best people, and left a team that trusted you.
• You are comfortable being measured. You publish your service levels and look for continuous feedback to drive improvement.
• You operate globally in practice, not in theory. You have managed across time zones, navigated works councils and regional employment norms, and handled data residency requirements without treating them as an obstacle.
• You think beyond engineering. You understand the company and the competitive landscape, anticipate the market and technology shifts that could affect our strategy, and bring that perspective to the executive table.
• You are an executive communicator. You have influenced strategy and policy at the executive level and negotiated critical matters with internal and external executives, and you can represent engineering credibly with customers and partners.
• Fluency in written and spoken English

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Ideally, you have deep experience in EdTech, SaaS, or technology-enabled services. A track record of leading organizations through complex transformation initiatives and driving AI and automation programs is highly valued.

About Blackboard

Blackboard is a leading EdTech company and SaaS provider that delivers the digital environment for transformational teaching and learning. We serve thousands of institutions with the industry's most AI-advanced LMS, Blackboard Ally for accessibility, and institutional effectiveness solutions that put educators and learners at the center. We're an education company that builds technology. Learn more at blackboard.com.

The expected salary range for this position is $225,500 - $281,800. The range reflects base salary only and does not include any additional compensation such as company bonus or benefits. Placement within the pay range will depend on a variety of factors, such as experience, skills, internal parity, and location.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the country where the role is based at the time of hire and must maintain that authorization for the duration of employment. The company does not provide visa sponsorship or immigration support for this position.

This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required. Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities at any time.

Blackboard is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, protected military/veteran status, or any other legally protected factor.