The Opportunity: We're looking for a Director, Software Engineering to help us shape the future of education. With nearly 20,000 organizational customers and millions of student users, Blackboard is the world's leading education technology company with the industry's most comprehensive student-success solutions. Our mission is to partner with the global education community to enable student and institutional success by leveraging innovative technologies and services.
This role focuses on our Blackboard Transact™ platform which helps improve student experience and campus safety, while streamlining business operations and increasing revenue. The Blackboard Transact platform includes capabilities within three integrated modules:
Commerce Management: facilitates campus ID card issuance, cashless payment processing, account management and reporting on-campus, off-campus, and online.
Security Management: monitors all campus activity using integrated door access control, video surveillance and mass notification capabilities.
Financial Services: offers innovative options for payment processing as well as both revenue enhancement or cost savings through extending the capabilities of the one-card solution to further enhance the student experience.
As Director, Software Engineering, you will be responsible for managing software development teams building Cloud Native solutions, while becoming a core contributing member to Blackboard's Cloud Native solutions vision. This vision will seamlessly and uniquely deliver a revolutionized learning experience through innovation, continuous delivery, and architectural integration. You will articulate the business and technical vision leading Agile software teams, ensuring delivered product quality, removing obstacles to efficient product development, and guiding professional growth for the teams that report to you. Additionally, you will deliver high-quality visual, functional, and operational experience to our customers and users while recruiting and motivating your teams.
Specific responsibilities will include:
Directly managing and mentoring first line managers, software development, and test engineers
Advocating for continuous improvement and leading based on data-driven mechanisms
Articulating the technical vision for your teams and guiding technical direction
Advocating for agile and test-driven development methodologies while delivering on all committed projects
Providing timely and transparent communication that highlights both successes and challenges
Collaborating with other members of the Product Development staff to advance shared responsibility and energy for our products, from conception through deployment
Recruiting, mentoring, organizing, motivating, and coaching a team of software engineering professionals; assigning projects and arranging training to advance the career of everyone within the team; defining and monitoring goals; driving the organization's efforts for improving the teams reporting to you
The Candidate:
Has a bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related technical field or equivalent work experience; master's degree is a plus
Has 15+ years of industry experience
Has a servant leadership approach and mindset
Has 7+ years of experience in technical management, leading stakeholders and team members through large complex system implementations and integrations
Has experience working through the business planning process including ideation, road maps, release planning, risk mitigation, and project execution
Has demonstrated leadership, collaboration, analytical, problem-solving, and planning skills in an agile development environment
Has experience in web technologies including microservice patterns/architecture, high availability, scalability, and cloud native solutions developed on Azure, AWS, or GCP; experience building PaaS solutions is preferred
Is fluent in at least one current programming language (Java, C#, JavaScript, etc.) and NoSQL technologies, and has experience with Java or Microsoft frameworks
Is comfortable technical deep-diving with teams of developers and testers, helping them establish a culture of quality, productivity, and innovation
Can articulate and describe complex architectures to facilitate team planning, development, and investigation
Has experience managing managers and coaching/mentoring their professional growth
Has excellent oral and written communication skills
Is comfortable with complex software development topics, projects, and challenges
Is an innovative thinker and easily communicates multifaceted technical concepts
Has expert-level skills managing and directing teams through the full SDLC, including agile methods, applying full spectrum test methodologies/techniques, CI/CD automation, and visibility of all the preceding through focused metrics definition/collection
Thrives in a fast-paced, technical challenging environment with evolving requirements; can manage through ambiguity and bring definition to issues as a result
Has a track record of achieving high-quality software product releases and meeting commitments
Has experience influencing the practices of teams and individuals including design, engineering, operations, and support
The Team & Office:
Blackboard has an office in the ever-evolving, industrial Deer Valley area in north Phoenix, AZ.
Endless nearby places to eat lunch or dinner with the team from In-N-Out Burger, P.F. Chang's, and Chili's, to OM Indian Bistro, Jo Jo's Pizza, and Other Q Sports Bar and Grill
Accessible via Valley Metro Bus and building offers free parking for employees
A short distance from Deem Hills Recreation Area
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 Inc. is an equal employment opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, protected military/veteran status, or any other protected factor.