Senior Director of Engineering

About Aspira

For more than 40 years, Aspira has been the market-leading provider of software and services that help public agencies protect natural and cultural resources while making them accessible for all. Our platform supports everything from campground reservations to hunting licenses, helping millions of people discover, enjoy, and care for the outdoors. We share our client partners' mission: to steward resources for future generations, create opportunities for genuine enjoyment of the outdoors today, and expand access so more people can experience its benefits.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and articulate a strategic vision for the engineering organization in alignment with company goals and objectives, ensuring alignment across all teams.
• Oversee the creation, execution, and ongoing refinement of engineering roadmaps to drive platform modernization, innovation, and technical excellence.
• Lead and manage a diverse team of engineering leaders and individual contributors, fostering a culture of high performance, accountability, and collaboration.
• Direct the development, execution, and optimization of technical solutions to meet business needs while maintaining system reliability, scalability, and security.
• Set and enforce engineering best practices, including code quality standards, testing protocols, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) processes. Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements, driving security audits, certifications, and compliance programs (e.g., SOC 2, PCI).
• Oversee the performance, maintenance, and reliability of internal IT systems, including infrastructure, hardware, and technical operations, ensuring minimal downtime and high system availability.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across engineering processes, tools, and methodologies to enhance operational efficiency and speed to market.
• Provide leadership and guidance in technical decision-making, ensuring that engineering efforts align with strategic goals and customer requirements.
• Manage the engineering budget, allocating resources to prioritize high-impact projects, manage costs, and deliver on-time results.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate technical, security, and operational risks, ensuring risk management practices are embedded into daily operations.
• Drive talent acquisition strategies to attract, recruit, and retain top engineering talent, fostering an inclusive and engaging work environment.
• Implement and refine professional development programs that support the growth and success of engineering talent at all levels.
• Ensure transparent communication and regular updates with executive leadership and key stakeholders, reporting on progress, risks, and strategic objectives.
• Build strong cross-functional relationships with product management, design, and business teams to ensure alignment and successful execution of key initiatives.
• Foster a customer-first mindset within the engineering team, ensuring that technical solutions align with customer needs and expectations.
• Develop and maintain a sustainable operational model that supports a remote or hybrid workforce while ensuring seamless coordination, collaboration, and delivery across distributed teams.
• Advocate for a high standard of excellence in all engineering practices, leading by example and maintaining an unwavering commitment to quality.
• Represent the company's core values and culture, championing transparency, inclusivity, and collaboration in all actions and decisions.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned to support business objectives, including travel and flexible scheduling when necessary.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in leading and managing engineering teams at scale, with a strong understanding of software development, architecture, and systems design.
• Exceptional leadership and team-building skills, with a track record of cultivating high-performance, diverse teams and fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation.
• Strong business acumen and the ability to align engineering efforts with business goals, translating strategic objectives into actionable technical plans.
• In-depth knowledge of best practices in software engineering, including agile methodologies, CI/CD processes, and security/compliance standards.
• Excellent problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to make sound technical decisions under pressure and address complex challenges with creative solutions.

Desired Hardware and Software Competencies

• Experience with containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes for deploying and orchestrating microservices architectures.
• Familiarity with CI/CD tools and frameworks such as Jenkins, GitLab CI, or CircleCI for automated testing and deployment pipelines.
• Expertise in modern software development frameworks and languages including Java, Python, Go, or Node.js for backend development.
• Strong knowledge of database management systems (SQL/NoSQL), including performance tuning and optimization in environments such as PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or MySQL.
• Experience with version control systems like Git, including branching, merging, and handling complex release cycles.

Desired Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (Master’s degree preferred).
• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing engineering teams.
• Proven track record of leading large-scale engineering initiatives and delivering complex technical projects on time and within budget.
• Experience managing teams of 20+ engineers, with hands-on expertise in recruitment, talent development, and performance management.
• Demonstrated success in scaling engineering operations and implementing best practices in software development, testing, and deployment.