Director of Engineering - Commerce

Vail Resorts • Broomfield, CO

20d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Engineering, Commerce, is a strategically vital position within the Guest Experience Technology department, responsible for defining and driving the technology landscape for guest transactions, reservations, and product fulfillment. This role involves staying current with global e-commerce innovations, payment ecosystems, and industry best practices. The Director will partner with IT leadership, Digital Experience Product owners, and other key stakeholders to develop and implement a cross-functional commerce roadmap. This roadmap aims to evolve and transform capabilities related to purchasing and redeeming product to provide a guest-centric experience that drives long term loyalty to our brands and resorts. As a key addition to the Guest Experience Technology leadership team, reporting to the Vice President of Digital Engineering, the successful candidate must bring deep experience in custom software engineering, including a solid history of delivering high-volume, consumer-facing e-commerce systems, native mobile purchase funnels, and web-based transactional platforms using an agile-based approach. The ideal candidate must also possess the ability to develop engineering talent, foster a culture of transparency and technical innovation, and create clear accountabilities to drive transactional success. This role offers technical ownership of high-revenue commerce platforms, including commerce on owned web and mobile platforms like EpicPass.com, Resort websites, and the My Epic app. The Guest Experience Technology team at Vail Resorts is at the forefront of the Travel and Tourism industry, and commerce and the redemption of products on-mountain is a key area of focus for the company. This team, and the platforms it owns, are at the center of this strategic direction and investment. The role offers high exposure to senior business and IT leaders, providing a unique opportunity to fundamentally architect and reimagine core digital commerce platforms.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of experience in developing and leading collaborative, Agile software engineering teams focused on improving velocity while maintaining strict code quality, security, and scalability in a high volume transactional environment.
• At least 5 years of experience in leading digital commerce and transaction technology strategy, platform migrations, and execution.
• At least 5 years of experience in developing mission-critical software applications, checkout flows, APIs, and systems that support enterprise-level e-commerce.
• A successful track record of building and leading Omni-channel digital commerce teams, including experience developing and executing digital marketplace technologies in a distributed environment (web, mobile app, 3rd-party SaaS commerce engines, payment gateways).
• Ability to successfully resolve architectural and situational complexities that are broadly defined, diverse, and occasionally unprecedented.
• Detail-oriented with strong program and project management competencies within complex software rollouts.
• Ability to step into commerce projects that are already in progress or need rescue and effectively assume a leadership role.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex technical architectures into business terms for executive presentations.
• Knowledge and hands-on experience within cloud-based platforms, cybersecurity/PCI compliance, and transactional data/analytics.
• Excellent understanding of continuous integration and development methodologies with the ability to communicate cross-platform architectural thinking.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute a multi-year digital commerce technology strategy and implementation plan that aligns with the guest-centric purchasing vision.
• Collaborate with senior leadership to align scalable technology initiatives with commercial business goals, checkout optimization, and external e-commerce trends.
• Stay abreast of industry trends in digital transactions, cloud commerce architectures, automated payment processing, and modern checkout capabilities.
• Empower engineering team members and develop technical talent through performance monitoring, alignment with professional development programs, and company growth.
• Lead and inspire the engineering culture that focuses on high quality and high impact deliverables.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and strict compliance/collaboration within the commerce technology teams.
• Lead the architecture and development of innovative, highly-scalable, and differentiated e-commerce products across consumer-facing web, mobile app, and the broader transactional technology space.
• Oversee the design, development, integration, and deployment of custom software solutions, payment integrations, and that align to business requirements and guest needs.
• Ensure the adoption of engineering best practices in commerce software development, including agile methodologies, code reviews, secure payment standards, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD).
• Establish and maintain rigorous QA processes to ensure the highest reliability and security standards for all e-commerce systems and transactional software products.
• Implement automated testing frameworks—specifically targeting checkout performance, stress testing, and payment gateway reliability—to streamline testing and improve deployment efficiency.
• Ensure timely identification, documentation, and resolution of system defects throughout the software development lifecycle to minimize friction in the purchase path.
• Build strong relationships that focus on understanding the e-commerce needs of internal stakeholders and IT resources, tailoring our strategy to support frictionless guest buying experiences.

Benefits

• Free passes for employees
• Employee discounted lift tickets for friends and family
• Free ski lessons
• More employee discounts on lodging, food, gear, and mountain shuttles
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Excellent training and professional development
• Health Insurance
• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance plans (for eligible seasonal employees after working 500 hours)
• Free ski passes for dependents
• Critical Illness and Accident plans

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed