Senior Director Software Engineering

Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) • Carmel, IN

1d • $225,000 - $252,000 • Onsite

About The Position

We’re searching for a bold, forward‑thinking Senior Director of Software
Engineering to transform how our organization designs, builds, and delivers
software at scale. This is a rare opportunity for a leader who’s equal parts
strategist, technologist, and builder - someone who can shape enterprise‑wide
engineering vision while remaining close to modern technical practices.

In this role, you will drive the shift to AI‑powered development, build
enterprise‑grade CI/CD pipelines, modernize engineering culture, and lead a
high‑performing team through a major transformation toward speed, automation,
and product‑centric delivery.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive software engineering experience, including 5+ years in senior leadership roles managing managers and large-scale teams (30+).
• Proven track record leading engineering transformation initiatives across SDLC, DevOps, and CI/CD, with measurable improvements in DORA metrics (e.g., lead time, deployment frequency).
• Strong expertise in CI/CD and modern engineering ecosystems (e.g., GitHub, Jenkins), along with cloud-native architectures (AWS, Azure, Oracle Cloud),
• containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform).
• Experience implementing and scaling AI-assisted engineering practices, including code generation tools, automated testing, and intelligent code reviews.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and scale high-performing teams, build inclusive and high-trust cultures, and develop leadership pipelines and succession strategies.
• Entrepreneurial, forward-thinking mindset with strong communication skills and the ability to influence executive stakeholders, manage budgets/vendors, and drive innovation in complex or regulated environments.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute a modern engineering strategy centered on: AI-assisted development (e.g., code generation, testing automation, defect prediction)
• Automation-first delivery models
• Platform and reusable component architecture
• Evaluate and adopt emerging AI/ML tools and productivity platforms to maintain a competitive edge
• Own the end-to-end engineering roadmap, aligning delivery with product and business strategy
• Serve as a senior technical advisor, translating engineering concepts into clear business outcomes
• Identify and drive high-value initiatives by aligning requirements, investments, and execution priorities across stakeholders
• Lead adoption of AI-assisted engineering tools (e.g., code generation, automated testing, AI code review) across all teams
• Architect and scale end-to-end SDLC automation, from requirements through deployment
• Define and implement agent-driven engineering capabilities, enabling: Automated code, testing, refactoring, and documentation
• Execution of multi-step workflows (backlog → code → test → PR)
• Drive measurable improvements in cycle time, productivity, and reduction of manual effort
• Establish human-in-the-loop controls and governance to ensure quality, security, and responsible AI usage
• Build capabilities for agent orchestration, monitoring, and continuous optimization
• Design and optimize enterprise-scale CI/CD pipelines across products, technologies, and environments
• Establish standards for modern engineering practices (trunk-based development, feature flags, progressive delivery)
• Embed shift-left quality, with automated testing as a core component of every pipeline
• Define and leverage DORA metrics to measure and improve engineering performance
• Build platform-level observability (tracing, alerting, AI-driven incident detection)
• Champion automation and continuous delivery to drive efficiency across build, test, release, and operations
• Shift teams toward product-oriented delivery models vs. project-based execution
• Assist with the organization's agile transformation, ensuring consistent adoption of Scrum, or Kanban practices across all engineering teams.
• Foster a mindset of small, frequent, and reversible releases - minimizing batch size and maximizing feedback loops.
• Establish sprint planning, backlog refinement, retrospective, and continuous improvement ceremonies as cultural norms, not just process checkboxes.
• Collaborate tightly with Product Management, Systems Engineering, Architecture and Data teams to define Definition of Ready (DoR) and Definition of Done (DoD) standards that reinforce quality at speed.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Software engineers including Engineering Managers, Staff/Principal Engineers, DevOps/Platform Engineers, and QA Automation Engineers.
• Partner with HR and Talent Acquisition to define hiring profiles, conduct senior-level interviews, and scale the team with diverse, high-caliber talent.
• Create a psychologically safe, inclusive, and high-accountability engineering culture that balances innovation with operational discipline.
• Champion continuous learning - sponsoring certifications, conference participation, internal guilds, and AI/automation upskilling programs.
• Act as a primary technology partner to various teams in Digital Technologies and across the organization, ensuring engineering decisions are informed by cross-functional context.
• Own engineering budget planning, vendor management, and technology investments in collaboration with Finance and Procurement.

Benefits

• Position is also eligible for an annual bonus if individual performance and company objectives are met.
• At MISO we offer a comprehensive benefits package, including 401k, vacation, sick and safe time, available on your first day of employment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees