VP, Developer Tools and Automation

The Hartford•Hartford, CT

22h

About The Position

The Hartford is seeking a forward-looking technology leader, reporting to the Chief Technology Officer, to lead our developer tools and AI automation strategy. This executive will be accountable for defining and scaling the internal platforms, engineering tooling, and AI-enabled capabilities that improve developer experience, accelerate software delivery, and increase engineering productivity across the enterprise. The role will lead teams responsible for the product strategy, engineering, adoption, and lifecycle management of shared developer tools and automation services that support the full software development lifecycle. Successful candidates will bring experience building internal developer platforms, modern engineering toolchains, and AI automation capabilities that reduce friction and cognitive load for application teams. This includes delivering self-service workflows, paved-road patterns, reusable services, and AI-assisted engineering capabilities that improve code quality, testing, deployment, documentation, and operational efficiency. The ideal candidate has led large-scale transformation in cloud-centric, Agile organizations and can translate emerging AI capabilities into secure, scalable, and measurable engineering outcomes. This leader will guide the organization through significant change by modernizing how engineers build, test, deploy, and operate software using shared tools, intelligent automation, and clear governance. The role requires strong people leadership, platform product thinking, and the ability to influence across architecture, infrastructure, security, and application teams. He or she must communicate effectively with senior leaders, participate in strategic planning and investment decisions, and drive execution of complex initiatives that advance developer productivity, responsible AI adoption, and engineering excellence.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive technology experience in large, complex enterprises, with meaningful leadership experience in platform engineering, developer tools, cloud engineering, DevSecOps, or related disciplines.
10+ years of executive or senior leadership experience leading technically diverse engineering organizations and delivering enterprise-scale transformation through shared platforms and automation.
Strong understanding of modern software engineering ecosystems, including internal developer platforms, CI/CD, infrastructure automation, cloud-native architectures, observability, and secure software delivery practices.
Demonstrated ability to define, build, and scale enterprise developer tooling and automation capabilities that materially improve developer experience and engineering outcomes.
Experience translating AI capabilities into practical engineering use cases, including familiarity with generative AI, workflow automation, developer copilots, and responsible AI governance.
Proven record of operating and evolving shared engineering services and platforms across hybrid or multi-cloud environments with strong focus on reliability, scalability, security, and cost efficiency.
Demonstrated ability to act as a strategic thought leader and credible business partner who can connect engineering investments to enterprise priorities and measurable outcomes.
Highly collaborative leader with strong product mindset, comfortable balancing standardization, governance, and innovation in a fast-paced environment.
Exceptional critical thinking, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate emerging technologies and make sound strategic decisions.
Strong executive presence and proven ability to influence across engineering, architecture, infrastructure, security, and business leadership teams.
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field preferred.
Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or a related field preferred.

Responsibilities

Define and lead the enterprise strategy for developer tools, internal platforms, and AI automation capabilities that support engineering teams across the software delivery lifecycle.
Own the roadmap, adoption, and maturity of shared developer capabilities, including source control workflows, CI/CD, testing automation, developer portals, environment provisioning, observability integrations, and AI-assisted engineering tools.
Build and evolve tools, services, and paved-road patterns that enable application teams to develop, deploy, and operate software with greater speed, quality, security, and consistency.
Create an engineering culture centered on developer experience, platform product management, and intelligent automation, with a focus on reducing toil, simplifying workflows, and improving productivity at scale.
Identify, prioritize, and scale AI automation opportunities across software engineering, including code assistance, documentation, test generation, release workflows, operational runbooks, and developer support, while ensuring appropriate governance and risk controls.
Partner with CIO portfolios, architecture, infrastructure, and security teams to embed self-service, policy-aware automation and AI-enabled tooling into day-to-day engineering practices.
Serve as a people leader and strategic partner by building and developing a high-performing, multidisciplinary organization spanning platform engineering, developer experience, automation, and AI enablement, while managing key vendor and partner relationships.
Lead transformational change by championing the adoption of shared tools and AI-enabled ways of working, fostering continuous learning, experimentation, and measurable business value realization.
Establish success measures and operating metrics for developer productivity, platform adoption, reliability, quality, and automation impact, and use insights to continuously improve the engineering experience.