VP, Software Engineering

Blackboard

9d•$225,507 - $338,261•Hybrid

About The Position

Blackboard is seeking a Vice President of Software Engineering to set the strategy, vision, and direction for its global software engineering organization. As a member of the CTO's leadership team, this executive will define a new operating system for how the company builds software, establish engineering-wide tools and process standards, and lead the use of artificial intelligence to transform engineering and deliver more value for customers. Success means improving company operations, increasing team velocity, and making a measurable contribution to Blackboard's financial results and competitive position. The role is accountable for the long-term technical direction, reliability, and quality of the core Blackboard Learn platform; a company-wide engineering transformation focused on productivity, AI, efficiency, and automation; executive partnership with the CTO and leaders across Product Management and Design, Security, Cloud Operations, and the broader business; and representation of engineering with key customers and external partners. The VP will lead a global, multi-layered organization through Senior Directors, Directors, and Managers, develop its leadership bench and succession plan, and manage organizational changes with care. The role also owns engineering's financial results, including headcount, vendors, and tooling, and sets the engineering compliance posture for requirements including ISO 27001, SOC 2, FedRAMP, and GovRAMP. The 2026 focus is to assess the current state, develop a plan, and begin prioritized transformations. By the end of 2027, engineering practices are expected to be transformed using AI-DLC and Software Factories to build at scale, followed by a transition into a run/growth phase. The position is hybrid remote in Phoenix, Arizona, with three days per week in the office.

Requirements

At least 12 years of related experience with a bachelor's degree, 10 years with a master's degree, or 8 years with a PhD, or equivalent experience.
Significant experience leading leaders of managers.
Experience leading a large, multi-layered software engineering organization through Directors and Senior Directors and transforming its effectiveness.
Experience setting strategy for and leading global-scale adoption of artificial intelligence and automation to build and deploy software.
Experience owning the financial results of an engineering function and reducing cloud spend through frugal architecture principles while identifying additional savings opportunities.
Experience leading organization-wide structural change, communicating difficult news, retaining top performers, and maintaining team trust.
Comfort with measurable performance, publishing service levels, and using continuous feedback to improve.
Practical global operating experience, including managing across time zones, navigating works councils and regional employment norms, and handling data residency requirements.
Ability to understand the company and competitive landscape, anticipate market and technology shifts, and contribute that perspective at the executive level.
Executive-level communication and influence, including negotiating critical matters with internal and external executives and representing engineering credibly with customers and partners.
Fluency in written and spoken English.

Nice To Haves

Deep experience in EdTech, SaaS, or technology-enabled services.
A track record of leading organizations through complex transformation initiatives.
Experience driving AI and automation programs.

Responsibilities

Set the strategy, vision, and direction for the global software engineering organization.
Define and drive a refreshed operating system for software development, including engineering-wide standards for tools and processes.
Lead the adoption of artificial intelligence, efficiency, and automation across software engineering, and influence AI adoption in adjacent functions.
Own the long-term technical direction, reliability, and quality of the core Blackboard Learn platform.
Secure executive alignment and lead engineering transformation through the leadership team.
Partner with the CTO and executives across Product Management and Design, Security, Cloud Operations, and the broader business; shape product development systems decisions and negotiate critical trade-offs.
Represent engineering with key customers and external partners.
Design, build, and, where needed, restructure a global, multi-layered organization led through Senior Directors, Directors, and Managers.
Develop a strong leadership bench and succession plan, and lead organizational changes honestly and with care.
Own the software engineering function's financial results, including headcount, vendor, and tooling decisions and their effects on company performance.
Set the engineering compliance posture for ISO 27001, SOC 2, FedRAMP, and GovRAMP requirements, and partner with Security and auditors to produce evidence as needed.
Assess the current state, build a transformation plan, and begin execution on prioritized initiatives in 2026.
Transform engineering practices using AI-DLC and Software Factories to build at scale by the end of 2027.
Publish service levels and use continuous feedback to drive improvement.