Director of Engineering

At Early Warning, we've powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with cutting-edge solutions like Zelle®, Paze℠, and so much more. As a trusted name in payments, we partner with thousands of institutions to increase access to financial services and protect transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses.

Positions located in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York follow a hybrid work model to allow for a more collaborative working environment.


Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States, for any employer, at the date of hire. This position is ineligible for employment Visa sponsorship.

Overall Purpose

This position provides oversight to an assigned group within software engineering department and provides technical and organizational leadership. This position is responsible for directing and overseeing the work of architects and software engineers within the full software development lifecycle and all levels of testing. This position is also responsible for coordination of application architecture and design of new applications and enhancements to existing applications. Enhancing and collaborating in team environment by demonstrating an expertise in software engineering best practices and leading the team in continuous improvement initiatives.

Essential Functions

• Direct and manage the functions of the staff to ensure delivery of quality software applications.
• Responsible for the strategic direction and its alignment with IT and Early Warning's strategic goals.
• Evaluate existing methodologies/standards, identify and track metrics and recommend process improvements.
• Direct and allocate resources and time for all projects and supported functions.
• Represent technology organization by collaborating internally and externally.
• Represent Software Delivery as a member of cross-functional project teams, estimating test efforts and providing updates on deliverables.
• Review project status reports and quality metrics and address issues as appropriate.
• Oversee and provide input on test plan creation and execution and creation of test summary.
• Direct the ongoing research, evaluation, installation, and usage of automated testing tools for all developed applications.
• Provide leadership in directing team to implement automated regression test suites on all production applications.
• Build, develop and direct a highly performing team.
• Actively contribute toward the vision, organization and strategic leadership of the Software Engineering department
• Provide resource management to the team by participating in the hiring process, coordinating project assignments, documenting and executing annual performance evaluations
• Provide leadership and guidance to staff for professional development, which includes planning and coordinating training, defining mentoring strategies, and providing hands on training and education
• Ensure implementation of product / application services in alignment with technology roadmap strategy (example, cloud, containerization, CI/CD and automated testing) keeping futuristic business growth, ease of maintenance, operational readiness and self-service enabled.
• Enhance and mature the Agile software development lifecycle within Software Engineering department by applying industry best practices & processes
• Ensure the continuous improvement of the Agile SDLC by applying checks & balances around the process boundaries with regular reviews for the usefulness of steps & artifacts
• Ensure accurate/reliable information to be within company standards including all service level agreements, and audit regulations
• Research, collect, and present application / system improvements from vendors, seminars, and publications for existing or non-existent processes
• Establish and maintain positive working relationships across the organization and perform as a representative of the IT Dept. in a consultant role to other functional areas within the organization
• Guide other departments in understanding the technical solutions as necessary and helping them with defining ROI for related to proposed solutions
• Keeps executive-level management informed of department progress and problems
• Support the company's commitment to risk management and protecting the integrity and confidentiality of systems and data

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's or Bachelor's in Computer Information Systems/Computer Science
• Ten (10) or more years of software engineering experience including at least 5 years of leadership experience
• 1-2 years of experience implementing application solutions/ services in Cloud using Containerization, CI/CD, Automated testing and in compliance security guidelines
• Proven management and leadership skills in leading software engineering teams and their interaction across an organization. A big idea person who can also help with tactical day to day details
• Demonstrated abilities in leading teams that build highly scalable products.
• Demonstrated ability leading, mentoring and energizing teams of engineers and managers, showcasing technical and leadership skills
• Demonstrated experience in the development of large, Internet applications with high operational and scalability requirements
• Demonstrated experience with state- of- the- art technology, architecture and design concepts, open source operating systems, database systems, computer networking, and security
• Experience with open source frameworks and tools
• Proven experience in Agile software development philosophy, methodologies, practices, and procedures
• 5+ years of demonstrated ability to provide oversight for multiple projects simultaneously
• Demonstrate ability to work effectively in cross-functional groups and generate results
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills. Must convey responsiveness and competence when dealing with internal customers, staff, peers, senior management, and vendors
• Work experience that demonstrates a strong sense of ownership, urgency, and drive
• Experience with Big Data Java technologies
• Ability to envision strategic goals, architectural solutions, and focus on details
• Ability to work independently and handle multiple deadline-driven projects simultaneously
• Background and drug screen

Preferred Qualifications

• Payments experience
• Experience with migrating application services from on-prem to Cloud.
• Cloud / Kubernetes certification

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow instructions and perform other related duties as assigned by their supervisor.

Physical Requirements

Working conditions consist of a normal office environment. Work is primarily sedentary and requires extensive use of a computer and involves sitting for periods of approximately four hours. Work may require occasional standing, walking, kneeling and reaching. Must be able to lift 10 pounds occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently. Requires visual acuity and dexterity to view, prepare, and manipulate documents and office equipment including personal computers. Requires the ability to communicate with internal and/or external customers.

Employee must be able to perform essential functions and physical requirements of position with or without reasonable accommodation.

The base pay scale for this position in:
Phoenix, AZ/ Chicago, IL in USD per year is: $173,000 - $230,000.
New York, NY/ San Francisco, CA in USD per year is: $207,000 - $276,000.
Additionally, candidates are eligible for a discretionary incentive plan and benefits.

This pay scale is subject to change and is not necessarily reflective of actual compensation that may be earned, nor a promise of any specific pay for any specific candidate, which is always dependent on legitimate factors considered at the time of job offer. Early Warning Services takes into consideration a variety of factors when determining a competitive salary offer, including, but not limited to, the job scope, market rates and geographic location of a position, candidate's education, experience, training, and specialized skills or certification(s) in relation to the job requirements and compared with internal equity (peers). The business actively supports and reviews wage equity to ensure that pay decisions are not based on gender, race, national origin, or any other protected classes.

Some of the Ways We Prioritize Your Health and Happiness

• Healthcare Coverage - Competitive medical (PPO/HDHP), dental, and vision plans as well as company contributions to your Health Savings Account (HSA) or pre-tax savings through flexible spending accounts (FSA) for commuting, health & dependent care expenses.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan - Featuring a 100% Company Safe Harbor Match on your first 6% deferral immediately upon eligibility.
• Paid Time Off - Flexible Time Off for Exempt (salaried) employees, as well as generous PTO for Non-Exempt (hourly) employees, plus 11 paid company holidays and a paid volunteer day.
• 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• Maven Family Planning - provides support through your Parenting journey including egg freezing, fertility, adoption, surrogacy, pregnancy, postpartum, early pediatrics, and returning to work.

And SO much more! We continue to enhance our program, so be sure to check our Benefits page here for the latest. Our team can share more during the interview process!

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Early Warning Services, LLC ("Early Warning") considers for employment, hires, retains and promotes qualified candidates on the basis of ability, potential, and valid qualifications without regard to race, religious creed, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, protected veteran or disability status or any factor prohibited by law, and as such affirms in policy and practice to support and promote equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and municipal laws. The company also prohibits discrimination on other bases such as medical condition, marital status or any other factor that is irrelevant to the performance of our employees.