Senior Director Software Engineering

Join Atlas Air Worldwide. Move the World with Us!

At Atlas Air Worldwide, we’re not just an airline, we’re a global engine powering cargo, passenger, and leasing operations across more than 70 countries. As a leader in outsourced aviation logistics, we’re built on a foundation of safety , service excellence , integrity , innovation , teamwork , and responsibility . With over 30 years of history, a modern all-Boeing fleet, and nearly 5,000 teammates collaborating across operations, technical, and corporate functions, we’re driven by purpose.

If you're ready to grow, innovate, and help us deliver excellence every single day, you belong here.

Position Summary:

Atlas Air is looking for a highly skilled and experienced Senior Director, Software Engineering to lead our software engineering organization and drive the technical strategy behind the systems that run our airline operations. This individual will play a key role in helping lead the transformation of Atlas Air into a technology-driven and innovative leader in the aviation and logistics industry. This role will report to the VP of Engineering, Data and AI.

We are building an industry-leading engineering organization, and this role will drive the evolution of our software estate from legacy, fragmented systems to a modern, cloud-native architecture built for scale, security, and resilience. We are looking for an enthusiastic, hands-on, get-it-done, team-driven leader with proven experience building high-performing software systems that operate 24/7 in a mission-critical environment.

The Senior Director, Software Engineering will partner with senior stakeholders across the company to translate business strategy into engineering outcomes. As one of the company’s key technical leaders, you will set the bar for engineering excellence and help embed a culture of craftsmanship, ownership, and continuous delivery across the organization. You will lead multiple engineering teams (including engineering managers and senior individual contributors) overseeing the design, development, and operation of the applications, services, and platforms that power Atlas Air.

Major Job Accountabilities:

• Lead, mentor, and grow a multi-team AI-enabled, software engineering organization, including engineering managers and senior individual contributors, fostering innovation, growth, and technical excellence.
• Define and execute a multi-year technical strategy and roadmap for AI-enabled software engineering, aligned with company objectives and the evolving needs of airline operations.
• Set technical direction and architecture for scalable, reliable, and secure systems (including services, APIs, and cloud-native platforms) that support mission-critical, 24/7 operations.
• Partner with executives and cross-functional leaders across operations, product, and IT to translate business priorities into well-scoped, high-impact engineering deliverables.
• Establish and champion software engineering best practices, standards, and governance for code quality, system design, security, and operational excellence.
• Drive the selection, adoption, and optimization of engineering technologies, frameworks, and tooling, balancing innovation with long-term maintainability and total cost of ownership.
• Ensure the reliability, performance, and security of production systems through strong operational practices, observability, and incident management.
• Own planning, prioritization, resource allocation, and budget for the software engineering function, making clear trade-offs across competing priorities.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior stakeholders across the organization, and represent engineering in executive-level planning and decision-making.

Qualifications:

• 12+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, with 6+ years in engineering leadership roles, including experience managing managers and leading multiple teams.
• Proven track record of building, scaling, and leading high-performing software engineering organizations that deliver complex systems reliably and at scale.
• Deep, hands-on technical expertise in software architecture, distributed systems, API design, and modern software development practices.
• Strong knowledge of modern engineering technologies and practices (e.g., agentic development, microservices, containerization and Kubernetes, CI/CD, event-driven architectures).
• Experience designing and operating systems on major cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
• Excellent understanding of software security, site reliability engineering, and compliance principles.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to influence and align stakeholders at all levels, including executives.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field; advanced degree preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience building real-time, event-driven, or high-throughput systems where latency and availability are critical.
• Background in platform engineering, developer experience, or modernizing large-scale legacy systems.
• Experience working in the aviation, transportation, or logistics industry, or with similarly complex, mission-critical operational systems.
• Track record of speaking at industry conferences or publishing on software engineering topics.

The Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is our policy to afford equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, place of birth, age, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other characteristic or status protected by applicable in accordance with federal, state and local laws.

If you'd like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant under the law, please download the available EEO is the Law document by clicking "EEO Is The Law".

To view our Pay Transparency Statement, please click here: Pay Transparency Statement

Competitive compensation will be offered based on a variety of factors, including a candidate's experience, skills, education, geographic location, internal equity and other factors. In addition, a range of benefits to include medical, dental and vision insurance, employee assistance program, as well as generous paid time off, and 401K contributions are offered as a part of the total compensation package.

Pay Range

$220,000—$270,000 USD

At Atlas Air Worldwide , we believe in the power of people, the promise of innovation, and the responsibility we hold to each other, to our customers, and to the planet. Join us and be part of a team that lifts more than cargo; we lift ambition.