Director of Software Engineering

Director of Software Engineering

_ Hands-on engineering leadership Microsoft Azure AI-native software _

Job Type: Full-Time
Location: CA
Reports To: SVP of Technology
Department: Information Technology
Team Size: 5-10
Pay: $130,000- $160,000
Benefits:

• Health
• Dental & Vision
• No Cost, Short-Term Disability & Basic Life Insurance
• 401 (k) Plan (4% Employer Match)
• Generous PTO

About Us

Elevo’s mission is to transform the well-being of students, so they look forward to coming to school. Our WASC-accredited curriculum engages students and fosters social-emotional learning through fun, physically active games, sports, and enrichment activities focused on arts, humanities, and STEM. The services we provide include the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program, Before & After School Programs, Summer & Intersession Programs, and so much more. Our programs offer opportunities to learn, move, and thrive together beyond classroom walls while developing essential life skills. We continue to build our capacity as we expand our programs to more districts.

Position Overview

Elevo Learning is seeking a Director of Software Engineering to lead our software development function while remaining actively involved in building software.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role. This person is expected to write production code, design solutions, make architecture decisions, review code, troubleshoot complex issues, and lead a team of 5–10 engineers.

Our environment is primarily Microsoft Azure, but we are not tied to a specific programming language or framework. We value strong engineering fundamentals, modern cloud architecture, adaptability, and the ability to select the right technology for the problem.

A major focus of this role is AI-native software development. The Director will actively use tools such as Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, AI coding agents, and LLM APIs to build software and help establish how Elevo uses AI throughout the engineering lifecycle.

Core expectation: This leader is expected to code. AI should amplify strong engineering judgment, not replace it.

What You’ll Do

• Lead, mentor, and develop a software engineering team of 5–10.

• Personally write and ship production code.

• Design and build applications, APIs, integrations, automation, and internal tools.

• Own software architecture and technical direction.

• Use AI-assisted development tools as part of the daily development workflow.

• Establish standards for AI-assisted coding, testing, debugging, documentation, and code review.

• Help the engineering team become highly effective at developing software with AI.

• Design scalable, secure, and reliable solutions within Microsoft Azure.

• Review code and help engineers solve complex technical problems.

• Improve engineering practices including CI/CD, automated testing, deployment, monitoring, and observability.

• Identify and reduce technical debt.

• Lead technical planning and help prioritize engineering initiatives.

• Partner with the SVP of Technology and business leaders to translate business needs into software solutions.

• Identify opportunities where AI, automation, and custom development can improve business operations.

• Evaluate emerging AI tools, models, frameworks, development platforms, and technologies.

• Recruit, coach, and develop engineering talent as the team grows.

What We’re Looking For

• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience.

• 5+ years of engineering leadership or management experience.

• Significant hands-on experience designing and building production software.

• Currently coding and committed to remaining hands-on.

• Experience leading software engineering teams and developing technical talent.

• Strong software architecture and system-design skills.

• Experience building modern applications, APIs, integrations, and cloud-based systems.

• Strong experience with Microsoft Azure or comparable cloud platforms.

• Strong understanding of databases, APIs, authentication, application security, distributed systems, and cloud architecture.

• Experience with modern DevOps practices, CI/CD, automated testing, monitoring, and source control.

• Demonstrated experience using Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, or similar AI development tools.

• Ability to quickly evaluate and adopt new technologies, frameworks, and development approaches.

• Strong problem-solving and debugging skills.

• Experience taking complex projects from concept through architecture, development, deployment, and production support.

• Strong communication skills with both technical teams and business leaders.

AI Development

• Hands-on use of Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, and AI coding agents.

• Experience with agentic development workflows and LLM APIs such as OpenAI, Anthropic, or similar platforms.

• Practical use of AI for code generation, refactoring, testing, debugging, documentation, and prototyping.

• Experience with prompt and context engineering, generative AI applications, RAG, AI agents, or workflow automation.

• Ability to evaluate emerging AI tools based on security, quality, productivity, and business value—not hype.

Leadership Expectations

• Own technical direction, architecture, engineering standards, software quality, security, and reliability.

• Lead team performance, accountability, coaching, hiring, and professional development.

• Guide development priorities, resource planning, delivery commitments, and the technical roadmap.

• Partner closely with the SVP of Technology and other business leaders.

• Remain close to the technology and contribute directly to development; this is not a meetings-only management position.

Azure & Cloud Experience

Candidates should have experience building and operating cloud applications. Familiarity with the following Microsoft Azure technologies is valuable:

• Azure App Services
• Azure Functions
• Azure Container Apps
• Azure SQL
• Azure Storage
• Azure Service Bus
• Azure Key Vault
• Azure API Management
• Application Insights
• Microsoft Entra ID
• Azure DevOps and/or GitHub Actions

Experience with every Azure service is not required. We are looking for someone who understands cloud architecture and can quickly learn the services needed to build the right solution.

This position’s target annual base pay range is $130,000 - $160,000. Final pay determinations may depend on various factors, including, but not limited to, experience level, education, geographical location, knowledge, and skills. Elevo also offers a full range of health insurance benefits, 401(k) company match, and paid time off benefits. Elevo is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status. Elevo is an e-verify employer. Read Elevo’s Privacy Policy HERE.