Director Software Engineering and Architecture

MISO is seeking a bold, forward‑thinking Director of Software Engineering and Architecture to transform how we design, build, deliver, and operate mission-critical software at scale. This is an opportunity for a leader who is equal parts strategist, technologist, and builder to shape enterprise engineering vision while staying closely connected to the tools, technologies, and practices that are redefining modern software engineering.

This leader will set the engineering strategy and operating model for the software engineering and architecture department. Responsibilities include accelerating the responsible implementation of agentic, AI-native engineering practices, strengthening product-centric delivery, and advancing reliability, security, quality, and delivery performance.

The ideal candidate combines technical depth with strong organizational leadership. They can translate enterprise and product priorities into an engineering roadmap, develop leaders and high-performing teams, steward technology investments, and strengthen the operating discipline needed to deliver secure, resilient, high-value software in a complex and regulated environment.

As MISO’s Director of Software Engineering and Architecture , you will:

• Define and execute a Software Engineering and Architecture strategy aligned with MISO’s enterprise strategy and product priorities.
• Set the strategy, governance, investment priorities, and success measures for responsible, AI-native software delivery throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and champion these practices across the organization.
• Establish solution architecture practices and standards that set direction early in the product lifecycle and guide product and engineering teams throughout the implementation process.
• Partner closely with Product Management to champion product thinking and align product roadmaps with strategic priorities, engineering capacity, dependencies, technical feasibility, and delivery risks.
• Provide financial and vendor stewardship for the department, including budget planning, sourcing decisions, technology investment strategy, and value realization.
• Develop and retain an inclusive, high-performing department by coaching leaders, strengthening succession and workforce plans, and fostering a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and psychological safety.
• Sponsor the evolution of enterprise engineering platforms and capabilities, including agentic AI software delivery, CI/CD, release management, site-reliability engineering, service management, and secure software development.
• Set strategic direction for sustainable application modernization, architectural evolution, and technical-debt remediation that balances near-term delivery commitments with long-term resiliency, maintainability, security, and cost effectiveness.
• Serve as a senior technology partner across Digital Technology and enterprise functions, bringing strategic engineering insight into major technology, product, and operational decisions.

Experience/Qualifications we are looking for as our Director of Software Engineering and Architecture:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive software engineering and architecture experience, including 5+ years in roles of leadership scope and responsibility within complex, multi-team technology organizations.
• Experience implementing and scaling AI-native engineering practices with a demonstrated ability to stay current with rapidly evolving AI technology.
• Demonstrated success defining and executing engineering and architecture strategy for complex software portfolios, with measurable improvements in delivery performance, quality, cybersecurity, reliability, organizational capability, and business outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and scale high-performing teams, build inclusive and high-trust cultures, and develop leadership pipelines and succession strategies.
• Experience integrating outsourced or distributed delivery teams, including vendor selection, onboarding, contract and statement-of-work oversight, and vendor performance management. Experience with near-shore or offshore teams is preferred.
• Experience leading enterprise engineering transformation, including modernization of SDLC practices, DevSecOps and CI/CD capabilities, cloud adoption, platform engineering, developer experience, and technical-debt reduction.
• Strong technical knowledge of modern software delivery ecosystems, cloud-native platforms, secure software development practices, and infrastructure-as-code.
• Entrepreneurial, forward-thinking mindset with strong communication skills and the ability to influence executive stakeholders, manage budgets and vendors, and drive innovation in complex or regulated environments.

Appropriate level will be determined based upon experience and knowledge.

Transformative innovation is happening in the electric industry, from digitalizing homes and distributed resources to renewable energy and an ever-changing grid. MISO manages the electricity superhighway in the Central U.S. and through use of groundbreaking research and advanced technology, our highly skilled employees ensure power flows reliably to 45 million Americans. Operating the electricity grid, running a robust energy market, planning for a bright future – it’s what our immensely hardworking and dedicated team does every day.

The base salary compensation range being offered for this role is $201,000-226,000 USD annually. Base salary range for this position is included in accordance with requirements of various state/local pay transparency legislation. Please note that salaries may vary for different individuals in the same role based on several factors, including but not limited to location of the role, individual competencies, education/professional certifications, and qualifications/experience.

Position is also eligible for an annual bonus if individual performance and company objectives are met. At MISO we offer a comprehensive benefits package, including 401k, vacation, sick and safe time, available on your first day of employment.

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