Sr Director Software Engineering-Merchandising/Pricing/Promotions/AI Commerce

Staples Digital Solutions is transforming the platforms that power how products are created, priced, promoted, and experienced across our commerce ecosystem. This organization brings together software engineering, product, data science, merchandising, pricing, finance, sales, and digital partners to build scalable solutions that improve growth, margin, operational efficiency, and the customer experience. As a senior technology leader, you will guide multiple engineering teams and help shape an AI-enabled commerce future at enterprise scale.

As Senior Director of Software Engineering, you will lead the strategy, architecture, delivery, and modernization of enterprise merchandising, pricing, promotions, and AI commerce platforms. You will oversee leaders and engineering teams responsible for product lifecycle management, pricing optimization, promotional execution, supplier enablement, and AI-driven commerce experiences. Working with senior business and technology leaders, you will set investment priorities and deliver secure, reliable, cloud-native platforms that create meaningful enterprise-wide impact.

What you’ll be doing:

• Define and execute the technology strategy, architecture, and multiyear roadmaps for merchandising, pricing, promotions, and AI commerce platforms.
• Lead the development and modernization of enterprise catalog, product information, pricing, and promotional management systems.
• Guide Directors, Senior Managers, Managers, and engineering teams while strengthening organizational design, workforce planning, succession planning, and talent development.
• Drive adoption of cloud-native, API-driven, AI-enabled, secure, and scalable platform capabilities.
• Partner with Merchandising, Pricing, Product, Sales, Finance, Data Science, and Digital leaders to translate business priorities into technology outcomes.
• Establish platform governance, engineering standards, operational metrics, and investment priorities across multiple engineering organizations.
• Manage technology budgets, resource allocation, portfolio priorities, and delivery execution.
• Ensure platform reliability, security, scalability, and performance while balancing business objectives, risk, cost, and long-term technology strategy.
• Identify and implement AI, machine learning, automation, and advanced analytics opportunities that improve business performance and customer experiences.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership and build productive partnerships with vendors, technology partners, and senior stakeholders.

What you bring to the table:

• Strategic leadership and the ability to connect technology investments to growth, margin, customer, and digital transformation objectives.
• Executive presence, sound judgment, and the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong business and technology acumen, with a practical approach to balancing innovation, risk, cost, and delivery.
• A track record of building accountable, high-performing engineering organizations and developing leaders.
• A collaborative style that builds trust across business, product, data, and technology teams.
• Curiosity and an innovation mindset, with the ability to champion cloud modernization, intelligent automation, and AI-enabled commerce.
• Decisive problem-solving, results orientation, and ownership of enterprise-scale outcomes.

What’s needed- Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field.
• 12+ years of software engineering and technology experience.
• 7+ years of leadership experience managing leaders and multiple engineering teams.
• Experience delivering at least one enterprise-scale commerce, merchandising, pricing, or promotions platform.
• Experience delivering solutions using cloud-native architecture, APIs, Agile delivery methods, and modern software engineering practices.
• Experience leading a large-scale technology modernization or transformation initiative.
• Experience partnering directly with senior business and technology leaders on enterprise priorities.
• Working experience applying AI, machine learning, analytics, or data-driven capabilities within a technology platform or product.

What’s needed- Desired Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or MBA.
• Experience with product information management, master data management, pricing optimization, promotions, marketplace, or supplier enablement platforms.
• Experience implementing AI, machine learning, generative AI, or intelligent automation solutions.
• Experience in a large-scale omnichannel retail, distribution, business-to-business, or eCommerce environment.
• Experience leading global teams and complex enterprise technology portfolios.

We Offer:

• Inclusive culture with associate-led Business Resource Groups
• 22 days of PTO and Holiday Schedule (7 observed paid holidays + 1 floating holiday)
• Online and Retail Discounts, Company Match 401(k), Physical and Mental Health Wellness programs, and more!

The salary range represents the expected compensation for this role at the time of posting. The specific base pay may be influenced by a variety of factors to include the candidate's experience, skill set, education, geography, business considerations, and internal equity. In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for bonuses, or other forms of variable compensation.