Senior Director of Software Engineering

Senior Director of Software EngineeringSince 2003, GPL Technologies has helped studios around the world run faster, more reliable production environments. Trusted by 500+ studios in media, entertainment, post-production, and VFX, our team of engineers, consultants, and specialists understands the real pressure of creative deadlines. Our services span managed IT, software services, security & compliance (TPN), cloud, and production-ready technical staffing.GPL Technologies is recruiting a Senior Director of Software Engineering on behalf of our client. This is a hands-on technical leadership role reporting to the SVP of Technology, leading the software development function while remaining actively involved in building software. You will write production code, design solutions, make architecture decisions, review code, troubleshoot complex issues, and lead a team of 5–10 engineers. This is not a meetings-only management position; the role requires staying close to the technology and contributing directly to development.The client's environment is primarily Microsoft Azure, but they are not tied to a specific programming language or framework. They 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. You will actively use tools such as Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, AI coding agents, and LLM APIs to build software, and will help establish how AI is applied throughout the engineering lifecycle, with AI amplifying strong engineering judgment rather than replacing it.Our client is looking for a leader who builds: someone equally comfortable partnering with executive leadership on business problems, developing technical strategy, guiding the engineering team, reviewing architecture, mentoring developers, debugging production issues, and writing production code.Duties & ResponsibilitiesLead, mentor, and develop a software engineering team of 5–10Personally write and ship production codeDesign and build applications, APIs, integrations, automation, and internal toolsOwn software architecture, technical direction, engineering standards, software quality, security, and reliabilityUse AI-assisted development tools (Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, AI coding agents) as part of the daily development workflowEstablish standards for AI-assisted coding, testing, debugging, documentation, and code review, and help the engineering team become highly effective at developing software with AIDesign scalable, secure, and reliable solutions within Microsoft AzureReview code and help engineers solve complex technical problemsImprove engineering practices including CI/CD, automated testing, deployment, monitoring, and observabilityIdentify and reduce technical debtLead technical planning, development priorities, resource planning, delivery commitments, and the technical roadmapPartner with the SVP of Technology and business leaders to translate business needs into software solutionsIdentify opportunities where AI, automation, and custom development can improve business operationsEvaluate emerging AI tools, models, frameworks, development platforms, and technologiesRecruit, coach, and develop engineering talent as the team growsWhat You Need To Succeed10+ years of professional software engineering experience5+ years of engineering leadership or management experienceSignificant hands-on experience designing and building production software; currently coding and committed to remaining hands-onExperience leading software engineering teams and developing technical talentStrong software architecture and system-design skillsExperience building modern applications, APIs, integrations, and cloud-based systemsStrong experience with Microsoft Azure or comparable cloud platformsStrong understanding of databases, APIs, authentication, application security, distributed systems, and cloud architectureExperience with modern DevOps practices, CI/CD, automated testing, monitoring, and source controlDemonstrated hands-on use of Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, or similar AI development tools and coding agentsExperience with agentic development workflows and LLM APIs such as OpenAI, Anthropic, or similar platformsPractical use of AI for code generation, refactoring, testing, debugging, documentation, and prototypingExperience with prompt and context engineering, generative AI applications, RAG, AI agents, or workflow automationAbility to evaluate emerging AI tools based on security, quality, productivity, and business valueAbility to quickly evaluate and adopt new technologies, frameworks, and development approachesStrong problem-solving and debugging skillsExperience taking complex projects from concept through architecture, development, deployment, and production supportStrong communication skills with both technical teams and senior business leadersNice To HaveFamiliarity with the following Microsoft Azure technologies is valuable. Experience with every service is not required; our client is looking for someone who understands cloud architecture and can quickly learn the services needed to build the right solution.Azure App Services, Azure Functions, Azure Container AppsAzure SQL, Azure Storage, Azure Service BusAzure Key Vault, Azure API Management, Application InsightsMicrosoft Entra ID, Azure DevOps and/or GitHub Actions