The Director, Application Engineering leads the strategy, architecture, and delivery of mobile applications and GenAI-powered capabilities. This role partners closely with Product, Design, Data, Security, and Operations to build reliable, scalable, and user-centric experiences.
The individual will be responsible for managing a highly efficient, effective and successful engineer-driven team that partners with the business to provide outstanding software development and delivery to support for operational systems and related processes.
Essential Functions/Responsibilities- Mobile and Gen AI Engineering
- Lead end-to-end development and delivery of mobile and AI/GenAI applications using modern engineering practices.
- Define mobile and GenAI architecture, including modularization, release processes, CI/CD, observability, and platform strategy.
- Drive AI/GenAI feature development; select models, build pipelines, design evaluation frameworks, optimize latency, and ensure responsible AI usage.
- Guide teams through technical decisions; remove blockers; promote best-in-class engineering practices.
- Establish engineering KPIs, quality standards and drive continuous improvement.
- Own Cloud and AI-inference cost governance and resource allocation.
- Manage staffing strategy and talent development for mobile and GenAI engineering teams.
- Maintain clear technical documentation and progress reporting for leadership.
- Product Partnership
- Translate product strategy into engineering roadmaps, sequencing, and technical trade-offs.
- Partner with PMs on KPI creation, prioritization, and customer-centric decisions.
- Work cross-functionally with design, support, research, operations, and marketing.
- Communicate engineering impacts in clear, business-aligned language.
- People Management & Leadership
- Lead, mentor, and grow engineers, senior ICs, and engineering managers.
- Build a high-performing culture centered on accountability, collaboration, and modern engineering excellence.
- Recognize contributions; develop succession plans; guide career development.
- Influence engineering strategy across the team including architecture, security, data, and cloud teams.
- Present technical strategy and program updates to executive leadership.
- Drive enterprise-level modernization initiatives (mobile platform upgrades, AI adoption, cloud modernization).
- Exercise independent judgment in technical strategy, staffing, architectural choices, and delivery commitments.
- Manage risk, compliance, privacy, and AI governance considerations in decision making.
Minimum Qualifications:- Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Technology or related field , 3 additional years of experience would be considered in lieu of the applicable degree.
- 7+ years technical engineering experience with coding for application engineering
- 5+ years experience and skills in leading engineering teams
- 3+ years experience and skills in building cloud-based SaaS applications
Preferred Qualifications:- 1+ years delivering AI and GenAI applications, including model integration, evaluation, RAG, and deployment
- 5 years experience and skills in building mobile development and technology (Angular(Ionic), React Native, Flutter or native IOS/Android and similar) or building applications with Python, Perl or similar - Preferred
- Proven track record delivering mobile or AI powered products at scale.
- Familiarity with modern LLM providers and tooling (Azure OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, LangSmith, vector databases).
- Experience with reliability engineering, automated testing, CI/CD, APM/observability, and performance optimization.
- Experience working with security, privacy, and AI governance requirements.
- Strong verbal and written communication; able to communicate complex topics to both technical and non technical audiences.
- Demonstrated success in architectural modernization efforts.
At this time, Bright Horizons will not sponsor an applicant for employment authorization/visa for this position.
The annual salary for this position is between $170,000 - $215,000 annually. The pay range listed here is what Bright Horizons in good faith anticipates offering for this job opening. Actual compensation offers within this range will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education and training, certifications, geography, and other relevant business or organizational factors.
This position is also eligible for a bonus and RSUs.
Benefits:- Bright Horizons offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Paid vacation, sick, holiday, and parental bonding leave
- 401(k) retirement plan
- Long-term and short-term disability insurance
- Life insurance
- Money-saving discounts and financial planning tools
- Tuition assistance and education coaching
- Caregiving support and resources for the children and adults in your family • Learn more at https://careers.brighthorizons.com/us/en/health-and-wellness
