American Express

Director-Software Engineering

American Express$150K — $180K *
Enterprise Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field; Master's is a plus.
  • 8-10+ years in software engineering with experience in complex enterprises.
  • Hands-on experience with architecture and implementation of enterprise software.
  • Expert-level skills in solution architecture and technical problem-solving.
  • Experience with scalable, secure, and performant software systems and APIs.
  • Proficiency in modern engineering practices (CI/CD, DevOps, containers).
  • Strong communication skills and stakeholder management abilities.

Responsibilities

  • Lead and develop transformational product engineering teams for enterprise applications.
  • Provide hands-on technical leadership in architecture and product design.
  • Establish engineering priorities that align with business strategies.
  • Drive application modernization and identify innovation opportunities.
  • Partner with architects to define technical strategy and priorities.
  • Guide critical technical decisions regarding architecture and investments.
  • Champion and implement best engineering practices to ensure quality and efficiency.

Benefits

  • Opportunity for continuous improvement and professional development.
  • Collaborative environment promoting innovation and accountability.
  • Excellent engagement with senior technology and business leaders.
  • Focus on creating high-quality production software and strong engineering culture.
Full Job Description
Job Description

We are seeking an Engineering Director to lead and grow high-performing, transformational product engineering teams responsible for the architecture, design, engineering, and implementation of reliable, scalable, secure, and impactful technology products and platform applications.

This leader will combine strong technical judgment, hands-on engineering and architecture expertise, people leadership, and strategic thinking to translate business priorities into effective engineering execution. The Engineering Director will partner closely with Product, Design, Architecture, Data, and other business and technology leaders to establish technical direction, modernize applications and platforms, develop engineering talent, improve delivery, and drive innovation across the enterprise.

The successful candidate will be an active technical leader who can operate at both the strategic and hands-on levels-guiding complex architecture and engineering decisions while building an environment of accountability, collaboration, innovation, inclusion, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Engineering & Technical Leadership
  • Lead multiple transformational product engineering teams in the architecture, design, engineering, and implementation of enterprise applications, components, APIs, and platforms.
  • Provide hands-on technical leadership across complex, cross-functional initiatives, actively participating in solution architecture, platform design, and software product design.
  • Establish clear engineering priorities aligned with product, technology, and business strategy.
  • Advance the modernization and transformation of applications and platforms while identifying opportunities to drive innovation across the enterprise.
  • Partner with senior engineers and architects to define technical strategy, architecture, and modernization priorities.
  • Guide complex technical decisions involving architecture, technical debt, platform investments, build-versus-buy considerations, scalability, performance, and emerging technologies.
  • Balance near-term product delivery commitments with long-term platform health, maintainability, scalability, resilience, and technical investment.
  • Promote pragmatic adoption of new technologies where they can create measurable customer or business value.

Product Delivery & Operational Excellence
  • Own delivery across a portfolio of engineering initiatives, consistently delivering high-quality software products and capabilities on time and within allocated product budgets.
  • Partner closely with Product Owners and business and technology stakeholders to establish priorities, plan development schedules, and execute major product increments and releases.
  • Enable successful delivery of critical end-to-end enterprise initiatives by identifying dependencies and risks early and driving resolution across organizational boundaries.
  • Ensure teams execute predictably and iteratively while maintaining high technical and engineering standards.
  • Establish and monitor meaningful engineering metrics related to delivery, quality, reliability, security, performance, and developer effectiveness.
  • Ensure appropriate engineering practices for software quality, testing, observability, resilience, security, CI/CD, DevOps, automation, and operational excellence.
  • Champion continuous improvement in development processes, tooling, automation, and engineering practices.
  • Provide technical leadership in the prevention, diagnosis, and resolution of system outages and complex production issues.

People, Talent & Engineering Culture
  • Lead, inspire, and enable highly talented and engaged engineering teams, creating an environment of accountability, collaboration, innovation, ownership, and continuous improvement.
  • Play an active role in advancing a strong product engineering culture focused on technical excellence, creativity, customer value, and high-quality execution.
  • Attract, recruit, develop, coach, mentor, and retain top engineering talent and engineering leaders.
  • Establish clear expectations and foster a culture of high performance, inclusion, ownership, and constructive feedback.
  • Evolve team structures and operating models as the organization, technology portfolio, and business priorities grow and change.

Enterprise Partnership
  • Partner effectively with Product, Architecture, Design, Data, business units, and other technology organizations to translate business requirements into high-quality production software.
  • Collaborate across organizational boundaries to prioritize, plan, and execute complex enterprise initiatives involving multiple teams, platforms, and systems.
  • Build strong relationships with senior business and technology stakeholders and communicate technical strategies, tradeoffs, risks, and recommendations clearly.
  • Drive commitments and accountability across end-to-end teams to ensure successful execution of critical enterprise initiatives.


Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in computer science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience. Master's degree in a related field is a plus.
  • 8-10+ years of software engineering experience, including architecture, design, engineering, and implementation experience within complex enterprise environments and recent experience leading engineering teams.
  • Demonstrated recent hands-on experience designing, engineering, and successfully implementing enterprise-grade software products and platforms.
  • Expert-level solution architecture skills with the ability to evaluate complex architectures, engineering approaches, and technical tradeoffs and resolve complex technical issues creatively and effectively.
  • Experience building scalable, reliable, secure, performant, and maintainable software systems.
  • Demonstrated ability to translate business requirements into high-quality production software and measurable business outcomes.
  • Experience developing enterprise-grade APIs and modern distributed and microservices-based architectures.
  • Hands-on experience with modern software engineering practices and technologies, including CI/CD, DevOps, containers, microservices, cloud-native architectures, observability, security, and automated testing.
  • Recent engineering experience with relevant technologies such as One App, React, Go, Java, Docker, Kubernetes, Kafka, Elastic, and PostgreSQL.
  • Experience with cloud platforms and complex enterprise cloud environments.
  • Demonstrated ability to optimize the performance, reliability, and scalability of enterprise software systems and components.
  • Experience managing complex programs involving multiple engineering teams, systems, platforms, and organizational dependencies.
  • Excellent communication and executive stakeholder-management skills.
  • Ability to operate effectively in environments characterized by ambiguity, competing priorities, and significant organizational complexity.
  • Experience with Salesforce or other enterprise platforms relevant to the organization.
  • Experience operating large-scale, highly available, and/or regulated technology platforms.

About American Express

Amex provides industrial services to the coatings and linings sector, providing support for commercial, industrial, and maritime projects such as petrochemical, power, and water treatment industries. They offer painting services for steel structures, storage tank linings and coatings, pipelines, floors, and marine vessels such as ships, tugboats, and barges.

American Express Careers

Join the vibrant team at American Express, a global leader in financial services, and be part of a company that values innovation, leadership, and diversity. At American Express, we offer more than just job opportunities; we provide a platform for professional growth and a chance to be part of a culture that is committed to excellence and inclusive growth. Work You’ll Do At American Express, we are dedicated to helping our employees reach their full potential. With a variety of career paths available in areas such as technology, marketing, finance, and customer service, American Express is the perfect place to advance your career. Our team is composed of highly skilled professionals who thrive on innovation and collaboration. Join our team and contribute to a company known for its prestigious history of leadership in the credit card industry. Engage in meaningful work that makes a real impact on our global scale business operations. American Express Leadership and Development Programs We believe in nurturing the leadership skills of our employees with extensive training programs and leadership development opportunities. Our commitment to professional growth is evident in our comprehensive benefits package that supports both personal and professional development. Internship Opportunities Start your career with an internship at American Express and gain valuable industry experience. Our internships offer a chance to develop skills, work on challenging projects, and learn from leaders in the industry. Interns at American Express are considered integral members of the team and are given responsibilities that provide a real insight into their future career paths. Diversity and Inclusion At American Express, diversity and inclusion are at the core of our company culture. We are committed to building a diverse workforce and inclusive environment where every employee feels valued and inspired. We offer diversity training programs that empower our employees to thrive and lead in a global marketplace. Networking and Innovation Our employees enjoy unparalleled opportunities for networking and personal growth through our global connections and innovative projects. American Express encourages a culture of innovation that helps propel our company and your career forward. Career Benefits and Growth American Express is dedicated to the growth of its employees. We offer competitive benefits, including health, retirement plans, and family leave, ensuring that our team members have the support they need to succeed both at work and in their personal lives. Join Our Team Explore the job opportunities and open positions at American Express. We are continuously hiring talented individuals who are passionate about their careers and interested in working for a company that offers a dynamic and supportive environment. Stay Connected Keep up to date with the latest from American Express Careers by following our career blog and signing up for job alert emails. Tailor your subscription to receive updates that match your skills and interests. Discover the exciting and rewarding career opportunities that await at American Express. SEARCH AMERICAN EXPRESS JOBS Whether you are looking for a full-time position, an internship, or a leadership opportunity, American Express offers a path to a rewarding career. Join us and make a difference with your passion, creativity, and drive.
Learn more about American Express
Size
64,000 employees
Market Cap
$108.1 billion
Industry
Net Income
$3.1 billion
Founded
1850
5 Year Trend
+3.5%
Revenue
$37 billion
NASDAQ

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