Functional Design Engineering is where enterprise architecture intent becomes shippable Terraform. At LPL, you9ll partner with Enterprise Architecture, Information Security, and FinOps to translate big-picture designs into opinionated, well-architected reference patterns that engineers actually build. If you9d rather spend your time turning architects9 diagrams into code, ADRs, and proof-of-concept platforms - and want a senior leadership role where you9re as comfortable in a design review as you are in a pull request - this is your seat. Job Overview: As the VP, Functional Design Engineering, you lead the Functional Design Engineering & Strategy pod within the Foundations team in LPL9s Cloud Center of Excellence (CCOE). You partner with Enterprise Architecture, Information Security, and engineering teams and pods across CCOE to translate enterprise architecture intent into implementable, well-architected, code-driven solutions. You take high-level designs from architects and produce detailed, opinionated, build-ready engineering specifications aligned to the AWS Well-Architected Framework and LPL9s standards. You also curate the cross-CCOE reference pattern library - domain-tagged Terraform module bundles, reference architectures, anti-patterns, and architecture decision records (ADRs). LPL is an AWS-first CCOE: a multi-account landing zone with 100+ private reusable Terraform modules that enable 60+ AWS services, all delivered through Terraform Cloud and GitHub Actions. You are both a people leader for a small, senior team across the US and LPL9s India GCC and a hands-on senior engineer who produces reference patterns, code, and proof-of-concept builds when ambiguity is highest. Responsibilities: 30 Lead the Functional Design Engineering & Strategy pod within the Foundations team in CCOE; partner with Enterprise Architecture, Information Security, the other Foundations pods (Security & Governance, FinOps, Network Engineering, Monitoring), and the Platforms, Containers, Support, and Delivery teams to translate enterprise architecture intent into implementable, well-architected, code-driven solutions 30 Take high-level designs from architects and produce detailed, opinionated, build-ready engineering specifications aligned to the AWS Well-Architected Framework and LPL standards 30 Define and curate the cross-CCOE reference pattern library: domain-tagged Terraform module bundles, reference architectures, anti-patterns, and architecture decision records (ADRs) 30 Partner closely with the Principal Engineer, Cloud Strategy Lead so that tooling, IaC, and self-service platform strategy stay aligned with enterprise design direction 30 Lead design reviews, architecture review boards, and engineering deep-dives across all five CCOE teams (Foundations, Platforms, Containers, Support, Delivery) and the four peer Foundations pods (Security & Governance, FinOps, Network Engineering, Monitoring) 30 Champion the application of the AWS Well-Architected Framework across all six pillars (Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, Cost Optimization, Sustainability) and drive measurable improvements against each 30 Hands-on contribute to reference patterns, Terraform modules, and proof-of-concept builds, especially in the highest-ambiguity areas where engineering is still discovering the right answer 30 Embed agentic AI capabilities into the team9s engineering practice (e.g., Cursor, Claude Code, Bedrock, MCP servers, agentic IaC and review workflows) and into the platform9s self-service experience for internal customers 30 Embed agentic AI capabilities into the design function: AI-assisted pattern generation, automated Well-Architected reviews, ADR drafting, cross-pattern impact analysis, and MCP-backed agents that surface existing patterns to internal customers 30 Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain a globally distributed team of senior cloud engineers across LPL9s US offices and India Global Capability Center (GCC) 30 Own all people-management responsibilities for the pod including hiring, onboarding, weekly 1:1s, performance management, compensation planning, career development, and certification-path execution per the CCOE certification matrix 30 Operate as a player-coach: spend meaningful time hands-on in Terraform code, design reviews, peer reviews, and incident response while leading people and delivery 30 Lead and personally participate in 24x7 on-call rotations as senior incident commander and technical escalation point for the pod 30 Partner with peer VPs across the Cloud Center of Excellence - the leaders of the five CCOE teams (Foundations, Platforms, Containers, Support, Delivery) and the leaders of the pods within Foundations (Security & Governance, FinOps, Functional Design Engineering & Strategy, Network Engineering, Monitoring) - to align roadmaps and remove cross-team and cross-pod blockers 30 Champion AWS Well-Architected Framework adoption across all six pillars and drive continuous improvement against operational, security, reliability, performance, cost, and sustainability outcomes 30 Contribute to and curate the private Terraform module library that powers self-service infrastructure for application teams, including module standards, versioning, deprecation, and contribution patterns 30 Participate in Agile/Scrum ceremonies (sprint planning, standups, backlog grooming, retrospectives) and partner with the RTE and PMO on delivery commitments and dependencies 30 Represent the pod in executive forums, architecture review boards, internal audit, and customer engagements; communicate technical risk and trade-offs to non-technical executives What are we looking for? We9re looking for strong collaborators who deliver exceptional client experiences and thrive in fast-paced, team-oriented environments. Our ideal candidates pursue greatness, act with integrity, and are driven to help our clients succeed. We value those who embrace creativity, continuous improvement, and contribute to a culture where we win together and create and share joy in our work. Requirements: 30 10+ years of progressive technical experience including 5+ years in cloud infrastructure or platform engineering leadership; Bachelor9s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline (or equivalent work experience) 30 5+ years of hands-on production AWS at scale in a multi-account landing zone, with 4+ years of authoring production Terraform in a private module ecosystem delivered through Terraform Cloud and GitHub Actions 30 5+ years experience as a direct people manager of engineering teams of 5+ engineers, including hiring, performance management, compensation, and difficult personnel decisions 30 5+ years experience leading and personally participating in 24x7 production on-call rotations in a fast-paced, security-conscious, regulated environment (financial services strongly preferred) 30 5+ years experience translating enterprise architecture intent into implementable engineering designs that downstream engineers actually build, with deep, current command of the AWS Well-Architected Framework and excellent technical writing (ADRs, design documents, reference architectures) Core Competencies: 30 Operates as the credible "translator" between architects and engineers - equally at home in both rooms 30 Strong systems-thinking across security, network, container, data, finance, and developer experience before recommending a path 30 Bias for shipping reference patterns and code - not slideware 30 Calm, opinionated, and evidence-driven in design conversations 30 Player-coach who is comfortable in code reviews, architecture sessions, and people 1:1s in the same day 30 Continuous learner, especially in cloud-native, IaC, platform engineering, and applied AI 30 Sets vision and translates ambiguous strategy into executable engineering roadmaps 30 Bias for self-service, automation, and reducing toil for downstream internal customers 30 Builds high-trust relationships across the US and India organization and across functions (Architecture, Security, FinOps, Application Engineering, Network, Audit) 30 Calm, decisive incident commander; fosters a strong post-incident learning culture 30 Excellent written and verbal communication, executive presence, and ability to influence without direct authority 30 Thrives in matrixed, fast-paced, regulated environments with imperfect information Preferences: 30 Experience as an internal architecture review board member or equivalent design-authority role 30 AWS Certified Security - Specialty (preferred for security-aligned design reviews) 30 AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate or Data Analytics - Specialty (preferred for data-aligned design reviews) 30 Master9s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or MBA 30 Experience building, scaling, or leading globally distributed engineering teams across the US and India / GCC 30 Experience integrating agentic AI / GenAI tooling (Cursor, Claude Code, Copilot, Bedrock, MCP) into platform, IaC, and engineering practice 30 Strong scripting / programming proficiency in Python, Bash, or PowerShell 30 AWS Solutions Architect - Professional 30 AWS Certified Generative AI Developer - Associate 30 HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate (004) or Authoring & Operations 30 Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) 30 Open-source contributions, public technical writing, or conference speaking on cloud, IaC, or platform engineering topics 30 Experience with Backstage or another Internal Developer Platform (IDP) 30 Experience with FinOps practices and cloud cost management at scale Pay Range: $149,350.00 - $248,848.00 Actual base salary varies based on factors, including but not limited to, relevant skill, prior experience, education, base salary of internal peers, demonstrated performance, and geographic location. Additionally, LPL Total Rewards package is highly competitive, designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play - such as 401K matching, health benefits, employee stock options, paid time off, volunteer time off, and more. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that LPL has to offer!