Associate Director Enterprise Technology Services (ETS)

Role Summary:

We are seeking a seasoned technology leader with a strong software engineering foundation and deep expertise across the full software development lifecycle. This role requires operating effectively within highly cross-functional global environments while driving operational excellence at enterprise scale.

The Associate Director will lead multiple engineering organizations responsible for architecting, building, scaling, and operating mission-critical enterprise platforms, ideally across eCommerce, Supply Chain, and Order Management domains. The ideal candidate brings proven experience delivering large-scale enterprise platforms, leading high-performing engineering organizations, and defining hybrid cloud and on-premises technology strategies.

As a leader of leaders, this role will provide strategic, operational, and people leadership across software engineering, quality engineering, reliability engineering, and platform engineering functions. Success in this role requires strong technical judgment, exceptional execution leadership, and the ability to build, develop, and inspire engineering leaders to deliver secure, scalable, and high-quality technology solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Delivery & Execution:

- Own end-to-end delivery quality across Enterprise Technology Services, ensuring operational readiness and execution excellence.

- Translate business and technology strategies into clear multi-year roadmaps and drive execution against committed outcomes.

- Balance execution velocity with long-term platform sustainability, scalability, and operational excellence.

- Drive accountability for delivery outcomes across global capability center (GCC) teams and distributed engineering organizations.

Stakeholder Management & Cross-Functional Leadership:

- Partner with Engineering, Product, Security, Infrastructure, and Business leaders to align priorities and execution plans.

- Influence prioritization decisions, investment trade-offs, and capacity planning activities.

- Establish clear engagement models, service expectations, and accountability mechanisms between Enterprise Technology Services and stakeholders.

- Serve as a trusted advisor to Director and VP-level leadership.

Process Excellence, Quality & Operational Management:

- Define and standardize operating practices, engineering metrics, and governance models across Enterprise Technology Services.

- Ensure platforms and services consistently meet enterprise requirements around reliability, scalability, performance, security, compliance, and quality.

- Drive continuous improvement initiatives that improve engineering productivity while reducing operational risks.

- Establish operational excellence frameworks across engineering teams.

Engineering Leadership & Organizational Development:

- Lead and oversee multiple engineering organizations consisting of 50+ engineers, delivery leads, and engineering managers.

- Establish leadership expectations, performance standards, and accountability frameworks across teams.

- Own succession planning, talent development, leadership bench strength, and workforce planning.

- Coach leaders on organizational design, performance management, and scaling teams effectively.

- Foster an inclusive culture centered around ownership, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Business Strategy & Technology Leadership:

- Define and evolve the multi-year strategy and roadmap for Enterprise Technology Services.

- Translate business priorities into actionable engineering initiatives and operating models.

- Balance innovation, risk management, cost optimization, platform stability, and operational efficiency.

- Partner with leadership teams on funding models, vendor strategy, and shared services investments.

Innovation & Transformation:

- Champion modernization initiatives across engineering platforms, tooling, and development practices.

- Drive adoption of automation, AI, and self-service capabilities to improve productivity and reduce operational overhead.

- Ensure innovation initiatives are delivered responsibly with appropriate governance, security controls, and operational readiness.

Leadership Scope:

Direct / Indirect Team Management:

- Direct Reports: 5

- Total Organization Size: 50+ employees

- Leadership Style: Manager of Managers

- Team Composition: Software Engineering, Quality Engineering, Reliability Engineering, Platform Engineering

Business Impact:

- Directly influences the organization's ability to scale platforms reliably and operate efficiently.

- Drives measurable outcomes across reliability, quality, performance, engineering productivity, and cost optimization.

- Aligns technology investments with business priorities and financial objectives.

- Makes enterprise-level decisions with significant technical, operational, and organizational impact.

Communication & Collaboration:

- Represent Enterprise Technology Services in leadership forums, planning cycles, and operational reviews.

- Communicate technical concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

- Provide transparent reporting on engineering health, risks, dependencies, delivery progress, and operational performance.

- Operate effectively across time zones, cultures, and global delivery models.

What You Bring to the Table:

- Strong ownership mindset with high accountability at both individual and organizational levels.

- Ability to contribute effectively within fast-paced, diverse, high-performing environments.

- Strong coaching and leadership capabilities with a focus on growing people and teams.

- Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and executive presence.

- Ability to provide candid feedback while building collaborative and high-trust environments.

Education & Experience:

Minimum Qualification:

- Bachelors Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or related disciplines

Preferred Qualification:

- Masters Degree in a relevant field

Experience Requirements:

Required Experience:

- 12+ years of software engineering, systems engineering, and technology leadership experience

- 7+ years of formal people leadership experience including:

1. Managing managers

2. Leading multi-team or multi-disciplinary organizations

3. Accountability for delivery, operational outcomes, and talent development

Core Experience Requirements:

- Proven experience leading software engineering organizations across development, quality, reliability, and cloud engineering functions

- Experience operating within global onshore/offshore delivery models

- Strong experience with Agile, Scrum, and modern engineering delivery practices

- Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with executives, business leaders, and technical stakeholders

- Experience leading complex enterprise initiatives with measurable business outcomes

Preferred Qualifications:

- Deep understanding of Retail, eCommerce, Supply Chain, and Order Management ecosystems

- Experience driving engineering maturity, modernization, and transformation initiatives at scale

- Hands-on exposure to AI, automation, and engineering productivity improvements

- Experience building and operating hybrid cloud and enterprise platform environments

- Strong understanding of scalable, resilient, enterprise-grade architecture principles