Skip to content
Back to all jobs
Remote
Full time

Director of Software Engineering

Catalyst Exchange is seeking an experienced and hands-on Director of Software Engineering to lead our growing engineering team. In this role, you’ll own the operational, people, and delivery aspects of engineering — ensuring that our platform is built efficiently, predictably, and with technical excellence. You will bring structure, rhythm, and clarity to our growing, distributed team of engineers and QA professionals, ensuring predictable, high-quality releases and strong alignment between engineering execution and product outcomes.

This is a techno-functional leadership role — you’ll bring a strong engineering foundation and technical fluency, but your focus will be on building and growing the team, establishing mature delivery processes, and driving predictable, high-quality releases. You’ll partner closely with Product and Architecture to foster a culture of clarity, accountability, and collaboration across teams.

This position reports to the VP of Product & Technology.

WHO WE ARE

Catalyst Exchange is a national nonprofit that improves outcomes for America’s children and youth by strengthening the schools and nonprofits that serve them. We do this by connecting them to the expertise, resources, and hands-on support they need to drive transformational outcomes for students, families, and communities.

We’re on an exciting growth trajectory — building a new technology platform from the ground up, designed to scale from supporting hundreds to thousands of organizations. This platform will empower nonprofits and public sector entities by providing the digital infrastructure they need to connect with the right resources and support, so they can better serve their communities. 

About this position

YOUR ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES

As the Director of Engineering, your responsibilities will include the following areas:

Engineering Leadership & People Management (~30%)

  • Lead, coach, and manage a growing, distributed team of developers and QA engineers.
  • Build a culture of ownership, accountability, trust, and continuous learning.
  • Support hiring, onboarding, and ongoing professional development, ensuring team members have clear goals and growth pathways.
  • Provide mentorship and guidance to engineers on problem-solving, communication, and collaboration.
  • Partner with the Architect to align engineering execution with long-term technical direction.

Process & Delivery Management (~30%)

  • Own the end-to-end engineering delivery process — from sprint planning through QA, release, and post-release monitoring.
  • Manage and partner with the Scrum Master to ensure consistent agile practices and clear sprint goals.
  • Ensure predictable, high-quality releases by managing timelines, resolving blockers, and maintaining visibility into progress.
  • Partner with Product to align roadmap priorities with engineering capacity and ensure commitments are realistic and well-sequenced.
  • Establish and track key delivery metrics (velocity, predictability, quality) to drive continuous process improvement.

Technical Oversight & Quality (~20%)

  • Collaborate closely with the Architect on system design, scalability, and long-term technical evolution.
  • Ensure engineering implementation aligns with architectural vision and security best practices.
  • Support technical reviews, guide decision-making, and help maintain high coding standards.
  • Partner with QA and DevOps to ensure smooth deployments and continuous integration practices.

Strategic Planning & Growth (~20%)

  • Develop engineering resourcing plans aligned to roadmap and growth objectives.
  • Identify and fill skill gaps to support platform evolution and scaling.
  • Support annual planning, prioritization, and cross-functional alignment with Product, Programs, and other internal teams.
  • Implement and refine engineering KPIs to measure productivity, quality, and team health.
  • Help shape the organizational structure as we expand both our onsite and offshore sprint teams.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required Skills & Experience

  • 10+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 3–5 years leading engineering teams.
  • Strong background as a software engineer earlier in career (hands-on experience with modern web technologies).
  • Experience with AWS cloud environments, modern software architectures, and scalable system design.
  • Proven success scaling SaaS engineering teams from small (5–10) to mid-size (20+).
  • Demonstrated ability to implement Agile processes and deliver predictable releases.
  • Excellent leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
  • Experience managing engineers across multiple functional areas (frontend, backend, QA, DevOps).
  • Experience leveraging AI-enabled development tools and helping engineering teams adopt them effectively.
  • Experience working with offshore or distributed engineering teams.
  • Strong analytical and organizational skills with a focus on execution.
  • Empathy-driven leadership style with commitment to developing people and culture.

Preferred Skills & Experience

  • Hands-on coding experience with web development technologies (e.g., AWS services, React, Node.js).
  • Exposure to user-centered design and product development practices.
  • Comfortable operating in fast-paced, high-growth environments.
  • Experience in mission-driven or social-impact SaaS environments.

Requirements

SUCCESS OUTCOMES

Within 3 Months

  • Develop a deep understanding of our systems, technical architecture, codebase, and development workflows.
  • Build strong working relationships across the engineering team and begin actively supporting team members in their projects, blockers, and day-to-day execution.
  • Coach and support engineers by ensuring each team member has clear goals, defined responsibilities, and individualized development plans aligned with their strengths and career growth.
  • Establish clear and predictable delivery processes to support the scale and launch of our new platform, including strengthening sprint planning, QA workflows, and release readiness.
  • Implement clear sprint and release processes; engineering operates with a 2–3 sprint backlog.
  • Establish performance and reporting cadence for engineering health (velocity, utilization, quality).

Within 6 Months:

  • Lead the launch of our new platform, ensuring engineering readiness, QA alignment, and cross-functional coordination.
  • Lead the technical migration of all existing users and systems to the new platform, ensuring a smooth, reliable, and well-communicated transition.
  • Ensure all engineers continue to grow through ongoing coaching, feedback, and structured development plans.
  • Deliver product releases on a predictable schedule with strong QA and deployment readiness.

Within 12 Months:

  • Lead the engineering team to operate as a high-performing unit delivering consistently against roadmap commitments.
  • Scale the engineering structure effectively for onsite and offshore sprint teams, ensuring clear roles, smooth handoffs, and strong collaboration.
  • Achieve measurable improvement in delivery metrics (for example: reducing average cycle time by 20-30%, lowering post-release defects, and increasing deployment frequency).
  • Launch a leadership development and mentorship program within engineering, preparing at least two team members to step into senior or tech-lead roles.
  • Drive key architectural enhancements and platform maturity (scalability, reliability, cost optimization) to support growth and future feature launches.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • Compensation: Commensurate with experience. Expected salary range: $175,000 – $193,000.
  • Benefits: Medical and dental coverage, 403(b) with up to 5% match, and a generous leave policy.
  • Team: You’ll work closely with the VP of Product & Technology, Architect, Scrum Master, and Product leadership.
  • Preferred Start Date: As soon as possible.
  • Travel: Occasional travel for in-person team meetings (1–3 times per year).
  • Working Hours: Flexible hours with overlap across U.S. and India-based teams.

How can I apply?

If this role aligns with your experience and passion, please complete the application. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

The selection process includes a work exercise, 3–4 virtual interviews (45–60 minutes each), and reference checks.

Catalyst Exchange is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.