Director Software Engineering Core Cloud

WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH:

The Cloud & Core Engineering team builds and operates Nike’s multi-cloud platform and software-defined network, enabling scalable, self-service environments for cloud, data, and AI across Global Technology. You will lead multiple engineering squads, partner with global counterparts, and collaborate closely with product, architecture, and platform teams. This role will report in to the Senior Director Software Engineering leading Cloud Gov, FinOps & Management Plane capabilities.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

We are hiring a Director of Software Engineering to own the Management Plane the platform layer enabling multi-cloud access, entitlements, governance, account lifecycle, and cloud cost optimization. This is a high-ownership leadership role requiring strong technical depth, people leadership, and platform thinking. The ideal candidate brings a mix of senior leadership experience, deep cloud engineering expertise, and proven ability to scale high-performing teams in a distributed or GCC environment. They must be hands-on enough to engage in architectural discussions, influence platform direction, and translate business strategy into executable engineering roadmaps.

Key Qualification:

• 15+ years leading engineering teams, including 3+ years at Director level managing managers or senior ICs
• Proven experience building and scaling engineering teams, including hiring and retaining senior talent
• Proven ability to translate multi-year strategy into squad-level roadmaps with measurable OKRs and clear dependency management across the stack.  
• Strong experience co-owning global platforms with distributed teams, driving alignment on priorities, architectural decisions, and operating model without escalation dependency.
• 5+ years of hands-on AWS engineering experience (not just conversational cloud literacy)
• Expertise in cloud governance, entitlements, or policy systems, IAM/RBAC, and policy guardrails at enterprise scale
• Exposure to cloud economics / FinOps including cost attribution and optimization
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform, Crossplane, or CDK
• Strong background in distributed systems including Kubernetes, APIs, and event-driven architecture
• Ability to review and reason about Python/JavaScript code and infrastructure patterns
• Experience designing or integrating AI / agentic capabilities into platform products, not just awareness; have shipped or materially influenced AI capabilities with measurable impact (TTR, reduced human engagement, improved compliance).  
• Understanding of modern architecture: microservices, APIs, and security-by-design
• Experience in Agile/DevOps environments with CI/CD and SLO-driven operations
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent
• Nice to have: AWS/Azure certifications, developer platform experience, FinOps tooling, AIOps exposure

WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON:

You will lead engineering teams responsible for building and evolving Nike’s multi-cloud Management Plane, driving platform strategy, engineering excellence, and large-scale impact across cloud governance, access management, and cost optimization.
 

Your responsibility Includes:

• Lead and grow 3–4 engineering squads, managing managers, principals, and senior engineers
• Define technical direction and build a high-performance engineering culture within ITC
• Drive multi-year platform roadmap and translate strategy into quarterly execution plans and OKRs
• Own cloud governance systems including access management, RBAC, and policy guardrails
• Advance cloud economics through FinOps tooling and optimization initiatives
• Enable AI-native engineering practices using automation and agent-based patterns
• Ensure platform reliability, scalability, and security through SLOs and strong engineering standards
• Partner with global teams to establish ITC as a strategic engineering hub