Director Software Development

Overview

The Director of Engineering at PowerPlan is a senior technology leader responsible for building, scaling, and operating the next generation architecture PowerPlan’s cloud-native SaaS platform modernizing a decades trusted regulated utility product suite. This role is accountable for turning strategy into execution: delivering modern architecture, accelerating SaaS adoption, improving engineering productivity, and ensuring security, reliability, and compliance while maintaining the trust of utility customers who operate in highly regulated environments. This leader is hands on where it matters, deeply accountable for outcomes, and a role model for PowerPlan’s culture of ownership, clarity, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

What Success Looks Like (12–24 Months)

A successful Director of Engineering will:

• Deliver measurable progress on NXT adoption (customer migrations, production usage, ARR contribution).
• Establish a clear, scalable NXT reference architecture that teams consistently follow.
• Improve engineering execution metrics (predictability, cycle time, quality, reliability).
• Reduce operational noise (support tickets, manual processes, regressions).
• Build a strong bench of leaders (Managers, Directors, Architects) who operate with ownership.
• Be viewed by Product, Architecture, CloudOps, InfoSec, and GTM as a trusted execution partner, not a bottleneck.

Core Responsibilities

NXT Architecture & Platform Execution

• Own the end-to-end delivery of the NXT engineering roadmap in partnership with Architecture and Product.
• Translate architectural vision into clear, executable engineering plans with milestones, dependencies, and measurable outcomes.
• Ensure consistent adoption of:
• Cloud-native patterns (Azure-first, microservices where appropriate)
• API-first and integration standards
• Data platform strategy (Databricks, analytics, reporting)
• Security-by-design and compliance-ready architectures
• Balance modernization speed with operational safety for regulated utility customers.

Expectation: Architecture does not remain theoretical, teams ship production ready, supportable systems.

Engineering Delivery & Operational Excellence

• Own engineering delivery across:
• New feature development
• Legacy modernization
• SaaS migration
• Platform reliability and scalability
• Establish clear ownership models for services, domains, and systems.
• Improve SDLC discipline:
• Predictable planning and delivery
• Strong definition of “done”
• Reduced rework and technical debt
• Partner with CloudOps and InfoSec to ensure:
• ≥99% uptime
• Secure, compliant releases
• Operational readiness before customer adoption

Expectation: Engineering delivers with confidence, not heroics.

Talent, Leadership & Team Health

• Lead and develop Engineering Managers, Directors, and senior ICs.
• Set clear expectations for:
• Accountability
• Technical rigor
• Collaboration
• Decision ownership
• Actively coach leaders on:
• Translating strategy into execution
• Managing trade-offs
• Giving clear feedback
• Build a culture where:
• Problems are surfaced early
• Decisions are documented
• Teams feel ownership, not fear

Expectation: Strong leaders create strong teams; weak ownership is addressed directly.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Work tightly with:
• Product – aligning engineering execution to customer and market priorities
• Architecture – ensuring designs are implementable and scalable
• CloudOps / SaaSOps – operational excellence and cost efficiency
• InfoSec – audit-ready, compliant engineering practices
• Professional Services & Support – smooth customer onboarding and reduced friction
• Provide clear trade-off recommendations when priorities compete.
• Represent Engineering in executive-level discussions with data, clarity, and confidence.

Expectation: Engineering is seen as a business enabler, not a constraint.

Metrics, Transparency & Continuous Improvement

• Own and report on engineering KPIs, including:
• Delivery predictability
• SaaS adoption enablement
• Quality and defect trends
• Cloud cost efficiency per customer
• Support ticket reduction
• Use metrics to drive action, not just reporting.
• Continuously improve processes, tooling, and developer experience.

Expectation: Decisions are data-informed, not anecdotal.

Cultural Expectations at PowerPlan

At PowerPlan, how results are achieved matters as much as the results themselves.

This role is expected to model:

• Ownership: Problems are owned until resolved.
• Clarity: Direct communication, clear decisions, minimal ambiguity.
• Trust & Accountability: High standards with respect and fairness.
• Customer Empathy: Understanding the operational realities of regulated utilities.
• Continuous Learning: Willingness to evolve architectures, tools, and leadership approaches.
• Low Ego, High Impact: Focus on outcomes over titles or turf.

What This Role Is Not

• Not a hands-off people manager disconnected from delivery.
• Not a pure architect without execution accountability.
• Not a short-term “firefighter” role.
• Not a culture-neutral role, leadership behavior matters.

Why Join PowerPlan

• Lead a once-in-a-generation platform transformation.
• Work on mission-critical software trusted by the world’s largest utilities.
• Partner with an experienced executive team focused on long-term value.
• Shape the future of a growing SaaS business within a strong Roper portfolio.

Qualifications

Leadership & Delivery

• 10+ years in software engineering, with 5+ years leading large, multi-team organizations.
• Proven experience modernizing enterprise SaaS platforms from legacy architectures.
• Strong track record of delivering complex, multi year transformations.

Technical & Architectural

• Deep understanding of:
• Cloud platforms (Azure preferred)
• Distributed systems and service ownership
• Enterprise integration patterns
• AI, Data platforms and analytics
• Ability to challenge architectural decisions constructively and pragmatically.

Business & Communication

• Strong executive communication able to explain tradeoffs clearly.
• Comfortable balancing speed, quality, cost, and risk.

PowerPlan is an EOE

Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice

Please note that this is a hybrid role that involves a combination of onsite work from our corporate office as well as work from home. While we strive to accommodate flexible working arrangements when sensible, there will be times when onsite work is required. This could include scheduled office days, team meetings, client meetings, or special events.