Director, Software Engineering

About Sovrn

Every interesting company solves essential problems for other people. Sovrn is a Software and Data business that helps Open Web businesses remain independent. We help them understand their business better, operate more efficiently, and make and keep more money.

• We believe in the freedom and free flow of information.
• We believe the Open Web is the largest source of this information.
• We believe in helping Open Web businesses be and remain Independent.

Through Software products and Data solutions, we help our customers:

• Understand their business better, so they can make better decisions.
• Operate their business more efficiently, so they can invest in what matters most.
• Make (and Keep) more money, so they control their own destiny.

About the Role

The Sovrn Exchange is a comprehensive advertising solution that helps publishers maximize advertising revenue. It connects publishers to a vast network of premium advertisers and demand sources, operating at a petabyte scale with over 200 billion requests daily. This platform functions in open market conditions with sophisticated counterparties.

We are seeking a Director of Software Engineering to lead a team of software engineers and drive our technology initiatives forward. In this role, you will guide our engineering team, manage projects, and ensure the successful development and delivery of high-quality software solutions. This role requires a solid technical background, exceptional people management skills, and a proven track record of effective cross-functional relationships and successful project management.

What you’ll be doing: 

• Team Management and Leadership. Lead, manage, and develop a team of software engineers, DevOps engineers, and data scientists. Establish team objectives and effectively communicate team priorities. Set performance expectations, provide timely feedback, conduct performance reviews, and support individual goals and career growth.
• Project Management. Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Product Management, to establish priorities and define project requirements, scope, and timelines. Allocate resources effectively to meet project demands. Oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of software projects. Ensure projects are completed on time, within scope, and to the highest quality standards. Promote agile practices and continuous improvement.
• Technical Oversight. Provide technical direction and support to the team, ensuring adherence to best practices and development standards. Encourage innovation within the team. Assist in resolving complex technical issues and facilitate technical decision-making. Implement and refine engineering processes, methodologies, and tools to enhance productivity and software quality. Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations, maintaining high levels of security and data privacy.

A successful candidate will have: 

• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, building, operating, and scaling high-performance, highly transactional web services and applications with languages such as Java.
• 5+ years in a people management role, including geographically distributed teams of 10 or more engineers. 
• 7+ years of adtech-specific development experience, ideally in an SSP/Exchange role
• Experience with distributed systems, microservices architecture, and cloud computing platforms like AWS (or GCP, Terraform).
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field.

Location: Boulder, Colorado #LI-Hybrid

We understand that no candidate is perfectly qualified for any job. Experience comes in different forms; many skills are transferable; and passion goes a long way. Even more important than your resume is a clear demonstration of accountability and the ability to thrive in a fluid and collaborative environment. We expect you to learn new things in this role and encourage you to apply if your experience is close to what we're looking for.

Sovrn Core Values: Candid, Customer Empathy, Learning, Scrappy, Second Order Thinking

Equal Opportunity Employer 

Sovrn is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, parental or pregnancy status, marriage and civil partnership, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Reasonable accommodations will be made to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and will be provided as requested by candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. 

Recruitment Agencies

Sovrn does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias or Sovrn employees. Sovrn is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.