Sr. Director of Engineering - Empower AI Inc.

Empower AI is AI for government. Empower AI gives federal agency leaders the tools to elevate the potential of their workforce with a direct path for meaningful transformation. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Empower AI leverages three decades of experience solving complex challenges in Health, Defense, and Civilian missions. Our proven Empower AI Platform® provides a practical, sustainable path for clients to achieve transformation that is true to who they are, what they do, how they work, with the resources they have. The result is a government workforce that is exponentially more creative and productive. For more information, visit www.Empower.ai.

Empower AI is proud to be recognized as a 2024 Military Friendly Employer by Viqtory, the publisher of G.I. Jobs. This designation reflects the company’s commitment to hiring and supporting active-duty and veteran employees.

We are seeking a dynamic and strategic Senior Director of Engineering to lead the development of our cloud, data, and DevOps offerings with a key focus on AI services. This role will be instrumental in building out our engineering team, driving innovation, and making critical decisions related to build vs. buy strategies. The ideal candidate will have strong technical acumen, proven leadership capabilities, and experience in scaling engineering functions in high-growth environments. This position will work closely with the CTO and executive team to align technical execution with business goals, ensuring our AI services become a core differentiator in the market.

Key Responsibilities:

• Engineering Leadership & Strategy:
• Develop and execute a comprehensive engineering strategy that focuses on expanding our cloud, data, DevOps, and AI services offerings.
• Build and scale a high-performing engineering team, including recruitment, mentorship, and professional development.
• Lead strategic planning to achieve technical and business growth, balancing short-term operational needs with long-term innovation and scalability.
• Drive the build vs. buy decision-making process to optimize product development speed and cost-efficiency.
• AI Services & Cloud Expansion:
• Lead the architecture and implementation of AI-driven solutions across cloud and DevOps platforms.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate AI services into existing and new products and services.
• Define the technical roadmap for AI services, including AI/ML pipelines, automation, and cloud-native capabilities.
• DevOps & Automation:
• Oversee the development and implementation of DevOps best practices, ensuring continuous integration, delivery, and deployment processes are efficient and scalable.
• Integrate automation across all aspects of the development lifecycle, increasing the velocity and reliability of product delivery.
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Management:
• Work closely with the CTO and executive leadership to align engineering objectives with broader business goals and revenue growth targets.
• Engage with key stakeholders across the organization to ensure engineering efforts are aligned with customer needs, market trends, and regulatory requirements.
• Act as a technical leader for key customer engagements, supporting the sales and business development teams as needed.
• Business Growth & Innovation:
• Help shape the company's future by identifying emerging technologies and trends that can enhance our offerings and competitive positioning in the market.
• Drive innovation within the engineering organization, ensuring our technology remains at the cutting edge in the AI and cloud services space.
• Support the development of new business models and service offerings, with a focus on expanding our AI service portfolio.

Requirements:

• Proven Experience: 10+ years of experience in engineering leadership roles, with significant experience in cloud, data, and DevOps, including at least 3-5 years focusing on AI services.
• Technical Expertise: Strong understanding of AI/ML technologies, cloud architecture (AWS, Azure, GCP), DevOps practices, automation, and scalable engineering solutions.
• Leadership and Team Building: Proven ability to build, lead, and scale engineering teams in high-growth environments. Experience developing technical leaders and fostering a culture of innovation.
• Strategic Mindset: Demonstrated success in driving technical strategy, making build vs. buy decisions, and aligning engineering efforts with business objectives.
• Execution-Focused: Strong project management skills with the ability to prioritize, execute, and deliver results under pressure.
• Collaboration Skills: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Industry Knowledge: Experience working within highly regulated industries, including government and federal markets, is a plus.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with federal market dynamics, including familiarity with FedRAMP, NIST, and other regulatory frameworks.
• Hands-on experience with AI service platforms and frameworks, cloud-native design, and modern software development methodologies.

Physical Requirements:

This position requires the ability to perform the below essential functions:

• Sitting for long periods
• Standing for long periods
• Ambulate throughout an office
• Ambulate between several buildings

It is the policy of Empower AI to provide equal opportunity in recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting individuals in all job categories without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected class or category as may be defined by federal, state, or local laws or regulations. In addition, we affirm that all compensation, benefits, company-sponsored training, educational assistance, social, and recreational programs are administered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. It is our firm intent to support equal employment opportunity and affirmative action in keeping with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Empower AI is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.