The American Institute of Architects (AIA):
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The American Institute of Architects, as part of the global community, is building a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion within the profession of architecture to create a better built environment for all. Achieving this vision has a direct impact on the relevance of the profession of architecture and the world's prosperity, health, and future.
Job Summary
Reporting to the SVP, Technology the Managing Director of Digital Products Development and Operations is a strategic leadership role responsible for overseeing the development, operations, and continuous improvement of the organization’s digital products and technology solutions. This role is critical to driving innovation, operational excellence, and alignment with organizational goals.
With oversight of teams including Product Ownership, Salesforce Engineering and Operations, Quality and Release Engineering, Application Development, and Technology Operations, the Managing Director will foster a culture of collaboration, agility, and accountability while ensuring the delivery of secure, scalable, and high-quality solutions. Acting as a visionary and technical leader, the Managing Director will serve a key role in shaping and executing the organization’s technology roadmap.
Job Duties
- Collaborate with the Senior Vice President, Technology to define and execute the organization’s digital product strategy and technology roadmap, aligned with business priorities and member needs.
- Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary team, including Product Owners, Salesforce Engineers, DevOps Engineers, Application Developers, Quality Engineers, and Operations staff, fostering professional growth and accountability.
- Serve as a solutions architect, providing strategic technical guidance and ensuring all systems, applications, and integrations meet organizational requirements.
- Work with Product Owners to champion product thinking by promoting a user-centric mindset, defining product roadmaps, prioritizing features, and aligning product backlogs with the organization’s strategic goals.
- Facilitate training and workshops to instill a deeper understanding of product management principles across the team, enabling a shared vocabulary and mindset.
- Oversee the development, deployment, and operational support of enterprise applications, platforms, and integrations.
- Champion the adoption of DevOps principles, including automation, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud-native development, to drive efficiency and agility in software delivery.
- Oversee and manage architecture reviews, governance processes, and change management for new technologies and applications.
- Build collaborative relationships with cross-functional teams, including Infrastructure, Security and Customer Success, IT Strategy & Governance, and IT Project Management.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives for IT operations, focusing on reliability, scalability, and security, while implementing best practices for disaster recovery and business continuity.
- Lead the development and launch of new digital products and services, managing the end-to-end product lifecycle from concept to delivery to ongoing operations.
- Establish and monitor team performance metrics (KPIs) to ensure alignment with organizational goals and objectives.
- Attract, retain, and develop top technical talent to build a high-performing, diverse team.
- Provide exceptional customer support for both internal stakeholders and external users of digital products.
- Stay abreast of emerging technologies, trends, and practices to ensure the organization remains at the forefront of innovation.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Frequent Contacts
- Technology Leadership Team
- AIA Leadership and Staff
- AIA State and Local Components
- AIA Volunteer Leadership
- Vendors and Consultants
Qualifications
- Strategic Vision: Proven ability to align technology strategies with organizational goals and anticipate future needs.
- Technical Expertise: Demonstrated advanced understanding of software engineering, DevOps, cloud computing (AWS, Azure), modern development practices, and automation technologies.
- Architecture Leadership: Demonstrated advanced experience as a Solutions Architect or Technical Architect, with a track record of delivering scalable, secure, and high-performing solutions.
- Product Development: Proven familiarity with association management systems, content management systems, learning management systems, and quality management tools.
- Agile Methodologies: Experience leading Agile software development projects and utilizing modern project management tools.
- Problem-Solving: Demonstrated strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, with a focus on solving complex technical challenges.
- Operational Excellence: Experience implementing best practices for IT operations, including disaster recovery, business continuity, and incident management.
- Team Leadership: Proven ability to manage and mentor high-performing teams, fostering collaboration and innovation.
- Customer Focus: Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with a commitment to delivering outstanding customer support.
- Change Management: Strong capability to lead organizational change, particularly in technology transformations.
- Demonstrated success in delivering digital products and technology solutions in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience in nonprofit or membership-based organizations is a plus.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, or a related field with a minimum of 12 years of progressive experience in software engineering and technology management and a minimum of 5 years of experience managing and developing engineering teams.
Travel- Occasional travel and after-hours work may be required.
Supervisory Responsibilities
- Directly supervise full-time engineering staff, including Product Owners, Salesforce solution lead, Quality and release lead, Operations lead, and DevOps Engineers.
Work Location 100% Remote from the Washington DC area (DC, MD, VA)
Applicants from states not listed above are ineligible.
All AIA employees in the DC metro area are currently working remotely during our office renovation. Employees in the DC Metro area will return to a hybrid work environment in the newly renovated office at the completion of the renovation in Summer 2025.
An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability, in accordance with the applicable law.
