DLA Piper is, at its core, bold, exceptional, collaborative and supportive. Our
people are the backbone, heart and soul of our firm. Wherever you are in your
professional journey, DLA Piper is a place you can engage in meaningful work and
grow your career. Let’s see what we can achieve. Together.
Summary
The Director, Engineering is responsible for leading the design, development,
delivery, modernization, and ongoing support of enterprise technology solutions
that enable the firm’s legal and business operations.
This role provides strategic and operational leadership for software
engineering, application development, and systems integration, and engineering
delivery functions, ensuring solutions are secure, scalable, maintainable and
aligned with enterprise and value stream priorities.
The Director, Engineering partners closely with value stream leadership, IT
services leaders, and business stakeholders to deliver high-quality technology
capabilities that improve attorney and business professional productivity,
enhance client experience, and support revenue growth and operational
efficiency.
This role is accountable for engineering execution discipline, technical
quality, delivery reliability, and the evolution of reusable engineering and
platform capabilities that accelerate the firm's transition to a build-capable
technology organization.
Location
This position can sit in any of our U.S. offices and offers a hybrid work
schedule.
Responsibilities
* Provide strategic leadership for engineering and application development
teams supporting firmwide legal and business capabilities across value
streams.
* Set technical direction, architectural standards, and engineering practices
to ensure solutions are secure, scalable, maintainable, and operationally
sustainable.
* Partner closely with IT, legal operations, and business stakeholders to
translate business outcomes and value stream priorities into executable
technology roadmaps and engineering delivery strategy, keeping a user
experience and product value mindset at the forefront.
* Lead engineering execution and continuous delivery of technology
capabilities, balancing innovation, platform stability, technical debt
reduction, risk management, and operational excellence.
* Collaborate across IT functions to improve delivery flow, reduce bottlenecks,
and increase engineering throughput and reliability.
* Oversee engineering efforts across multiple product and platform workstreams,
balancing innovation, operational stability, quality, risk, and delivery
commitments.
* Establish and promote engineering best practices including automation, CI/CD,
observability, resiliency, testing, reusable engineering capabilities, and
operational readiness.
* Manage engineering budgets, vendor relationships, consultant resources, and
third-party development partners as applicable to the success of the service
portfolio and deliverables.
* Lead, develop, and retain engineering management and senior technical talent,
including performance management and succession planning.
* Establish governance, metrics, and reporting for engineering performance,
platform health, technical debt, operational sustainability, and delivery
outcomes.
* Ensure compliance with firm security, risk, governance, privacy, and data
protection standards across all engineering activities.
* Partner with infrastructure, operations, SRE, and end-user support teams to
ensure stable production operations and smooth lifecycle support for
delivered capabilities.
* Provides leadership to and manages a team of business professionals to
include coaching, mentoring and professional development. Responsible for
providing performance feedback on a regular basis.
Desired Skills
Enterprise application architecture and modern development practices. Strategic
planning and execution in complex environments. People leadership and
organizational development. Financial and vendor management. Stakeholder
partnership and executive communication. Risk management, security awareness,
and operational excellence.
MINIMUM EDUCATION
* Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a
related field.
Preferred Education
* Master's Degree in Technology, business, or management‑related discipline.
Certifications
* Relevant certifications in cloud platforms, architecture, or technology
leadership are preferred.
Minimum Years of Experience
* 10+ years of progressive experience in software engineering or application
development, including at least five years in a senior leadership or
management role overseeing multiple teams or portfolios.
Essential Job Expectations
While the specific job requirements of a DLA Piper position may vary depending
upon scope of the job and area of specialty, there are certain universal
requirements that are expected of all DLA Piper employees, which include but are
not limited to:
* Effectively communicate, verbally and in writing, with clients, lawyers,
business professionals, and third parties;
* Produce deliverables, answer phone calls, and reply to correspondence in an
efficient and responsive manner;
* Provide timely, accurate, and quality work product;
* Successfully meet deadlines, expectations, and perform work duties as
required;
* Foster positive work relationships;
* Comply with all firm policies and practices;
* Engage in both physical and sedentary activity, such as (a) working at a
computer for extended periods of time, including on-screen reading and
typing; (b) participating in digital/virtual conference calls; (c)
participating in meetings as needed;
* Ability to work under pressure and manage competing demands in a fast-paced
environment;
* Perform all other duties, tasks or projects as assigned.
Our employees are expected to embrace and uphold our firm values as a part of
our DLA Piper culture. We are committed to excellence in how we represent our
clients and develop our people.
Physical Demands
Sedentary work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a
negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull
or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves
sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are
required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.
Work Environment
The individual selected for this position may have the opportunity for a hybrid
work arrangement comprised of remote and in-office work, the requirement for
which will be determined in coordination with the hiring manager or supervisor
and may be modified in the firm’s discretion in the future.
Disclaimer
The purpose of this job description is to provide a concise statement of the
work elements and to organize and present the information in a standardized way.
It is not intended to describe all the elements of the work that may be
performed by every individual in this classification, nor should it serve as the
sole criteria for personnel decisions and actions. The job duties, requirements,
and expectations for this position may be modified at the Firm’s discretion at
any time. This job description does not change the at-will nature of
employment.
Application Process
Applicants must apply directly online instead of sending application materials
via email.
Accommodation
Reasonable accommodations may be made upon request to permit individuals with a
disability to perform the essential functions and responsibilities of the
position or to participate in the job selection process. If you have a request
for an accommodation during the application process, please contact
careers@us.dlapiper.com [careers@us.dlapiper.com].
Agency applications will not be considered.
No immigration sponsorship is available for this position.
The firm’s expected hiring range for this position is $168,478 - $272,949
depending on the candidate’s geographic market location.
The compensation offered for employment will also be dependent on other factors
including the candidate’s experience, skills, educational and professional
background, and overall qualifications. We offer a comprehensive package of
benefits including medical/dental/vision insurance, and 401(k).
Applicants who are not based in the jurisdiction in which this position is
posted and who apply for this role are doing so voluntarily and are not eligible
for relocation assistance. Any relocation benefits, if any, are provided only
where a relocation is required at the firm’s direction and in accordance with
applicable policy and law.
#LI-GB1
#LI-Hybrid
DLA Piper is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will
receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion,
sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status
as a protected veteran. Job applicant poster viewing center
[https://mandatoryview.com/?LicenceId=09b17fa3-b781-4022-bfdd-ec61a570463c&ProductType=OnlineApplicant].