Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Focus on the Family has nearly 700 employees who work to achieve the mission of enriching the lives of families, engaging the culture, advocating for life and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The work is meaningful, the culture is rewarding, and the purpose is eternal.

The Director, Software Engineering & Architecture position exists to coach and provide strategic vision and direction to software engineers, site reliability engineers, and the ministry’s overall software architecture, ensuring effective development for and sustainability of the ministry’s digital products and enterprise applications. This role emphasizes leadership in software architecture—particularly with Salesforce and ERP applications—while fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and empowerment in software and site reliability engineering. The position shares responsibility for selecting, optimizing, implementing, and supporting digital tools and platforms critical to organizational success.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

Leadership, Vision & Strategy:

Develops and executes a strategic vision for software engineering and architecture

Engages senior leadership, external vendors, and business partners to align technical strategies with ministry objectives

Leads the architectural design, roadmap, and implementation of scalable, secure, and reliable enterprise applications

Ensures seamless integration of third-party and in-house applications, maintaining data consistency and system interoperability

Oversees architectural and engineering standards and governance frameworks while ensuring comprehensive documentation of architecture, runbooks, and key decisions for alignment and long-term knowledge retention

Oversees implementation of ministry security strategies for enterprise applications to mitigate risks and ensure compliance with data protection standards

Develops strategies to manage technical debt and ensure long-term system health

Guides adoption of modern technologies, including cloud solutions, DevOps practices, automated testing, and CI/CD pipelines, to enhance efficiency and innovation

Drives innovation and modernization initiatives to position the ministry as a leader in digital transformation and technology adoption

Serves as a key leader within the department, supporting and collaborating with peers as needed

Collaboration & Coaching:

Leads a team of 10+ Software Engineers and Site Reliability Engineers, fostering a culture of empowerment, collaboration, and innovation

Cultivates a pipeline of future leaders by fostering skill development and preparing direct reports for increased responsibility

Partners with Digital Solutions leadership, teams, and business partners to provide high-level effort estimates, timelines, and priorities for key projects

Operational Excellence:

Optimizes development processes, quality assurance, and operational monitoring with a focus on automation, scalability, and continuous improvement

Oversees robust and proactive monitoring, alerting, and after-hours support processes to ensure system performance and reliability

Leads post-incident reviews to drive root cause analysis, implement actionable postmortems, and ensure        continuous improvement

Champions Agile mindset and methodologies within software and site reliability engineering to enhance delivery and responsiveness

Monitors emerging technologies, industry trends, and regulatory requirements, proposing solutions to address organizational needs

Collaborates with other department leadership to ensure development operations fit into larger operational excellence strategies and efforts

Metrics & Reporting:

Defines, tracks, and reports key performance metrics—e.g., deployment frequency, change lead time, and Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR)—to measure success and drive continuous improvement

Contributes to the development and reporting of the department’s trimester scorecard

Leverages data insights to inform strategic decisions and optimize team performance

Other Duties/Responsibilities:

May provide after-hours and weekend support as necessary 

Participates in on-going training opportunities

Performs other duties as assigned

Managerial Breadth/Scope of Job:

Directly supervises ~10 direct reports, including software engineers, site reliability engineers, and interns 

Manages relationships with vendor and consultants for development projects and architectural initiatives

Working Environment/Physical Requirements:

Office environment with frequent computer use and occasional travel, domestic or international

JOB QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS

Character/Spiritual:

Exemplifies Ephesians 5:1-2, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children and walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us...”

Pursues the Great Commission given by Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Is a consistent witness for Jesus Christ; maintains a courteous, Christ-like attitude in dealing with people within and outside of Focus; adheres to the Standard of Moral Conduct and Statement of Faith; upholds Focus on the Family's ministry in prayer

Prays personally for Focus on the Family’s staff and constituents and may occasionally lead in a public prayer

Engages in Christian ministry

Demonstrates behaviors aligned with FOF core values

Personal Characteristics:

A servant-leader who inspires and empowers others, fostering collaboration and innovation

Thrives in a team environment: approachable, trustworthy, and empathetic

Self-motivated and resourceful, capable of managing multiple priorities with minimal supervision

Visionary thinker with the ability to synthesize complex concepts into actionable plans

Resilient and adaptable to change, maintaining a positive attitude under pressure

Detail-oriented with a strong commitment to quality and continuous improvement

Demonstrates humility and a willingness to learn from others

Knowledge/Experience:

Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, engineering, a related field, or equivalent experience 

10+ years of experience in software engineering or development, including 5+ years leading technical teams in a director-level role or equivalent

Expertise in software architecture, with hands-on experience in Salesforce, including triggers, flows, validations, Apex classes, Scale Center, etc.

Expertise in software architecture, with hands-on experience in ERP platforms (e.g., Workday)

Proven success in implementing scalable, secure, and reliable enterprise applications

Comprehensive understanding of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) and Agile methodologies (Kanban, Scrum, etc.) and mindset

Familiarity with modern development practices, including DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, cloud computing, microservices architecture, infrastructure as code, Git, message queues, etc.

Experience with data integration strategies, APIs, middleware, and enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF)

Knowledge of software quality assurance processes and automation tools

Marketing, branding, or digital strategy experience is a plus

Skills, Abilities, and Special Talents/Gifts:

Ability to create and articulate a compelling vision for software architecture and engineering that aligns with organizational goals

Strong leadership skills, with a focus on coaching, mentoring, and team development

Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, capable of engaging with technical and non-technical business partners

Analytical mindset with the ability to assess complex problems, identify trends, and recommend strategic solutions

Proficiency in strategic planning, project management, and resource allocation

Demonstrated ability to negotiate effectively, fostering win-win outcomes in challenging situations

Strong organizational skills with an ability to prioritize and execute tasks in a fast-paced environment

Competency in fostering a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous learning

High emotional intelligence (EQ), particularly in conflict resolution and team dynamics

Skilled in public speaking and presenting technical information to executive leadership and large groups

Stewardship Requirements:

Adheres to FOF principles of stewardship by using time and resources efficiently

Creates, manages, and executes portions of the department budget, as assigned

Salary Range: $106,080 to $125,840/yr     

Application Materials Required: Cover Letter, Resume/CV

*Colorado Residents: In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove any age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized  for redacting or removing this information.

Application Materials Instructions: Please identify the job specific minimum qualifications you possess in your cover letter and be sure your resume includes any and all relevant experience to be accurately assessed against the qualifications listed in the posting. To apply, please submit the following application materials to this posting. 1. A current resume. 2. A cover letter that specifically addresses the job requirements and outlines qualifications.

Focus on the Family puts a high value on our team members and offers a unique benefit package.

Employees scheduled for 20 hours or more per week are eligible for:

Norton LifeLock ID Theft Coverage

Legal Shield/ID Shield Coverage

AFLAC

403B Retirement Plan

Vacation Time & Vacation Payout

Sick Time

Holidays

Service Awards

Community Service Days

Bookstore Discount

Fitness Center

Employees scheduled for 30 hours or more per week are eligible for all the above and:

Medical Plan

Dental Plan

Vision Plan

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Flexible Spending Accounts

EAP (Employee Assistance Program)

Tuition Reimbursement

Warehouse Membership Reimbursement

Note: This is a summary and should not be construed as future promises to continue to provide benefits as outlined above. For complete and definitive language, refer to the governing plan documents. 

*Temporary employees are not eligible for benefits, except for:

Sick Time

Bookstore Discount

Fitness Center

Tentative Search Timeline:

Priority will be given to applications submitted by March 13, 2025. However, this posting will remain open until filled. 

The potential employee start date is March 17, 2025.