[Hiring] Director of Software Engineering, Platform Services @Credit Acceptance

Role Description

The Director of Software Engineering, Platform Services will help to modernize the engineering organization at Credit Acceptance by building and leading teams that deliver two sets of capabilities:

• The tooling, templates, and standards that engineers use to build software.
• The shared engineering services that multiple parts of the organization depend on, including internal products such as payments, notifications, consent, and document intelligence.

This role will be responsible for consolidating services that are used by multiple parts of the organization into a single place, eliminating duplication and modernizing the technology.

Credit Acceptance is adopting AI-assisted and specification-driven development across its engineering organization, and this role will lead that work. It includes:

• The software development lifecycle and the tooling that supports it.
• The development environments engineers work in.
• The AI coding assistants and agent development frameworks they use.
• The golden path templates and reference implementations that make recommended practices the default.
• The measurement of whether these investments are improving engineering productivity.

The ideal candidate is someone who can build and lead a platform engineering team to create the foundational tooling and services for Credit Acceptance’s scaling while also creating process and structure for the company’s growth.

Outcomes and Activities

• Provide the strategy, leadership, and day-to-day management of the Platform Services organization.
• Lead the team in developing, enhancing, and supporting a set of integrated platform services for Credit Acceptance engineering teams.
• Define the company’s approach to AI-assisted and specification-driven development.
• Deliver the golden path templates, scaffolds, and reference implementations that engineering teams use to start new work.
• Own the development environments and inner loop tooling engineers use daily.
• Be accountable for the availability, performance, and support model of the shared services.
• Create and manage the Platform Services experience required to deliver value to developers.
• Partner with teams that operate delivery pipelines, cloud infrastructure, and runtime platforms.
• Establish and report the measures of engineering productivity, platform adoption, and service performance.
• Refine and deliver on a strategy that aligns platform goals to business objectives.
• Ensure engineering tooling and shared services meet security, privacy, and audit requirements.
• Support business growth initiatives from a Platform Services point of view.
• Build and manage diverse engineering teams capable of carrying out ambitious platform software initiatives.
• Set the direction of the team and lead organizational change.
• Break down platform strategy and team asks into correct technical building blocks.
• Provide continuous feedback, address underperformance, and recognize team members' contributions.
• Drive a results-oriented culture with a strong focus on execution, quality, and speed.

Competencies

• Customer Empathy: Understanding the perspectives, pain points, and experiences of customers.
• Engineering Excellence: Delivering outstanding products that delight customers and solve business problems.
• One Team: A collaborative approach across the organization.
• Owner’s Mindset: A sense of responsibility, accountability, and strategic thinking.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in Computer Science, engineering/technical degree, MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in highly technical roles in development or enterprise services.
• 5+ years of supervisory, consultant, or team lead experience.
• Track record of delivering internal developer tooling or shared engineering services.
• Experience leading the adoption of AI-assisted software development at scale.
• History of owning services in production, including service level objectives.
• Proven ability to consolidate duplicated capabilities into a single supported platform.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate with C-Level leaders.

Preferred

• Familiarity with agent development frameworks or AI platform capabilities.
• Background in a regulated industry, or working closely with security, audit, and compliance functions.
• Working knowledge of the financial services industry and automotive industry.

Knowledge and Skills

• Working knowledge of the modern developer toolchain.
• Proven ability to think strategically and align technical initiatives with business objectives.
• Success growing a team and fostering a collaborative culture.
• Comfortable with navigating hard-to-follow processes.
• History of using data for decision making.
• An automation mindset that strives to reduce manual interventions.
• Strong executive presence and ability to advance ideas and initiatives.

Target Compensation

A competitive base salary range from $208,761 – $306,182. This position is eligible for an annual variable bonus of cash and equity, between 20 - 60%.

Benefits

• Excellent benefits package that includes 401(K) match, adoption assistance, parental leave, tuition reimbursement, and comprehensive medical/dental/vision.
• Many nonstandard benefits that make us a Great Place to Work.

Company Values

• Positive by maintaining resiliency and focusing on solutions.
• Respectful by collaborating and actively listening.
• Insightful by cultivating innovation and demonstrating self-awareness.
• Direct by effectively communicating and conveying courage.
• Earnest by taking accountability and effectively planning.

Expectations

• Remain compliant with our policies, processes, and legal guidelines.
• All other duties as assigned.
• Attendance as required by department.