Director software engineering - enterprise devops

About Northern Trust:

Northern Trust, a Fortune 500 company, is a globally recognized, award-winning financial institution that has been in continuous operation since 1889.

Northern Trust is proud to provide innovative financial services and guidance to the world's most successful individuals, families, and institutions by remaining true to our enduring principles of service, expertise, and integrity. With more than 130 years of financial experience and over 22,000 partners, we serve the world's most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Director of Software Engineering to lead our Enterprise DevSecOps function. This strategic leadership role is responsible for driving the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of our DevSecOps practices across a large-scale enterprise environment comprising over 700 applications and nearly 7,000 CI/CD and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) pipelines.

The ideal candidate will combine deep technical expertise in on-prem/Mainframe and cloud-native technologies, modern DevOps practices, and security-first engineering with strong leadership capabilities to manage a geographically distributed team of up to 20 DevOps engineers and developers across onsite and offshore locations.

This role requires a forward-thinking leader with strong AI skills and experience in Agentic SDLC and Agentic DevOps methodologies to drive innovation and automation at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Define and execute the enterprise DevSecOps strategy aligned with organizational goals, ensuring security is embedded throughout the software development lifecycle
• Drive the adoption of AI-powered automation, Agentic SDLC, and Agentic DevOps practices to enhance developer productivity, reduce cycle times, and improve software quality
• Establish and maintain DevSecOps governance frameworks, standards, and best practices across all development teams
• Partner with executive leadership, architecture teams, and business stakeholders to align technology initiatives with business objectives
• Lead technology evaluation and selection for DevSecOps tooling, ensuring optimal return on investment

Team Management & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of up to 20 DevOps engineers and developers across onsite and offshore locations
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and collaboration across geographically distributed teams
• Establish clear performance objectives, conduct regular performance reviews, and create career development paths for team members
• Manage resource allocation, capacity planning, and workload distribution across multiple projects and priorities
• Build and maintain strong relationships with offshore partners and ensure effective collaboration across time zones

Technical Operations & Platform Management

• Oversee the maintenance, optimization, and evolution of approximately 7,000 CI/CD and IaC pipelines supporting 700+ applications
• Drive excellence in our Azure cloud infrastructure including Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Container Apps (ACA), Static Web Apps, and other Azure services
• Ensure robust CI/CD practices using GitHub for source code management and GitHub Actions for pipeline automation
• Maintain and optimize microservice architectures across diverse technology stacks including .NET, Java, Python, and ReactJS
• Implement and manage Infrastructure as Code practices using industry-leading tools and methodologies

Security & Quality Assurance

• Champion security-first development practices through comprehensive integration of security tools throughout the SDLC
• Manage and optimize code quality scanning with SonarQube, ensuring code meets enterprise quality standards
• Oversee software composition analysis (CxOne SCA) and static application security testing (CxOne SAST) programs
• Drive Infrastructure as Code security scanning using WIZ to identify and remediate vulnerabilities
• Manage dynamic application security testing (DAST) using Insight AppSec to identify runtime vulnerabilities

Testing & Reliability Engineering

• Lead functional test automation initiatives using Selenium and Playwright frameworks
• Oversee performance testing programs using LoadRunner to ensure application scalability and reliability
• Drive chaos engineering practices using Chaos Monkey to improve system resilience and fault tolerance
• Establish and monitor SLAs, SLOs, and KPIs for platform reliability and team performance

Change & Release Management

• Oversee change and release management processes through ServiceNow integration
• Ensure compliance with enterprise change management policies and regulatory requirements
• Drive continuous improvement in release velocity while maintaining stability and security
• Coordinate cross-functional release activities and manage release calendars

AI Integration & Innovation

• Pioneer the adoption of AI-powered development tools and intelligent automation across the DevOps toolchain
• Lead initiatives in Agentic SDLC implementation, leveraging AI agents to automate code reviews, testing, and deployment decisions
• Drive Agentic DevOps practices including intelligent pipeline optimization, predictive failure detection, and automated incident response
• Evaluate and implement AI/ML solutions for code generation, security vulnerability detection, and performance optimization
• Stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends, driving innovation within the organization

Required Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or related field; Master's degree preferred
• 10+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, DevOps, or platform engineering
• 5+ years of experience in engineering leadership roles, including managing distributed teams
• Proven track record of leading large-scale DevOps transformations in enterprise environments
• Experience managing teams of 15+ engineers across multiple geographic locations

Technical Expertise

• Deep expertise with Microsoft Azure cloud services, particularly AKS, ACA, and Static Web Apps, Infrastructure as code with Terraform, Ansible Tower.
• Strong hands-on experience with GitHub and GitHub Actions for CI/CD pipeline development
• Extensive knowledge of containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and microservice architectures
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages including .NET, Java, Python, and JavaScript/ReactJS
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code tools and practices (Terraform, Bicep, ARM templates)
• Strong understanding of DevSecOps principles and security-first development practices

Security & Quality Tools

• Experience with code quality tools (SonarQube or equivalent)
• Knowledge of SAST/SCA tools (Checkmarx CxOne, Snyk, or similar)
• Familiarity with IaC security scanning (WIZ, Checkov, or equivalent)
• Experience with DAST tools (Insight AppSec, OWASP ZAP, or similar)

AI & Emerging Technologies

• Strong AI skills with practical experience implementing AI-powered solutions in DevOps workflows
• Understanding of AI/ML fundamentals, LLMs, and their application in software development
• Experience with AI coding assistants and automated code review tools

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Agentic SDLC methodologies and implementation
• Hands-on experience with Agentic DevOps practices including AI-driven pipeline automation
• Experience with test automation frameworks (Selenium, Playwright)
• Knowledge of performance testing tools (LoadRunner, JMeter)
• Experience with chaos engineering practices (Chaos Monkey, Gremlin)
• ServiceNow administration or integration experience
• Relevant certifications: Azure Solutions Architect, Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), AWS certifications, or equivalent
• Experience in regulated industries (financial services, healthcare, government)

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop and execute long-term DevSecOps strategies aligned with business goals
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to present complex technical concepts to diverse audiences
• Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams, vendors, and executive stakeholders
• Change Management: Experience leading organizational change and driving adoption of new technologies and practices
• Problem Solving: Strong analytical skills with the ability to solve complex technical and organizational challenges
• Innovation: Passion for emerging technologies and continuous improvement; entrepreneurial mindset

Salary Range:

$164,600 - 288,000 USD

Salary range is a good faith estimate of base pay. Northern Trust provides a comprehensive benefits package including retirement benefits (401k and pension), health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability), paid time off, parental and caregiver leave, life & accident insurance, and other voluntary and well-being benefits. Northern Trust also provides a discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component.

Working with Us:

As a Northern Trust partner, greater achievements await. You will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture in an organization where financial strength and stability is an asset that emboldens us to explore new ideas.

Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to assisting the communities we serve! Join a workplace with a greater purpose.

We'd love to learn more about how your interests and experience could be a fit with one of the world's most admired and sustainable companies! Build your career with us and apply today. #MadeForGreater

Reasonable accommodation

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at [email protected] .

We hope you're excited about the role and the opportunity to work with us. We value an inclusive workplace and understand flexibility means different things to different people.

Apply today and talk to us about your flexible working requirements and together we can achieve greater.