Director of Software Engineering

Description

First Canadian is a national organization and we are experiencing unprecedented growth!

We aim to hire bright, hard-working people who share our values. We seek employees who are committed to learning, career growth, and opportunity. We take pride in being an organization that our employees support long-term. We believe in our employees and celebrate their success by asking for employee opinions and feedback so that we continue to be a Great Place to Work.

We reward our team with the following:

• Off work 1 hour early on Fridays.
• Earned Time-Off Program and vacation.
• Group Retirement Savings Plan with employer match.
• On-site gym.
• Newly renovated facility with ergonomic desks and chairs.
• Educational assistance and career development.
• Health & Wellness Spending Account.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Employee discount programs.
• A Culture Team dedicated to diversity, inclusion, and employee engagement.
• Employee recognition and appreciation events.

Check out our company page for all the information on why we believe First Canadian is an employer of choice!

If you are motivated to succeed by helping people, then this is the opportunity for you!

If you are motivated by building high-performing teams, modern engineering practices, and delivering technology that drives business success, this is the opportunity for you.

Reporting to the Chief Technology Officer, the Head of Software Engineering is responsible for leading the organization's software engineering function across web and digital development, enterprise applications, core business systems, quality assurance, and the future DevOps and Platform Engineering capability. This role is based in Sherwood Park, Alberta and is responsible for driving engineering excellence, modernizing technology platforms, improving software delivery, and building a scalable engineering organization.

• Lead and develop a high-performing Software Engineering organization.
• Drive modernization initiatives across digital platforms, APIs, integrations, and core business systems.
• Establish engineering standards, governance, delivery metrics, and continuous improvement practices.
• Lead engineering delivery across web applications, enterprise applications, and customer-facing platforms.
• Modernize development practices through AI-assisted development, cloud-native technologies, and API-first architecture.
• Build and mature DevOps, Platform Engineering, CI/CD, release management, and engineering automation capabilities.
• Lead the modernization of Quality Assurance by transitioning from manual to automated testing.
• Ensure operational stability, reliability, security, scalability, and software quality across engineering platforms.
• Establish engineering accountability across internal teams and external software vendors.
• Partner closely with Architecture, Infrastructure, Security, Enterprise Delivery, and business leaders to align technology initiatives with organizational priorities.
• Build engineering capability through hiring, coaching, mentoring, and succession planning.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field is required.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in software engineering, application delivery, or technology leadership.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience leading software engineering teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading engineering organizations across digital platforms, enterprise applications, APIs, and legacy/core systems.
• Proven experience modernizing engineering practices, including AI-assisted development, automation, DevOps, CI/CD, QA automation, and software delivery governance.
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycle (SDLC), engineering governance, release management, and operational support models.
• Experience balancing modernization initiatives with operational stability in complex enterprise environments.
• Experience managing external software delivery partners and vendors.
• Experience with technologies such as React, Node.js, GitHub, CI/CD pipelines, API-first development, cloud-native architectures, and IBMi/RPG environments is considered an asset.
• Experience within insurance, financial services, or another regulated industry is considered an asset.
• Proven people leadership, organizational development, and change management experience.
• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Office skills.
• Fluent in English with excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Successful completion of employment, criminal background, education verification, and reference checks is required prior to employment.
  Thank you for considering our organization.

Thank you for considering our organization.

If you are bilingual there will be a French and English assessment as a part of the recruitment process.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons. Accommodations are available upon request.