Director of Engineering (State)

About Nava

Nava is a consultancy and public benefit corporation working to make government services simple and effective. Since 2015, federal, state, and local agencies have trusted Nava to help solve highly scrutinized technology modernization challenges.

As a client services company, we guide agencies constrained by legacy systems to a future with sharp user experiences built on secure, reliable, fault-tolerant cloud infrastructure. We bill for our time, offering our expertise and problem-solving approach to help our government partners enhance their digital products and services. People are at the heart of our work, from members of the public who rely on benefit programs to government agency staff. Through human-centered design and modern engineering best practices, we help our government partners understand user needs and deliver on their missions more effectively. This focus gives everyone at Nava the opportunity to do work that is meaningful, impactful, and deeply connected to public good.

This role is open for multiple levels and titles. Final title/compensation will be determined by how your interview weighs against our core competencies during your interview cycle.

Position summary

As a Director of Engineering, reporting to the Vice President of Engineering, you will lead and scale multiple engineering teams delivering complex, high-impact modernization programs for Nava’s state clients. You will be accountable for outcomes across a portfolio of engagements, modernizing legacy systems, data platforms and cloud infrastructure that support services relied on by millions of Americans.

You will ensure delivery is predictable, high-quality and aligned to client and company goals, while developing engineering leaders and strengthening technical and delivery practices. You will partner with program and client stakeholders as needed to navigate ambiguity, manage risk and ensure alignment in complex, highly constrained environments.

What you'll do

Lead, hire and develop engineering teams, building strong leadership capability and supporting long-term career growth

Own outcomes across a portfolio of client engagements, ensuring consistent execution, visibility into risks and high-quality outcomes

Provide technical leadership across teams, shaping strategies to address client challenges and deliver scalable, sustainable solutions

Engage directly with client stakeholders as needed to align on priorities, navigate ambiguity and build durable partnerships

Drive decision-making across competing priorities, balancing delivery timelines, technical quality and team sustainability

Strengthen engineering practices and standards across system design, quality, reliability and execution

Collaborate across engineering, program management and the broader organization to plan work, manage tradeoffs and resolve dependencies

Support business development through technical strategy, proposal input and identifying growth opportunities within existing engagements

Foster a supportive, collaborative and high-performing engineering culture

Required skills

15+ years of experience in software engineering, including leadership of engineering teams

5+ years of experience as a manager of managers, leading multiple engineering teams

Experience leading multiple engineering teams with responsibility for delivery outcomes across a 50+ engineering organization, driving alignment and technical direction across teams

Proven ability to deliver complex, ambiguous work, balancing technical quality, team development and strategic priorities

Experience owning delivery outcomes across multiple teams or initiatives, with clear accountability for quality, execution and results

Experience influencing or shaping technical strategy across teams, driving alignment and consistency in approach

Experience leading organizational or operational change, improving processes, structures or ways of working

Strong technical judgment, with the ability to raise the bar on system design, reliability and engineering practices across teams

Ability to operate effectively in constrained environments, navigating ambiguity, stakeholder complexity and evolving requirements

Desired skills

Experience in client services, consulting or government technology environments

Experience modernizing legacy systems, including incremental migration, system decomposition and working within existing constraints

Track record of building and scaling engineering practices and engineering culture

Strong business acumen, with experience partnering with program management or business development to drive strategic growth

Experience identifying and applying AI/ML or generative AI opportunities in complex systems, including improving developer workflows, accelerating delivery or enhancing end-user services

Please note: the level of the role will be determined by Nava leadership based on experience and skillset.

Compensation

$207,400 $229,000 USD

Other requirement…