Director of Software Engineering (Backend, Java/Python, AWS)

Thank you for considering Progyny! Progyny (Nasdaq: PGNY) is a global leader in women’s health and family building solutions. Our mission is to empower healthier, supported journeys through transformative fertility, family building and women’s health benefits.

The Director of Software Engineering is a strategic and hands-on leader responsible for managing and developing a high-performing team of engineers. This role oversees the agile execution of backend development for critical business initiatives, ensuring Progyny’s technology remains reliable, scalable, and efficient.

This leader combines technical expertise with people management and thought leadership, shaping technical strategy, implementing best practices, and serving as a subject matter expert. The Director acts as a point of escalation for urgent issues and champions a culture of continuous improvement.

What you'll do...

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Software Engineering team, fostering professional growth and technical excellence.
• Provide career development, coaching, and regular feedback for direct reports.
• Evaluate existing solutions, projects, and infrastructure; recommend and implement enhancements for scalability, reliability, and efficiency.
• Collaborate with Program/Product Management and business stakeholders to deliver on key business initiatives.
• Engage with end-users, operational leaders, and subject matter experts to translate operational goals into technical solutions.
• Oversee the execution, maintenance, and optimization of projects, applications, and pipelines to ensure continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Guide the team in debugging, tracing, and profiling code to maximize uptime and maintainability.
• Develop, document, and implement engineering processes and best practices.
• Contribute to all phases of the software development lifecycle, including design, development, documentation, testing, and operations.
• Serve as a technical leader and escalation point for complex challenges and urgent issues.

About you... (Required Experience)

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of Software and Quality engineering leadership experience.
• 3+ years of prior experience with Java and/or Python.
• Proven ability to develop and implement technical processes and long-term vision for engineering teams.
• Experience with large-scale data pipelines.
• Expertise in developing, troubleshooting, and optimizing RESTful API systems for performance, scalability, and security.
• Strong prioritization, communication, and ownership skills; ability to design for repeatability and scalability.
• Experience working in an agile Scrum environment.
• Proficiency with PHP, shell scripting, Git, and remote version control services (e.g., GitHub).
• 5+ years with MySQL or similar relational databases.
• 3+ years with Docker and AWS (or similar cloud services).
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines (e.g., CodePipeline, CircleCI, Jenkins, GitLab CI).

Bonus Qualifications:

• Experience with Salesforce.
• Experience with AWS Lambda or serverless computing.
• Experience with NoSQL databases (e.g., DynamoDB).
• Experience with Infrastructure-as-Code tools (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation).
• Experience with front-end frameworks (React, Vue, Angular).
• AI driven engineering efficiency experience.

Compensation and Location Details

Candidates must be based in the United States and authorized to work without the need for sponsorship, now or in the future. This is not a digital nomad or remote international position.

In compliance with New York City's Wage Transparency Law, the annual salary range for NYC-based applicants is: $200,000 - $210,000. This total compensation package is comprised of base salary, cash bonus, and equity.

Progyny Perks:

• Family friendly benefits: Paid family and parental leave, preconception, fertility and family building benefits (including egg freezing, IVF, and adoption support), family and pet care fund, and Parents’ Employee Affiliation Group.
• Menopause and midlife care.
• Health, dental, vision and life insurance options for employees and family.
• Free in-person, virtual and text-based mental health and wellness support.
• Paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, personal days and summer flex time.
• Company equity and bonus program.
• 401(k) plan with company match.
• Access to on-demand legal and financial advice.
• Learning and development programs and a mentorship program.
• Company social events to include annual volunteer day and donation matching.