Rowan University is seeking a Director of Software Development to shape the next generation of the University’s application and digital services and lead a team responsible for software development and application integrations.
Working closely with partners across the University’s academic units, administrative, and operational, you will translate institutional needs into reliable, scalable solutions across Rowan’s enterprise application portfolio, with a particular focus on ERP and ERP-adjacent systems and services. Your critical software engineering leadership will require partnering with IRT business analysts, infrastructure, security, and other technology teams on shared platforms, cloud architecture, and enterprise standards.
This role will also help shape how Rowan responds to a rapidly changing software-development landscape. You will drive the practical adoption of AI-enabled applications, AI-assisted software engineering, modern DevOps practices, and cloud-based application architectures while maintaining appropriate standards for security, maintainability, data stewardship, and reliable production operations.
Lead and develop a key software development team, aligning staff resources, technical capabilities, and priorities with University needs while fostering accountability, professional growth, collaboration, and strong engineering practices.
Work closely with IRT business analysts as a primary partner in translating business requirements into well-designed technical solutions, and collaborate directly with administrative, operational, and academic stakeholders throughout planning, design, implementation, and support.
Lead the technical architecture and engineering direction for the enterprise applications within the team’s portfolio, establishing scalable approaches to application design, systems integration, AI adoption, reusable services, data exchange, and workflow automation.
Drive the automation and modernization of University business processes through thoughtful application development, integration, configuration, and use of enterprise platforms.
Oversee software development, application enhancements, upgrades, integrations, and modernization initiatives throughout their lifecycle, balancing new capabilities with operational priorities, system sustainability, and technical debt.
Lead the practical adoption of AI-assisted software engineering and AI-enabled application capabilities, evaluating where these technologies can improve development productivity, application functionality, and business process automation while maintaining appropriate controls for validation, security, privacy, and data use.
Drive modern software engineering and DevOps practices, including source code management, code review, automated testing, continuous integration and continuous delivery, repeatable deployment processes, observability, and secure development practices. Apply Agile delivery methods where appropriate to improve planning, feedback, and incremental delivery.
Partner with IRT infrastructure, security, and other technical teams on cloud and hybrid application architecture. Evaluate the appropriate use of Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, managed platforms, and other cloud technologies for applications within the portfolio.
Oversee the reliable operation and support of enterprise applications and the application-layer components within the team’s responsibility, including monitoring, maintenance, patching, upgrades, troubleshooting, performance, automation, and production support.
Lead complex, long-term initiatives involving technical team, vendors, business areas, and institutional stakeholders while maintaining the ability to respond effectively to emergent operational needs.
Establish and continually improve software engineering and application support standards, including documentation, architecture, accessibility, data handling, lifecycle management, operational readiness, and service quality.
Manage departmental budgets, vendor relationships, and technology investments, and forecast future staffing, platform, training, and resource requirements.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related discipline.
Minimum of six years of professional experience in software development, enterprise application services, or application administration.
Substantial hands-on software engineering experience, including direct experience designing, developing, debugging, testing, deploying, and supporting production software. Candidates should have strong technical fluency in application architecture, programming languages, databases, source code management, testing, deployment, integration, and software design tradeoffs.
Demonstrated experience designing, delivering, integrating, and supporting complex enterprise applications, including experience establishing scalable application architectures, integration patterns, reusable services, data exchange, and automation.
Experience designing, integrating, and supporting enterprise application solutions across SaaS, cloud, and hybrid environments, including platforms such as Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services. Candidates should understand how applications interact with identity, security, integration services, data platforms, networking, and underlying infrastructure.
Strong understanding of contemporary software engineering and delivery practices, including the software development lifecycle, DevOps principles, CI/CD, automated testing, observability, secure development practices, and modern application architecture approaches such as modular or service-oriented architectures, event-driven integration, managed services, containers, and serverless technologies.
Working knowledge of AI technologies, including AI-assisted software development and the integration of AI capabilities into enterprise applications, together with an understanding of their implications for software quality, security, privacy, data protection, and operational support.
Demonstrated experience managing and developing technical staff, leading technical teams, and successfully navigating organizational and technological change.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, sound technical judgment, and the ability to establish priorities and balance long-term strategic initiatives with short-term operational and emergent needs.
Excellent oral, written, and presentation communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts, architectural decisions, risks, tradeoffs, and business implications to technical and nontechnical audiences.
