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Director Software Development Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

Workday

Principal Software Development Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site

$140K - $188K/yr

Software Engineering & Development: Demonstrable proficiency in Python, Go, or Java with a strong ... data scientists without direct reporting authority (e.g., Lead, Principal, or Staff level ...

Workday, Inc.

Sr Software Development Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site

$127K - $168K/yr

... or more direct or indirect contracts with the U.S. Federal Government which, due to federal ... As a Sr Software Development Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in guiding Workday's efforts to ...

Workday

Sr Software Development Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site

$127K - $168K/yr

... or more direct or indirect contracts with the U.S. Federal Government which, due to federal ... As a Sr Software Development Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in guiding Workday's efforts to ...

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Director Software Development information

See Virginia salary details

$103.6K

$176.5K

$238.9K

How much do director software development jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 21, 2026, the average yearly pay for director software development in Virginia is $176,452.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $151,700.00 and $204,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a Director of Software Development do?

A Director of Software Development leads and manages software engineering teams to deliver high-quality software products and solutions. They are responsible for setting technical direction, establishing development processes, and aligning projects with business goals. This role involves overseeing project timelines, mentoring engineering managers, collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders, and ensuring teams have the resources needed for success. The Director also plays a key role in recruiting talent, evaluating team performance, and implementing best practices to drive innovation and efficiency.

What is the difference between Director Software Development vs Software Engineering Manager?

AspectDirector Software DevelopmentSoftware Engineering Manager
ResponsibilitiesOversees multiple teams, strategic planning, and long-term goalsManages day-to-day team operations, project delivery, and technical guidance
FocusHigh-level leadership, cross-team coordination, and business alignmentTeam management, technical mentorship, and project execution
Required CredentialsBachelor’s or Master’s in CS or related, extensive experience, leadership skillsBachelor’s or Master’s in CS or related, strong technical background, leadership experience

The main difference is that the Director Software Development focuses on strategic leadership and overseeing multiple teams, while the Software Engineering Manager concentrates on managing individual teams and project execution. Both roles require technical expertise and leadership skills, but the director role involves broader organizational responsibilities.

How does a Director of Software Development typically balance technical leadership with people management responsibilities?

As a Director of Software Development, you are expected to provide both technical direction and effective team leadership. This often means splitting your time between high-level architecture decisions, code reviews, and staying updated on emerging technologies, while also focusing on coaching managers, developing talent, and fostering a collaborative team environment. Balancing these areas requires strong delegation skills, setting clear goals and expectations, and maintaining open communication channels. Many directors find success by empowering technical leads to own day-to-day technical decisions, allowing them to focus on strategic planning, cross-functional alignment, and organizational growth.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Director of Software Development, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Director of Software Development, you need extensive experience in software engineering, leadership, project management, and a relevant technical degree. Familiarity with development frameworks, cloud platforms, Agile methodologies, and certifications like PMP or Scrum Master are highly valuable. Strong communication, strategic thinking, and team-building skills help drive cross-functional alignment and motivate high-performing teams. These skills are essential for delivering successful software products, managing complex projects, and fostering innovation within the organization.
What are the most commonly searched types of Software Development jobs in Virginia? The most popular types of Software Development jobs in Virginia are:
What cities in Virginia are hiring for Director Software Development jobs? Cities in Virginia with the most Director Software Development job openings:
What are popular job titles related to Director Software Development jobs in VA? For Director Software Development jobs in VA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
Director Software Development jobs near you
Director, Software Engineering, Customer Experience Platforms

Director, Software Engineering, Customer Experience Platforms

CFA Institute

Charlottesville, VA • On-site

$251K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Retirement

Posted 15 days ago

Job description

Are you driven to build and scale platforms that power seamless, end-to-end customer experiences?
The Director, Software Engineering, Customer Experience Platforms leads engineering delivery, architecture strategy, and technical operations across CFA Institute's digital ecosystem-including enterprise CMS and Salesforce platforms. You'll drive secure, scalable, and integrated solutions that support content, CRM, and omnichannel engagement, while leading high-performing teams and translating complex business needs into reliable, modern engineering outcomes.
This role is responsible for evaluating current ("as-is") and future-state ("to-be") architectures across CMS and Salesforce ecosystems; ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture standards; enabling personalization and omnichannel engagement; managing engineering risk; overseeing delivery execution; developing digital talent; and ensuring production stability, observability, and service reliability across customer-facing platforms.
What You'll Do
Platform Strategy & Architecture Leadership
  • Lead the architecture, development, enhancement, integration, and maintenance of CFA Institute's customer experience platforms, including CMS and Salesforce.
  • Define and govern a composable digital experience architecture leveraging headless CMS, Salesforce platform capabilities, and API-first integration patterns.
  • Architect scalable, secure, and extensible solutions enabling personalized, omnichannel customer journeys.
  • Ensure alignment with enterprise architecture standards, integration patterns, and security frameworks.
  • Conduct "as-is" and "to-be" architecture assessments across CMS and Salesforce ecosystems to drive modernization and scalability.

CMS & Digital Experience Platforms
  • Own engineering strategy and delivery for enterprise CMS platforms (Acquia/Drupal), including headless and hybrid architectures.
  • Enable content lifecycle management, publishing workflows, localization, and multi-channel content distribution.
  • Ensure seamless integration between the CMS and various downstream digital channels.
  • Support personalization, A/B testing, and dynamic content delivery capabilities.

Salesforce Platform Engineering
  • Lead engineering ownership of Salesforce platform ecosystem (e.g., Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Experience Cloud, Marketing Cloud as applicable).
  • Define and govern Salesforce architecture, including data model, integration patterns, and extensibility strategy.
  • Oversee development of custom applications, automations, and integrations using Salesforce platform capabilities.
  • Ensure scalability, data integrity, security, and performance of Salesforce environments.
  • Partner with business stakeholders to enable customer lifecycle management, engagement, and revenue operations.

Integration & Customer Data Ecosystem
  • Define and oversee integration strategy across CMS, Salesforce, identity platforms, data platforms, and enterprise systems.
  • Ensure robust API and event-driven integration patterns enabling real-time customer data exchange and orchestration.
  • Oversee identity and access management (SSO, OAuth2, SAML) and customer identity resolution.
  • Enable customer 360 data architecture in partnership with Data & Analytics teams.

Engineering Delivery & Operational Excellence
  • Ensure high-quality delivery of customer-facing digital platforms with strong SLAs and reliability.
  • Maintain CI/CD pipelines, DevSecOps practices, and release governance for CMS and Salesforce platforms.
  • Oversee vendors supporting CMS, Salesforce, and digital experience capabilities and services.

Customer Experience & Commercial Enablement
  • Architect solutions supporting customer acquisition, engagement, retention, and monetization models.
  • Enable capabilities such as subscriptions, customer segmentation, campaign orchestration, and partner experiences.
  • Serve as senior technical advisor for digital experience and CRM-related initiatives.

Data, Analytics & Personalization
  • Enable telemetry across CMS and Salesforce platforms to support customer behavior analytics and journey optimization.
  • Support personalization engines, segmentation, and campaign performance tracking.
  • Evaluate AI/ML use cases for content personalization, recommendations, and automation.

Talent & Organizational Leadership
  • Build, mentor, and develop high-performing engineering teams, including both FTE and vendor resources.
  • Drive capability development in platform engineering, interoperability standards, and modern architecture patterns.
  • Foster a culture of accountability, experimentation, and continuous improvement.
  • Collaborate across Product, Education, Partnerships, Security, and Enterprise Architecture to ensure shared understanding of technical direction and priorities.

What We're Looking For
  • Bachelor's degree required; master's degree or equivalent experience preferred.
  • 8+ years of progressive software engineering and platform experience, including enterprise-scale architecture and distributed systems.
  • 3+ years of managerial experience with responsibility for people leadership, platform delivery, and operational outcomes.
  • Demonstrated experience designing and delivering multi-tenant SaaS or API-first platforms serving enterprise or B2B clients.
  • Experience with Salesforce platform (Sales, Service, Experience, Marketing Cloud).
  • Experience with enterprise CMS platforms (headless or hybrid).
  • Experience integrating enterprise systems such as CRM, CMS, identity providers, and analytics platforms.
  • Experience designing customer experience platforms and omnichannel architectures.
  • Familiarity with customer data platforms (CDPs), personalization tools, and marketing technologies.
  • API-first, microservices, integration, identity, and enterprise architecture requirements

At CFA Institute, we are committed to transparency and equity in our hiring process. In compliance with wage transparency laws in many of the jurisdictions in which we recruit, we provide the following information regarding compensation for this position: Expected salary range: $122,000 - $170,000 per year. All salary ranges are subject to adjustment based on experience, education, and other factors relevant to the position. Additional benefits include eligibility for an annual incentive bonus, a 12% employer contribution to a 401(k) or pension plan, and a comprehensive medical benefits package.
Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role at this time.
No agencies, please.
#LI-TB1
About CFA Institute
CFA Institute are the global leader in investment excellence and ethics. With nearly 200,000 charterholders across 160 markets, we drive professional growth, ethical behavior, and better markets. We care about our employees' well-being, offering industry-leading benefits like:
  • Comprehensive health coverage for you and your family
  • Generous leave and time off
  • Competitive retirement plans
  • Flexible work options
  • Wellness, education, and support programs

If you feel this opportunity could be the next step in your career, we encourage you to click "Apply" and complete our three-minute application.
Be part of a team committed to putting investors first and growing economies. Follow us @CFAInstitute on LinkedIn and X.
Important Message: Your application must clearly demonstrate how you meet the requirements as CFA Institute cannot make assumptions about your education, experience, or location. We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. CFA Institute prohibits both discrimination and harassment with regard to all identifying characteristics: any individual employee, group of employees, or prospective employee on the basis of race, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, religion, creed or belief, age, marital or partnership status, marital or family status, care giver status, pregnancy and maternity, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, physical abilities/qualities, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, predisposing genetic characteristic, military or veteran status, status as a victim or witness of domestic violence or sex offense or stalking, unemployment status, infectious disease carrier status, migrant worker status, educational background, socio-economic status, geographic location and culture or any other basis protected by applicable law. This policy impacts all aspects of employment, including but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, compensation, training, development, promotion, demotion, layoff, recall, furlough, transfer, leave of absence, and dismissal. This is a global policy that applies to all CFA Institute employees, regardless of location.
If, due to a disability or current medical condition, you need an accommodation or assistance to complete a job application, you can request one at any stage of the recruitment process. Please send an email to humanresources@cfainstitute.org noting the accommodations or assistance you are requesting. Please do not include any medical or health information in this email. We will review your request and contact you to discuss the possible options and arrangements. We will try our best to provide you with an accommodation or assistance that meets your needs and respects your preferences.
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