Director Software Engineer Startup Jobs in Washington

Sr Director, Software Engineer - Card Tech AI

We are seeking a Senior Director of Software Engineering to join our team and fundamentally redefine the speed and quality of software development. We are a high-velocity, mission-driven group obsessed with bridging the gap between Intent and Execution (I=E). In this role, you won't just manage; you will operate as a "Player-Coach," functioning both as a high-leverage developer who ships production-ready code in hours as well as mentoring a team to become elite AI-native builders. You will own the technical benchmark, leveraging agentic development tools to its absolute limits through rigorous, spec-driven design to solve complex problems with unprecedented urgency.

This leader must have the ability to attract top-tier talent and the technical "whisperer" skills to ensure AI-generated output is flawless, secure, and scalable. Success requires an innovative mind, a proven track record of delivering next-generation products, and a passion for AI-native execution. You are a master of technical specifications who can translate complex architectures into simple, actionable reality. If you are a high-agency leader ready to define the 100x engineer era and make a massive, visible impact on our company trajectory, this is your team.

Our Sr. Directors Are:

• Technologists: Strong engineering and technology background with the ability to learn quickly and go deep into our product and engineering solutions - will have a DevOps mindset

• Effective Communicators: Excellent listener; proven collaborator with senior leaders, peers and staff

• Partnership Attitude: Have the competencies to build very strong partnerships with other technology leaders that enable your team's ability to stay on the leading edge of industry solutions

• Curious: Hands-on, "roll up your sleeves" collaborative style of working

• Passionate: Bring energy and enthusiasm to the job and organization

• Bold: History of taking smart, calculated risks and aggressively leading through change

• Achievers: Consistently attain/exceed individual and team goals

You Will:

• Lead, mentor, and grow a high-velocity team of engineers, fostering a culture of AI adoption and rapid execution

• Embrace and incubate AI-native workflows, leveraging Claude and LLMs to fundamentally change the math on development speed

• Operate as a "Player-Coach," remaining deeply hands-on to ship production-ready code and solve complex technical problems

• Collaborate with product teams to transform intent into functional reality using rigorous, spec-driven design

• Partner with stakeholders to explain AI-generated architectures, ensuring the final product matches initial intent flawlessly

• Work within Agile cycles to design, audit, and support technical solutions, serving as the ultimate fail-safe for AI output

• Lead efforts to bridge I=E (Intent = Execution), guaranteeing high-leverage output without technical debt or hallucinations

• Conduct design and code reviews to ensure AI-generated code meets world-class standards for quality and integrity

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree

• At least 9 years of experience in software engineering or data engineering

• At least 7 years of people management experience

• At least 3 years of experience with cloud-based data platforms (Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's Degree

• 10+ years of experience in software engineering or data engineering

• 2+ years of experience with LLM coding assistance tools such as Claude, Windsurf, Copilot or comparable tools

• 3+ years of experience with AWS

Capital One will consider sponsoring a new qualified applicant for employment authorization for this position.

The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.

Chicago, IL: $286,200 - $326,700 for Sr. Dir, Software Engineering

McLean, VA: $314,800 - $359,300 for Sr. Dir, Software Engineering

New York, NY: $343,400 - $392,000 for Sr. Dir, Software Engineering

Richmond, VA: $286,200 - $326,700 for Sr. Dir, Software Engineering

San Francisco, CA: $343,400 - $392,000 for Sr. Dir, Software Engineering

Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate's offer letter.

This role is also eligible to earn performance based incentive compensation, which may include cash bonus(es) and/or long term incentives (LTI). Incentives could be discretionary or non discretionary depending on the plan.

Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial and other benefits that support your total well-being. Learn more at theCapital One Careers website. Eligibility varies based on full or part-time status, exempt or non-exempt status, and management level.

This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days.No agencies please. Capital One is an equal opportunity employer (EOE, including disability/vet) committed to non-discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Capital One promotes a drug-free workplace. Capital One will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws regarding criminal background inquiries, including, to the extent applicable, Article 23-A of the New York Correction Law; San Francisco, California Police Code Article 49, Sections 4901-4920; New York City's Fair Chance Act; Philadelphia's Fair Criminal Records Screening Act; and other applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding criminal background inquiries.

If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Capital One Recruiting at 1-800-304-9102 or via email at RecruitingAccommodation@capitalone.com. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.

For technical support or questions about Capital One's recruiting process, please send an email to Careers@capitalone.com

Capital One does not provide, endorse nor guarantee and is not liable for third-party products, services, educational tools or other information available through this site.

Capital One Financial is made up of several different entities. Please note that any position posted in Canada is for Capital One Canada, any position posted in the United Kingdom is for Capital One Europe and any position posted in the Philippines is for Capital One Philippines Service Corp. (COPSSC).