The VP of Software Development leads the engineering organization responsible for building and operating a portfolio of web-based SaaS products, reporting to the CTO. This is a strategy-and-execution role: setting technical direction, establishing a high-velocity engineering operating model, and ensuring teams deliver secure, reliable, enterprise-grade software at scale.
You will partner closely with Product, AI/Data Science, Data Engineering, API, and TechOps leaders to align roadmaps to customer outcomes and scale a primarily full-time engineering organization, augmented by contractors as needed.
Culture and collaboration are critical. This leader thrives in a high-trust, low-ego environment and practices true co-ownership with Product, sharing accountability for outcomes end to end.
Location matters. Our engineering hub is in Moscow, Idaho, and strong preference is given to candidates willing to travel 1x a month and/or eventually relocate to the area.
Major Responsibilities:
Own delivery and operational excellence across product and shared platform teamsPartner with Product leadership to define shared goals, priorities, and accountability for quality, speed, and customer impactLead and develop Engineering Directors and Managers through coaching, feedback, career frameworks, and high hiring standardsDrive measurable, end-to-end software delivery velocityLead HCM/HRIS integrations, including APIs, SFTP/flat files, SCIM provisioning, and SSO (SAML/OIDC), in coordination with partners and vendorsApply a disciplined contractor/vendor model, defining externalizable work, quality gates, and knowledge transfer while retaining core IP and architecture in-houseAdvance SDLC automation best practices, including CI/CD, infrastructure as code, testing, release controls, and progressive deliveryEmbed AI-assisted development through tooling, governance, standards, and productivity measurement
Experience & Education:
Willingness to relocate, or travel regularly, to Moscow, ID and lead primarily in person.10+ years building web-based B2B SaaS products; 5+ years leading multi-team engineering orgs (managers of managers), ideally at enterprise scale.Experience leading teams of 20+ engineers, and working with off-shore teams.Deep experience building for enterprise customers, including SSO (SAML/OIDC), RBAC/ABAC, audit logging, compliance, tenant isolation, data governance, and security/procurement workflows.Strong background in data-driven applications (analytics/dashboards), including performance at scale, caching/materialization, data modeling, and metrics correctness.Solid understanding of modern web architectures: React (or equivalent), backend services (Node/Java/Python), and REST/GraphQL APIs; strong systems thinking even if not hands-on daily.Proven cloud-native delivery experience (AWS), CI/CD, infrastructure as code (e.g., Terraform), and production observability.Track record integrating with HCM/HRIS platforms using SCIM, SSO, webhooks, bulk data exchange, and enterprise security patterns.Ability to design and run an effective engineering operating system: planning, delivery metrics, quality standards, architecture governance, and incident response.Experience scaling teams using a mix of full-time and contract engineers, with strong quality and knowledge-retention practices.Experience driving adoption of AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Copilot-style workflows) with appropriate measurement and guardrails.Excellent written communication across architecture docs, operational runbooks, incident communications, and executive updates.Strong culture and collaboration skills; proven trust-building across Engineering and Product with shared ownership of outcomes.
Lightcast is a global leader in labor market insights with our headquarters located in Moscow, ID (US) and other offices in the United Kingdom, Europe, and India. We work with partners across six continents to help drive economic prosperity and mobility by providing the insights needed to build and develop our people, our institutions and companies, and our communities.
Lightcast is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and does not discriminate on the basis of federally protected statuses. Lightcast has always been, and always will be, committed to diversity of thought and unique perspectives. We seek dynamic professionals from all backgrounds to join our teams, and we encourage our employees to bring their authentic, original, and best selves to work.
