2U is an edtech company that operates the edX platform, partnering with universities and enterprises to deliver accredited online degrees, microcredentials, and professional programs.
<p class="p1">At 2U, we are all in on purpose. We are motivated by our mission – to make learning limitless– and connected by our shared passion to deliver world-class higher education at scale. As the parent company of edX, a leading online learning platform, 2U powers thousands of higher education offerings – from free courses to full degrees. Together with our college, university, and corporate partners, we are helping accelerate careers and transform lives. </p> <p class="p2"><strong>What We’re Looking For:</strong></p> <p>2U is looking for a highly technical, <strong>hands-on Director of Software Engineering</strong> with deep experience in modern cloud-native architectures, distributed systems, and full-stack platform development. This role combines <strong>technical leadership, architectural </strong>ownership, and delivery accountability across large-scale digital platforms supporting student/learner experience, applications, and data ecosystems.</p> <p>This is not a traditional management-only role. You will operate as a player-coach, actively engaging in system design, architecture reviews, and technical decision-making while leading globally distributed engineering teams.</p> <p class="p2">You will own both how systems are built and how they are delivered, ensuring scalable, secure, and high-performing platforms aligned with business outcomes. The ideal candidate has built and scaled complex systems, understands trade-offs deeply, and can drive end-to-end delivery with strong engineering rigor.</p> <p class="p2"><strong>Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To:</strong></p> <h4><strong>Engineering & Platform Leadership </strong></h4> <ul> <li>Own and drive the architecture and engineering strategy for scalable, cloud-native platforms across student/learner experience, applications, and data ecosystems.</li> <li>Lead the design and evolution of systems using:</li> <ul> <li><strong>Backend:</strong> Python, Ruby on Rails, Clojure, or Elixir</li> <li><strong>Frontend:</strong> React, TypeScript, or HTML/CSS</li> <li><strong>Data:</strong> MySQL, PostgreSQL</li> </ul> <li>Define and implement API-first, microservices, and event-driven architectures using modern design patterns.</li> <li>Establish architectural standards across frontend, backend, and integrations, including scalability, resiliency, security, and performance optimization.</li> <li>Drive build vs. buy vs. partner decisions, balancing speed, cost, and long-term platform ownership.</li> <li>Ensure systems are designed for high availability, observability, and global scale.</li> </ul> <h4><strong>Delivery, AI & DevOps Execution</strong></h4> <ul> <li>Act as a hands-on technical leader across engineering and DevOps, owning how systems are designed, built, deployed, and operated</li> <li>Lead architecture and design reviews, code quality, and resolution of complex production issues</li> <li>Own end-to-end delivery and operations, including release cycles, system reliability, uptime, and performance</li> <li>Drive DevOps practices across:</li> <ul> <li>CI/CD: GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Argo</li> <li>Containers: Docker, Kubernetes (EKS)</li> <li>Infrastructure as Code: Terraform</li> <li>Observability and monitoring</li> </ul> <li>Lead and mentor teams, ensuring accountability for both delivery outcomes and production stability</li> <li>Enable and guide adoption of AI/ML capabilities, including:</li> <ul> <li>Integrating AI services, APIs, and intelligent workflows into platforms</li> <li>Leveraging AI for automation, personalization, and engineering productivity (e.g., code generation, testing, operational insights)</li> </ul> <li>Establish strong execution discipline through:</li> <ul> <li>Definition of Ready / Done, sprint rigor, and release governance</li> <li>Metrics such as velocity, cycle time, deployment frequency, MTTR, and uptime</li> </ul> </ul> <p><strong>Agile Leadership & Collaboration </strong></p> <ul> <li>Work closely with engineering, product, partner operations, and data teams in Agile environments.</li> <li>Translate long-term architectural vision into incremental, executable delivery plans.</li> <li>Participate actively in PI planning, sprint reviews, and technical design forums.</li> <li>Mentor senior engineers, tech leads, and solution architects.</li> </ul> <p class="p2"><strong>Things That Should Be In Your Background:</strong></p> <ul> <li>12–15+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, with <strong>5+ years in leadership roles</strong></li> <li>Proven experience as a <strong>hands-on technical leader across engineering and DevOps</strong></li> <li>Strong expertise in at least one of the following in each area:</li> <ul> <li><strong>Languages:</strong> Python, TypeScript (Ruby, Clojure, or Elixir a plus)</li> <li><strong>Frontend:</strong> React ecosystem</li> <li><strong>Databases:</strong> MySQL, PostgreSQL</li> <li><strong>OpenAI API</strong> (GPT models, embeddings, function calling), Azure OpenAI Service, Amazon Bedrock, Google Vertex AI</li> </ul> <li>Deep experience with AWS cloud ecosystem, Docker & Kubernetes (EKS), CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Argo), Infrastructure as Code (Terraform)</li> <li>Experience designing and operating: Microservices architectures/Event-driven systems (Kafka or similar)</li> <li>Proven experience owning production systems, uptime, and operational excellence</li> </ul> <p class="p2"><strong>Other Attributes That Will Help You In This Role:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Experience in EdTech, Digital Media, eCommerce, or SaaS platforms</li> <li>Experience building or scaling high-traffic, customer-facing platforms</li> <li>Exposure to data platforms and event-driven data architectures</li> <li>Experience modernizing legacy systems into cloud-native architectures</li> <li>Experience working with global, distributed engineering teams</li> <li>Experience with Scaled Agile (e.g., SAFe), PI Planning, and dri