Director of Software Engineering

The New York City Criminal Justice Agency (CJA) is a not-for-profit service and research organization that operates in partnership with the New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice.  CJA is the City’s main pretrial services agency, combining operations, pilot projects, and research under one roof.  CJA utilizes procedural justice practices to provide pretrial services to over 100,000 arrested annually in New York City. Information collected about these arrestees and subsequent case processing is maintained in the agency’s internal and externally shared database systems, which are used to conduct descriptive and evaluation research on arrestee characteristics, case processing and court outcomes, and on issues and potential reforms to criminal justice policy in New York City. CJA’s programs operate in the criminal courts and detention facilities 24 hours a day seven days a week within the 5 boroughs of NYC, employing over 300 employees, citywide.

NYCJA’s Information Technology team provides strategic vision, leadership, and innovative solutions so that CJA’s internal and external stakeholders have the trusted data and applications they need to deliver high-quality IT solutions to support pretrial services and research. Our data platform powers operational decision-making that impacts individuals, programs, and city-wide strategy. Our systems and platform powers daily operations, and we are expanding our capabilities into a scalable cloud environment to support real-time data needs and long-term analytics and research.

The Software Engineering team designs, builds, and operates secure, scalable applications that support the agency’s mission-critical criminal justice functions. The team delivers modern, reliable solutions through strong engineering practices, cloud-native architecture, and continuous improvement. 

The Director of Software Engineering leads the design, delivery, and operation of CJA’s enterprise application platforms, ensuring secure, scalable, and reliable systems that support mission-critical operations. This role owns the full software development lifecycle and provides technical leadership across architecture, engineering standards, and delivery practices.

Reporting to the Executive Director of IT, the Director is accountable for application performance, system reliability, and long-term platform sustainability. The role partners with business and IT leadership to translate operational needs into scalable solutions while balancing delivery speed, stability, and governance in a regulated, high-availability environment.

• →Lead the design, delivery, and operation of enterprise application platforms, ensuring secure, reliable, and scalable systems that support mission-critical operations
• →Own the full software development lifecycle, including application architecture, feature delivery, release management, and production readiness, ensuring coordinated deployment and reliable operation in partnership with Infrastructure teams
• →Establish and enforce software engineering standards, best practices, and governance frameworks, including code quality, testing, CI/CD, and technical decision-making
• →Ensure high availability and performance of applications supporting 24/7 operations, including monitoring, incident response, and continuous improvement of system stability
• →Define and drive application architecture and modernization strategy, including cloud-native patterns, API-driven design, and containerized environments
• →Lead and grow the Software Engineering team, including hiring, mentoring, and driving accountability for delivery, quality, and professional development
• →Partner with executive leadership and business stakeholders to translate operational needs into scalable technical solutions
• →Oversee software-related vendors, consultants, and service providers, ensuring alignment with engineering standards, delivery expectations, and cost management
• →Contribute to IT strategy, roadmap planning, and cross-functional initiatives, collaborating with Data Platform, Infrastructure, and Solution Delivery teams
• →Champion NYCJA’s values and principles.

We are seeking a hands-on technical leader with experience building and operating enterprise application platforms in regulated, mission-critical environments. This role is responsible for leading and growing the Software Engineering team, with full accountability for delivery, system reliability, and long-term platform sustainability.

The ideal candidate brings experience owning application systems at scale and has demonstrated the ability to set technical direction while maintaining strong execution. They are comfortable operating in complex environments, balancing competing priorities, and making sound trade-offs across speed, stability, and cost.

This individual is an effective leader and collaborator, able to influence across teams and translate business needs into practical, scalable solutions. They operate confidently across application, data, and infrastructure domains and can align stakeholders toward common outcomes.

CJA is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply.