Overview

tronc, Inc. is a media company rooted in award-winning journalism. tronc draws content from its vast media portfolio, where a commitment to informing and inspiring communities has earned 94 Pulitzer Prizes and a monthly audience of 60 million. From pixels to Pulitzers, tronc brands optimize content and create engaging experiences for audiences across all channels.

We are growing the digital technology team to power the future of digital news and promote quality journalism.  We’re looking for a smart and talented Director, Software Engineering who wants to contribute to the future of journalism and fit into our culture of collaboration and innovation.

As a senior leader of the tronc digital technology team, you will help enhance tronc’s digital systems and products for properties like the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News and other publications.

The Director, Software Engineering is responsible and accountable for leading a team of software engineers, providing technical direction, mentorship, and resource management to ensure business goals are met through successful project delivery. This role also contributes to the overall strategy of the tronc Product Engineering team.

Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on leadership to the software engineering department and drive successful delivery of all projects.
• Mentor, provide technical guidance, and help build the software engineering team
• Utilize external resources to drive initiatives and produce high quality products
• Assist in setting the technical direction for the team
• Work effectively with project managers to allocate software engineering resources appropriately across various projects
• Implement processes and metrics, focusing on improving efficiency and focus, to ensure that projects are delivered on-time, on-budget, and are of a high-quality
• Foster a culture of creativity, collaboration, speed, innovation, and excellence while continuously elevating the quality and caliber of the software engineering department
• Assist in the management of a departmental budget
• Participate in department and interdepartmental projects as assigned
• Contribute to the digital technology department strategy
• Perform other duties as assigned by management.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience leading high-performance software development teams.
• 10+ years in a leadership/management role
• Hands-on leadership style with ability to get into the details when required
• Experience with a broad range of technologies and concepts, with a focus on web-based content delivery, SEO, Video, CDN’s, Cloud, and Social Media.
• Proven knowledge of software design concepts, operating systems, relational database management systems, computer networking and security
• Demonstrable expertise in at least one of the following software tech stacks:  J2EE, Ruby on Rails, Web front-end (HTML/CSS/JS), iOS and/or Android apps
• Strong knowledge of software development methodologies, practices, and procedures, with an emphasis on Agile methodologies (XP or Scrum).
• Ability to work with all levels of management
• Exemplary interpersonal, verbal, and written communications skills. 
• Strong customer focus, conveying responsiveness and competence when dealing with customers, vendors, and staff.
• The capacity to work under pressure.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Must be available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week on an emergency basis to assist the application support teams for troubleshooting.
• Must be able to participate in occasional travel to Tribune business units, vendors, or client sites.
• A strong sense of ownership, urgency, and drive.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent work experience