Director, Software Development, Volunteer

Director, Software Development - Volunteer

About the Pet Cancer Foundation

The Pet Cancer Foundation’s vision is to increase the life expectancy and improve the quality of life of pets diagnosed with cancer. Estimates suggest that 12M dogs and cats are developing cancer every year, roughly 6x the number of humans getting cancer yearly within North America. We need to do more for our furry friends, and we're building a large team of distributed, animal-loving passionate volunteers to help them and their families.

As the organization continues to work towards the accomplishment of our mission, the PCF team includes professionals contributing virtually across Canada, the United States, and several other countries worldwide. As we grow and require technological solutions to support our many efforts, we're in need of software engineering leadership to help us connect our many teams. That’s where and how you can help us.

About the Position

The Director of Software Development is responsible for leading and executing the development strategy and implementation of all software solutions that will improve the volunteer and employee experience, while building emotional loyalty that allows greater impact to the organization’s mission. The incumbent is charged with the oversight for delivery and quality of all applications in support of project delivery to meet the long-term objectives and goals of PCF. The Director will lead their department in creating stronger team relationships, operational efficiency throughout the organization, and building a productive, connected environment, which encourages and enables team members to be successful in their roles.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and achieving Software Support objectives and goals to support the organizational vision.
• Execute additional projects such as synergy initiatives with sister companies, succession planning, hiring and training practices, best coaching practices, cross-functional corporate initiatives.
• Establish and manage communication channels within and among departments, being the liaison to provide team member feedback to the Senior Management Team.
• Optimize the delivery, quality and maintenance of PCF software solutions. Own application development including development practices, architecture, interoperability and technology.
• Responsible for system security, performance, reliability, response times, maintainability, and defect rate.
• Collaborate to provide alignment across hardware, software, and licensing needs to maintain performance and compliance.
• Direct management in the creation and maintenance of software engineering practices, guidelines and standards to deliver high quality software solutions consistently and efficiently. Identify and report on key KPIs for Software Development.
• Implement and maintain DevOps pipelines for development, test, and production environments. Perform regular root cause analysis and drive process changes to mitigate risks and issues.
• Maintain team velocity, feature throughput and quality at or above sustainable levels.
• Develop technology strategies as part of a technical roadmap to deliver high-performance and scalable solutions in support of PCF’s vision and strategy. Maintain high level of awareness of emerging technology trends. Provide recommendations on technologies that help achieve business goals.

About You

You are a leader, knowledgeable and passionate for Software Development strategy, having a proven track record of successful management and direction implementing a variety of programs related to those specialties. You are ready to accept the challenge of working in a growing, dynamic volunteer organization, working in close collaboration with many different teams and departments. You are motivated to lead a virtual team and to mentor, coach and effectively transfer expertise to others. You have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or relevant field
• At least 5+ years in leadership roles with a proven and consistent history of leading web development teams
• Thorough understanding of the Software Development lifecycle and tools, with leadership and managerial abilities.
• Experience with WordPress, Drupal, HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP
• Experience with building custom WordPress plugins
• Experience with user experience, website performance and website design
• Experience with website tracking/analytics/measurement
• Experience with transactional e-commerce software systems is an asset
• Knowledge of Scrum/Kanban Agile workflow methodologies & CI/CD processes
• Proven experience in rapid and continuous web releases
• Proven experience delivering large scale software solutions into production under tight deadlines with quality
• Proven track record of meeting deliverables successfully in a remote working environment
• Self-starter with the ability to adapt interpersonal styles to influence all levels
• Regularly communicate with all team members to provide direction, coaching and general support with their work. Clearly communicate role expectations to each volunteer and provide them with the tools required to carry out their duties and responsibilities.
• Collaborate with and support cross-functional teams working with multiple stakeholders to ensure development practices align with organizational goals.
• Lead, train and develop Development teams for maximum effectiveness while considering business priorities.
• Work with management and leadership team to achieve shared successes and set priorities and expectations that will contribute to the achievement of PCF’s vision. Be an execution leader driving business outcomes.

What we provide you with

This leadership role is a generational opportunity to build a best-in-class worldwide organization that will make a difference in millions of animals' lives in the decades to come. The challenges of building an umbrella cancer agency from inception will provide learnings across the board while expanding your network of contacts that will be of assistance to your advancing private or non-profit sector career.

Footnotes

• This position is virtual and can be completed from anywhere in Canada or the United States.
• This is a volunteer position, and the time commitment is approximately 8-10 hours per week.
• Some projects are deadline dependent, requiring more hours from time to time, flexibility is a must.
• Please visit our website at www.petcancerfdn.org for more information on the organization

Job Type: Part-time

Expected hours: 8 – 10 per week

Application Question(s):

• Please note that Indeed adds a "suggested salary" for all roles when the posting does not include a salary. As this is a volunteer role, we do not include a salary.

To avoid misunderstanding, we ask that you leave us a brief note acknowledging your awareness and willingness to volunteer so we can properly consider your application.

Thank you!

Education:

• Bachelor's (Preferred)

Experience:

• leadership and team development: 5 years (Preferred)
• Software Development: 5 years (Preferred)
• WordPress: 5 years (Required)

Work Location: Remote