Director, Platform Engineering Management

Western Union•Austin, TX

4d•$190,000 - $215,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Are you ready to help modernize a software engineering organization that builds products connecting millions of users around the world? Are you seeking an opportunity to join a globally diverse organization where unique contributions are recognized and celebrated, and where everyone is empowered to thrive? Join Western Union as a Director, Platform Engineering. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Western Union does not sponsor work visas for this role. Role Responsibilities Western Union is seeking a Director of Platform Engineering to lead architecture, requirements facilitation, and end‑to-end engineering delivery for our Core Money Transform platform. This role will lead a U.S.-based engineering team that operates as part of a global organization of engineers and architects supporting our core platforms. You will be responsible for coordinating and planning closely with global partners to ensure alignment, productivity, and timely delivery of business outcomes. Key Responsibilities Strategic Leadership & Collaboration Drive cross-functional collaboration by partnering closely with Product Management, Data Engineering, and Operations teams to co‑shape platform strategy and technical solutions. Influence the technology roadmap by aligning platform engineering strategy with business objectives and product priorities. Translate strategy into execution by converting long-term platform vision into quarterly OKRs and actionable delivery plans, balancing speed, quality, and technical debt. Platform Architecture & Delivery Architect scalable, high-performance systems by guiding the design and development of low-latency, high-throughput pricing and transaction platforms that enable real-time decision-making at scale. Deliver technical and business outcomes by making sound architectural and product trade‑off decisions that improve pricing accuracy, latency, profitability, operational efficiency, and customer satisfaction. Champion quality, performance, and reliability across the platform, ensuring strong observability, automation, and operational excellence. Operational Excellence Establish robust support and execution models to effectively manage ad-hoc and operational requests without disrupting planned delivery. Advocate for developer experience through platform abstractions, tooling, and standards that enhance engineering productivity and consistency. Promote continuous improvement through modern engineering practices, CI/CD, and cloud-native design principles. People & Culture Build and lead high-performing teams across regions by attracting, developing, and mentoring engineering talent. Foster an engineering excellence culture grounded in strong coding standards, architectural discipline, accountability, and collaboration. Develop future leaders by strengthening technical leadership depth and scalability across the organization.

Requirements

Demonstrated experience leading large-scale engineering organizations and platform teams.
BS in Computer Science or a related field with 12+ years of professional experience, or MS with 10+ years, including 6+ years in an engineering leadership role.
Proven ability to understand business objectives and translate them into technology strategies that drive measurable outcomes.
Strong experience working with cross-functional partners, including Product Management and Operations.
Excellent decision-making, communication, and collaboration skills.
Deep understanding of computer science fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, object-oriented programming, and design.
Strong experience in architectural design, with the ability to clearly communicate and evangelize architectural concepts across diverse audiences.
Hands-on experience building and scaling microservices-based platforms.
Proficiency in modern programming languages such as Java or C++, with strong knowledge of design patterns.
Hands-on experience with Java/J2EE, Spring Boot, web technologies, APIs, and web services.
Experience with Agile development, TDD, and CI/CD pipelines.
Experience designing and delivering cloud-based architectures (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or hybrid environments).

Nice To Haves

Experience in the Financial Services industry.
AWS certification(s) preferred (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Developer, or equivalent).
Hands-on experience building and operating cloud-native platforms in AWS, Azure, or hybrid environments.
Experience with containerized microservices, Kubernetes, and modern API platforms.
Familiarity with infrastructure as code, automated deployment pipelines, and platform observability.
Experience driving platform reliability, scalability, and operational excellence at scale.

Responsibilities

Drive cross-functional collaboration by partnering closely with Product Management, Data Engineering, and Operations teams to co‑shape platform strategy and technical solutions.
Influence the technology roadmap by aligning platform engineering strategy with business objectives and product priorities.
Translate strategy into execution by converting long-term platform vision into quarterly OKRs and actionable delivery plans, balancing speed, quality, and technical debt.
Architect scalable, high-performance systems by guiding the design and development of low-latency, high-throughput pricing and transaction platforms that enable real-time decision-making at scale.
Deliver technical and business outcomes by making sound architectural and product trade‑off decisions that improve pricing accuracy, latency, profitability, operational efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
Champion quality, performance, and reliability across the platform, ensuring strong observability, automation, and operational excellence.
Establish robust support and execution models to effectively manage ad-hoc and operational requests without disrupting planned delivery.
Advocate for developer experience through platform abstractions, tooling, and standards that enhance engineering productivity and consistency.
Promote continuous improvement through modern engineering practices, CI/CD, and cloud-native design principles.
Build and lead high-performing teams across regions by attracting, developing, and mentoring engineering talent.
Foster an engineering excellence culture grounded in strong coding standards, architectural discipline, accountability, and collaboration.
Develop future leaders by strengthening technical leadership depth and scalability across the organization.