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West Coast University · 4 hours ago

Director, Applications Development

Irvine, CA

Full-time

Onsite

Director/Executive

$175K/yr - $245K/yr

10+ years exp

West Coast University is a multi-faceted academic institution, and they are seeking a Director of Applications Development. This role involves providing technical and leadership oversight for application development, focusing on enhancing experiences for students, faculty, and staff while ensuring security and compliance standards are met.

Higher Education

Responsibilities

Own the Applications Roadmap across American Career College, West Coast University, and Administration; align initiatives, funding, and sequencing with institutional goals. Build business cases and total-cost-of-ownership analyses; manage investment trade offs and present executive-ready recommendations

Provide architecture direction; review designs and code; lead proofs of concept; unblock complex issues. Set engineering standards: coding practices, testing, performance, security, documentation, and accessibility

Deliver AI-enabled experiences using Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search, vector stores, and Azure Machine Learning as appropriate. Establish AI application development patterns, prompt management, model evaluation, telemetry, and guardrails; lead Responsible AI governance with Security, Legal, and Compliance

Lead development of React/TypeScript front ends and .NET 8/ASP.NET Core APIs and microservices. Leverage Azure services: App Service, Functions, API Management, Service Bus/Event Grid, Key Vault, Application Insights, Azure SQL/Cosmos DB, Storage, and optionally AKS/containers where justified. Ensure accessibility (WCAG 2.2), performance, resiliency, and scalability

Drive API-first integration with SIS/ERP/CRM/HCM and LMS ecosystems (e.g., CampusNexus/CampusVue, Salesforce, Oracle HCM, etc). Implement data and event integration patterns; partner with Data/Analytics on Synapse/Fabric (or equivalent) where applicable

Implement CI/CD (GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps), Infrastructure as Code (Bicep/Terraform), automated quality gates, and environment management. Embed security and privacy by design: threat modeling, secure SDLC, SAST/DAST/Secrets scanning, RBAC/least privilege with Entra ID, data classification/retention, and FERPA/PCI considerations. Establish SLOs/SLIs, observability (Application Insights/OpenTelemetry), incident response, and problem management

Hire, develop, and coach managers and engineers; foster an inclusive, high accountability culture. Lead vendor/partner strategy: evaluate solutions, negotiate SOWs, define SLAs, govern delivery, and track ROI. Communicate effectively across audiences—executive updates, stakeholder demos, written narratives, and technical deep dives

Qualification

Application Development LeadershipAI Application DevelopmentReactTypeScript.NET 8/ASP.NET CoreAzure PaaS ServicesCI/CD ImplementationInfrastructure as CodeAPI ManagementVendor ManagementAnalytical SkillsCustomer ServiceExceptional CommunicationOrganizational Skills

Required

Bachelor degree in computer science, information systems, electronics engineering, voice/data communications, public/business administration, or a related field required; Master's degree preferred

10+ years of progressive leadership in application development and delivery, including leading managers and multidisciplinary teams

5+ years managing vendors/partners and complex program budgets

Hands‑on expertise with: React and TypeScript; modern front‑end build tooling. .NET 6/7/8, ASP.NET Core, RESTful APIs, and integration patterns. Azure PaaS (App Service, Functions), API Management, Service Bus/Event Grid, Key Vault, Application Insights, Azure SQL/Cosmos DB; CI/CD with GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps; Infrastructure as Code (Bicep/Terraform)

Demonstrated delivery of AI‑enabled applications using Azure OpenAI/OpenAI APIs, vector search/Azure AI Search, and Responsible AI practices

Exceptional communication skills: able to translate technical concepts into business outcomes for executives, faculty, and partners

Demonstrates a high level of understanding of enterprise architecture discipline. Has in-depth knowledge of current and planned Information Technology systems portfolio

Demonstrates a high level of business knowledge

Ability to manage and work effectively in a highly ethnic and culturally diverse student and associate community

Excellent analytical and organizational skills

Strong communication skills, both written and verbal. Must be able to communicate technical matters into messages that can be broadly understood across the organization

Strong customer service skills

Ability to self-direct, self-pace, multi-task and function well under pressure of deadlines and conflicting priorities

Willingness to work a flexible schedule

Ability to travel/drive locally on a weekly, daily and/or on an as needed basis