Jobs › Illinois Tool Works

Software Development Director

Illinois Tool Works · WI · Remote available · $144,000–$200,000 a year · Full time

Posted Sep 15, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

Apply at Illinois Tool Works

Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a software organization you led through managers. How did you structure the teams and why?

What they are checking: Whether they have real experience leading leaders and designing an organization that scales.

Tell me about how you have built a leadership pipeline and planned for succession.

What they are checking: Whether they invest in developing future leaders rather than keeping all decisions with themselves.

Tell me about a digital transformation effort you led. What resistance did you face?

What they are checking: Whether they can lead change in a traditional industrial company where software is still growing.

What would you do

One of your software development managers is struggling and their team is missing deliveries. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they coach directly, set clear expectations and act if things do not improve.

Executive leadership wants a major feature by a date your teams say is not realistic. How do you handle it?

What they are checking: Whether they negotiate scope and timing honestly instead of committing their teams to a date they will miss.

How do you attract and keep strong engineers at a company that is not known as a software company?

What they are checking: Whether they can make the work compelling and build a culture good engineers want to stay in.

About the work

How do you set engineering best practices across several teams without slowing them down?

What they are checking: Whether they can raise quality through standards that teams adopt rather than rules they work around.

Walk me through how you would build a multi-year technology roadmap for design software and connected equipment.

What they are checking: Whether they can tie technical direction to business goals and sequence work realistically.

How do you decide when to pay down technical debt versus build new features?

What they are checking: Whether they can make the case for long-term health to executives in business terms.

How do you measure the performance of a software organization?

What they are checking: Whether they use meaningful delivery and quality measures without turning them into targets that get gamed.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Illinois Tool Works from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

Practice this out loud

The full job description

As published by Illinois Tool Works.

Job Description: Position Summary The Software Development Director is a strategic and operational leader responsible for overseeing Alpine’s entire software development function. This role drives the vision, execution, and continuous evolution of software development initiatives aligned with business objectives and digital transformation goals. The Director leads multiple development teams through Software Development Managers, establishes engineering best practices, and ensures the delivery of scalable, high-quality software solutions. This role fosters a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement while partnering closely with executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders. Core Responsibilities Strategic Leadership • Define and execute the overall software development strategy aligned with organizational goals. • Lead and mentor Software Development Managers and senior technical leaders. • Build a high-performing, scalable engineering organization. • Drive long-term technology roadmaps and innovation initiatives. Organizational Leadership & Talent Development • Attract, develop, and retain top software engineering talent. • Establish leadership pipelines and succession planning. • Foster a culture of collaboration, inclusivity, accountability, and continuous learning. • Coach leaders to effectively manage team performance and growth. Software Excellence & Best Practices • Establish and enforce software development standards, frameworks, and governance. • Promote best practices in architecture, coding standards, testing, CI/CD, and DevOps. • Ensure high levels of code quality, security, performance, and maintainability. • Champion continuous improvement and operational excellence. Delivery & Execution • Oversee execution of multiple software initiatives across teams. • Ensure consistent, predictable delivery of high-quality products on time and within scope. • Align development priorities with business needs and product strategy. • Identify and mitigate risks across projects and portfolios. Agile & Process Leadership • Champion Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) at scale across the organization. • Drive agile maturity, continuous delivery, and iterative development practices. • Optimize processes to improve efficiency, transparency, and team productivity. Technology Strategy & Digital Transformation • Lead digital transformation initiatives through innovative software solutions. • Evaluate and adopt new technologies and tools to drive competitive advantage. • Collaborate with engineering, sales, and product teams to modernize platforms and systems. Stakeholder Collaboration • Partner with executive leadership, product management, design, and business stakeholders. • Communicate progress, challenges, and outcomes clearly to senior leadership. • Align technical execution with organizational priorities and customer needs. Problem Solving & Innovation • Address complex organizational and technical challenges at scale. • Foster innovation and encourage new approaches to solving business problems. • Promote data-driven decision-making across teams. Job Requirements • Proven experience in a senior leadership role (Director or above) in software development. • Strong technical background with deep understanding of modern software engineering practices. • Experience managing multiple teams and leaders (e.g., Managers, Leads). • Demonstrated success in delivering large-scale, complex software initiatives. • Experience leading Agile transformations across organizations. • Strong experience driving digital transformation initiatives. • Exceptional leadership, communication, and decision-making skills. • Ability to influence and collaborate at the executive level. • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field. Competencies • Strategic Thinking: Ability to align technical strategy with business goals. • Building Partnerships: Creates strong cross-functional collaboration to achieve objectives. • Leadership & Talent Development: Builds and grows high-performing teams. • Communication: Clearly conveys complex ideas to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. • Innovation: Drives creative, forward-thinking solutions. • Adaptability: Leads effectively through change and evolving priorities. • Analytical Thinking: Uses data to inform decisions and improve outcomes. • Results-Driven: Focuses on delivering measurable business value. Compensation Information: Certain states require that pay information be included in job postings. The specific hiring rate within the posted pay range will depend on the successful candidate’s qualifications, prior experience, and the geographic location. For example, In Florida, the pay rate will be between $144,000-$200,000 (highly experienced). ITW is an equal opportunity employer. We value our colleagues’ unique perspectives, experiences and ideas and create workplaces where everyone can develop their careers and perform to their full potential. As an equal employment opportunity employer, ITW is committed to equal employment opportunity and fair treatment for employees, beginning with the hiring process and continuing through all aspects of the employment relationship. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Apply at Illinois Tool Works