Director, Software Engineering - Product Integration

Overview

Natera is at the forefront of personalized genetic testing, transforming the management of disease worldwide. As we scale our life-saving diagnostics, we are transforming our approach to software quality and reliability.

We are seeking a seasoned and visionary Director of Engineering, Product Integration to lead a newly formed Product Integration team. You will pivot our strategy from traditional, late-stage configuration testing to a proactive, end-to-end integration function that de-risks our most complex "Pillar" projects (e.g., LCGP, Signatera IVD). This role requires a leader who is AI-native, hands-on, and high agency. You will act as the "Integration Quarterback" for the engineering organization, defining the "Golden Paths" through our distributed architecture and driving an incremental, milestone-based validation strategy.

You will live the ethos of agile, user-centered development, using modern tools to create leverage and ensure our software works seamlessly from order to report.

• Strategic Leadership & Vision:
  Transform Integration Strategy by transitioning from the legacy PSPC model to a modern, risk-based approach. Define a vision where testing is a continuous, value-added activity embedded in the development lifecycle.
• High Agency Execution:
  Champion urgency and ownership. Proactively identify integration risks during design (shifting left) rather than waiting for code freeze.
• AI-Native Leverage:
  Pioneer the use of AI and LLMs to revolutionize testing. Implement strategies to auto-generate test cases from PRDs, use AI for intelligent log analysis and root cause detection, and dramatically increase throughput.

• The "Quarterback" Model:
  Serve as the integration lead for major company initiatives. Partner with Solution Architects to define "Integration Milestones" and extract iterative builds from component teams to validate workflows progressively.
• End-to-End Ownership:
  Own validation of critical business workflows across the full stack (Portal -> LIMS -> Lab Execution -> Bioinformatics -> Reporting). Ensure that the "Happy Path" is unbreakable and unhappy path support is in place.
• User-Centered Validation:
  Go beyond spec compliance to verify the user experience. Ensure the integrated system delivers value to clinicians and patients, using realistic production-like data.
• Environment Strategy:
  Act as gatekeeper for Staging/Integration environments. Enforce strict configuration management and version control to reflect Production reality.

• Build a High-Performance Team:
  Recruit and mentor a new breed of integration leads who understand microservices architecture and business logic.
• Foster Innovation:
  Create an environment where the team experiments with new tools (e.g., chaos engineering, AI agents) to break the system before users do.

• 10+ years of engineering experience, with at least 5 years in leadership roles managing complex software integration, QA, or SDET teams.
• Deep Technical Expertise:
  Strong background in testing distributed systems, microservices, and event-driven architectures (Kafka, AWS). Understand that integration means API contracts, data consistency, and system resilience.
• Transformation
  
  Experience:
  
  Proven track record of turning around underperforming testing functions or building "Zero-to-One" quality organizations in rapid-growth environments.
• Regulated Industry
  
  Experience:
  
  Familiarity with healthcare standards (HIPAA, CLIA, FDA) is strongly preferred, but a demonstrated ability to bring rigor to complex regulated environments is essential.
• BS/MS in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.

• User-Centered:
  You obsess over the end-user experience. You understand that a passing API test is meaningless if the clinician cannot view the report.
• High Agency:
  You don’t wait for permission to fix broken processes. You navigate ambiguity with confidence and drive cross-functional alignment.
• Technical Fluency:
  Ability to work deeply with architects on API schema design and with product managers on user journey mapping.

This range…