Lead Software Engineer – AI Developer Tooling & EnablementHybrid

Title: Lead Software Engineer – AI Developer Tooling & Enablement

Location: Beaverton, OR

Duration: 1 Year contract

NIKE, Inc. does more than outfit the world's best athletes. It is a place to explore potential, obliterate boundaries and push out the edges of what can be. The company looks for people who can grow, think, dream and create. Its culture thrives by embracing diversity and rewarding imagination. The brand seeks achievers, leaders and visionaries. At Nike, it’s about each person bringing skills and passion to a challenging and constantly evolving game.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Lead Software Engineer to serve as the technical anchor for Nike’s AI Developer Tooling & Enablement platform. This role operates at a Principal Software Engineer level, combining deep hands‑on engineering, platform stewardship, and enterprise‑scale governance across GitHub, Cursor, Claude, and emerging AI development tools.

The Lead Software Engineer will own the technical strategy, architecture, and execution for AI‑powered developer tooling used by thousands of engineers globally, while partnering closely with Product, Security, Legal, Finance, and Vendor Management. This role fills a critical capability gap by unifying platform engineering excellence, AI tooling expertise, and enterprise systems leadership into a single accountable technical owner.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Platform Stewardship

• Serve as the lead engineer and technical steward for the AI Dev Tooling & Enablement squad, owning architecture, administration, and long‑term technical direction for GitHub, Cursor, and Claude.
• Establish and evolve technical standards, patterns, and best practices for AI developer tooling at enterprise scale.

AI Dev Tooling & Enablement Initiatives

• Lead multiple proof‑of‑concept and incubation efforts central to Nike’s AI development strategy, including:
• Background agents running on self‑hosted runners
• Claude Code evaluation and comparative analysis
• "Bring Your Own Model” (BYOM) enablement pathways
• Design and implement SCIM‑based integrations (e.g., for Cursor) to support automated team management, access control, and accurate cost allocation and chargeback.
• Translate experimental AI capabilities into secure, supportable, production‑ready platforms.

GitHub & AI Tooling Platform Ownership

• Act as squad lead and governance owner for all GitHub and Cursor initiatives, including GitHub Copilot and adjacent AI dev tooling (e.g., MCP servers and system integrations).
• Provide end‑to‑end product support and operational ownership for developer tooling used by thousands of engineers.
• Partner directly with vendors such as GitHub, Anysphere and Anthropic to drive Nike requirements, roadmap alignment, and issue resolution.
• Evaluate new vendor features in Preview/Beta to determine enterprise applicability and value.
• Lead annual SOX and security compliance audits, and design automation for:
• License management and reclamation
• Policy enforcement and reporting
• Maintain and evolve a Selenium‑based automation suite required to bridge gaps where vendor APIs are insufficient.
• Serve as a key contributor to open‑source initiatives, configurations, and inner‑source tooling.
• Consult with internal teams on advanced topics such as authentication patterns using GitHub Apps.
• Author and drive execution of a strategic GitHub ecosystem optimization proposal, covering:
• Organizational and account footprint
• Repository rationalization
• Governance models for private vs. internal repositories

Software Development & Engineering Contributions

• Design and implement Backstage plugins powering Nike’s developer portal, including:
• AI Tools portal
• GitHub insights and workflows
• An upcoming administrative control panel
• Contribute as a hands‑on engineer and technical reviewer to other NDX platform capabilities such as Managed CI/CD, Jeter, and QMA.
• Build dashboards and tooling to improve visibility into Cursor usage, cost trends, and optimization opportunities.
• Balance platform‑level architecture with direct code contributions in TypeScript, backend services, automation frameworks, and infrastructure tooling.

AI Dev Tools Governance & Risk Management

• Act as a core member of the AI Dev Tools Feature Review Committee, helping evaluate, approve, and operationalize AI tools for enterprise use.
• Lead and shape the MCP Server approval lifecycle, from proposal through review and production readiness.
• Ensure all AI tooling aligns with Nike’s security, compliance, and responsible‑AI standards.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration & Influence

• Operate at the center of Nike’s development ecosystem, partnering closely with:
• Inner‑source contributors across CX, NPE, and FPE team
• Security, Legal, CIS, and Platform Engineering
• Internal engineering customers across domains
• Provide enterprise‑level guidance on:
• Source control and GitHub best practices
• CI/CD patterns and platform usage
• SDLC improvements and developer experience optimization

Qualifications

Required

• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with demonstrated principal‑level technical leadership.
• Deep expertise in GitHub administration, governance, and automation at enterprise scale.
• Strong background in platform engineering and developer experience tooling.
• Hands‑on experience with AI‑assisted development tools and emerging AI platforms.
• Proven ability to design and maintain automation frameworks where vendor APIs are limited.
• Excellent cross‑functional communication skills, including the ability to translate technical and financial concepts for senior stakeholders.

Preferred

• Experience with Backstage, internal developer portals, and platform extensibility.
• Familiarity with SCIM, identity management, and enterprise access controls.
• Exposure to open‑source contribution models and inner‑source practices.
• Business or financial education (e.g., MBA) or equivalent experience supporting vendor and cost management.