Web Engineering Manager

Position Summary:

The Web Engineering Manager is a hands-on technical leader within the Web Engineering and Ops team, part of the Communications and Marketing division at Vanderbilt. This position is responsible for architecting, building, and modernizing the university’s web applications and digital products, with a primary emphasis on front- and back-end engineering, systems integration, and AI-enabled ways of working.

Reporting to the Web Engineering and Ops Lead, this role manages a small team while remaining deeply engaged in day-to-day development and troubleshooting. A central focus is leading the modernization of the university’s WordPress ecosystem and championing the adoption of AI-assisted development practices across the team.

The Web Engineering Manager partners closely with UX/UI designers, product stakeholders, and VUIT to architect, develop, and deploy secure, accessible, and performant digital experiences that advance institutional priorities. The ideal candidate is a full stack developer who enjoys building as much as leading, and who can move a legacy environment toward modern tooling, architecture, and workflows.

About the Work Unit:

The Communications and Marketing team at Vanderbilt University is a dynamic and deeply collaborative group. The division serves as the institution-wide center of excellence for communications and marketing, developing and executing strategies that inform, engage, and inspire others to take part in the University’s global academic and research mission. The division is a strategic adviser and partner to other divisions, providing comprehensive plans and thoughtful analysis on messaging opportunities and constraints, and it continuously seeks innovative solutions to emerging challenges in order to deliver results at scale.

Key Functions and Expected Performance:

Development and Architecture

• Architect, design, and develop web applications and custom software solutions that support university objectives, with primary ownership of front- and back-end development and systems integration.

• Support the ongoing modernization of the university’s WordPress platform.

• Develop custom WordPress solutions, including page builder modules, theme templates, and third-party integrations.

• Design and optimize database schemas, queries, and data processing within web applications to support performance, maintenance and reporting functionality.

• Integrate external software libraries, APIs, AI platforms, and third-party services into new and existing applications.