Associate Director Software Engineering

Software Engineering Leadership

• Provide technical and organizational leadership across multiple software engineering projects and programs.
• Guide teams on software development best practices, architecture, design patterns, code quality, testing, and deployment.
• Oversee execution across different development methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Waterfall), selecting the right approach for each program.
• Ensure disciplined software lifecycle management, including release planning, branching strategies, documentation, and verification activities.
• Drive compliance with applicable regulatory and quality standards (experience in regulated environments strongly preferred).

Program & Delivery Management

• Partner closely with engineering leadership, program managers, business stakeholders, and customers to define and deliver program objectives.
• Ensure project scope, schedules, resources, risks, and priorities are clearly defined, documented, and communicated.
• Lead technical reviews, architecture discussions, and design assessments, providing objective and constructive feedback.
• Identify technical and program risks early and develop mitigation and contingency plans.
• Monitor execution against schedule, budget, and quality expectations, proactively addressing deviations.
• Support customer communication and engagement, including regular status updates and change management discussions.
• Drive structured execution through design reviews, phase gates, testing cycles, and change control processes.
• Ensure smooth transfer of software solutions from development into manufacturing or production environments.
• Directly manage and mentor software engineers and technical contributors.
• Support hiring, onboarding, performance management, and professional development planning.
• Participate in resource planning and allocation to meet shifting business and program demands.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, quality, and continuous improvement.

Operational Excellence

• Contribute to the development and refinement of internal engineering processes, tools, and standards.
• Support administrative responsibilities including reporting, approvals, budgeting, and vendor or tooling decisions.
• Champion design robustness, reliability, and long-term maintainability across delivered solutions.

• Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of relevant experience, or
• Master’s degree with 8+ years, or
• PhD with 5+ years, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong background in software engineering leadership within complex, multidisciplinary product or system environments.
• Experience working with modern programming languages and development tools (e.g., Python, C++, C#, SQL).
• Proficiency with version control systems (e.g., Git-based workflows) and project/task management tools (e.g., Jira or similar).
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams delivering software for regulated, safety-critical, or high-reliability applications (preferred).