Head of Engineering

About your key responsibilities and impact:

• Conducting regular performance evaluations, providing constructive feedback, and creating development plans for team members;
• Defining project scope, goals, and deliverables in collaboration with stakeholders;
• Creating detailed project plans, including timelines and resource allocation;
• Implementing and enforcing quality assurance processes and standards within the team;
• Ensuring thorough testing and validation of deliverables before release;
• Continuously seeking ways to improve quality and efficiency in development processes;
• Promoting agile methodologies and other best practices for software development;
• Reviewing and approving technical designs, architecture, and code to maintain high-quality standards and ensure consistency;
• Acting as the primary point of contact between the team and upper management, as well as other departments;
• Facilitating effective communication and collaboration within the team and across the organization;
• Reporting on team progress, challenges, and successes to stakeholders and management;
• Ensuring transparency and alignment between team efforts and business goals;
• Efficiently allocating resources to meet project demands and balance team workloads;
• Managing team schedules, including handling time-off requests and ensuring adequate coverage;
• Identifying areas for improvement in team processes and workflows. Implementing changes to enhance efficiency, productivity, and quality;
• Promoting the adoption of best practices in software development, including agile methodologies and lean processes;
• Tracking and analyzing key performance metrics to identify trends and opportunities for improvement;
• Addressing and resolving any conflicts or issues within the team promptly;
• Fostering a collaborative environment where team members feel comfortable voicing their concerns;
• Creating a supportive and inclusive work environment that values diversity and encourages collaboration;
• Providing training and developing opportunities for team members to enhance their skills;
• Organizing workshops, seminars, and other learning activities to keep the team updated with the latest technologies and best practices;
• Ensuring proper documentation of technical designs, system architecture, and code;
• Maintaining comprehensive documentation for future reference and knowledge sharing.

Essential professional experience:

• A minimum of 7 years of experience in a similar senior engineering role, with a strong track record of leadership, advanced technical skills, and successful project delivery.

Advanced Leadership Skills:

• Understanding of how to lead, inspire, and motivate the engineering team to achieve their best performance. Being able to use different motivation models depending on the context;
• Build a high-performing team by recruiting, hiring, and retaining top engineering talent;
• Understanding of how to conduct regular performance evaluations, provide constructive feedback, and create development plans for team members;
• Conflicts management skills. Clear understanding of how to manage conflicts and create win-win situations.

Advanced Goals Setting and Delivery:

• Understanding of how to deliver projects on time, within scope, and within budget. Understanding delivery triangle;
• Understanding of the difference between KPIs/OKRs. Being able to set clear and achievable Goals to department. Continuously assess and improve engineering processes and workflows;
• Being able to form strategic vision of department.

Advanced Problem Solving and Decision Making:

• Being able to identify the problems to solve. Including conducting interviews with stakeholders;
• Understanding of Design Thinking methodology or alternative methodologies for problem solving;
• Identify potential risks and develop mitigation strategies;
• Experience in making strategic decisions.

Engineering quality standards:

• Understanding of different team KPIs. Ability to implement and monitor such KPIs;
• Enforcing company quality standards to department. Understanding of how to properly enforce policies without burning the team;
• Ability to identify inefficiencies and implement process improvements. Practical experience.

Communication and Collaboration:

• Proficiency in both written and verbal communication;
• Skills of building a vision speech within a department which aligns with company strategy;
• Being able to explain what is CAP theorem.

Advanced team organization knowledge:

• Understanding different team topologies. Knowing the difference between platform and integration teams;
• Understanding pros and cons of different org structures types including division based and functional;
• Understanding of different team role models(Belbin/SDI/etc).

Employee Development and Mentorship:

• Commitment to the professional growth and development of team members;
• Understanding how to mentor employees and practical experience in mentorship;
• Experience with training and development programs. Participation in such programs;
• Ability to create a supportive and inclusive work environment.