Director of Software Engineering

About the Role

We are searching for a seasoned software engineering leader—a Director or an advanced Senior Manager aspiring to step into this role—to spearhead the expansion of our Toronto branch. This is a unique chance to lay down the foundation of an influential AI-driven SaaS enterprise that is revolutionizing semiconductor design. Your leadership will be pivotal in evolving the Toronto office into a dynamic and effective engineering powerhouse.

You will oversee technical guidance, manage delivery responsibilities, and foster a collaborative company culture. While primarily focused on leadership, your proximity to the technology will allow you to mentor engineers effectively and engage in technical design deliberations to inform key decisions. Collaborating closely with the VP of Software and core engineering and science leaders based in Silicon Valley will be essential to maintain cohesion in Cognichip’s technological and product directions across regions.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the growth of the Toronto office by recruiting, onboarding, and nurturing a team of 20 to 30 engineers spanning various specialties including frontend, backend, machine learning/AI, data science, and developer tools.
• Create and uphold a strong, cooperative, high-performance workplace culture.
• Retain technical credibility and engagement by contributing to design evaluations, despite reduced hands-on coding.
• Develop talent pipelines by forging connections with universities and the local hiring market to source top-tier candidates.
• Mentor engineers to progress into leadership roles, instilling best practices in testing, modular design, documentation, and system performance.
• Oversee end-to-end product feature delivery, from strategic planning through execution and usage, working closely with teams in product development, AI, and chip innovation.
• Serve as a vital link between the Toronto and California teams—promoting alignment, defining engineering processes, and fostering collaborative practices that enable consistent execution across offices.

Preferred Experience and Qualifications

• Demonstrable leadership experience at a senior managerial or director level, managing teams of over 15 engineers across multiple disciplines, with a history of successfully expanding organizational scale.
• Over a decade of professional experience transitioning from individual contributor to tech lead to organizational leader.
• Strong technical foundation and credibility in contemporary software technologies, including cloud-native architectures, AI/ML, and SaaS environments, with less emphasis on routine coding.
• Proven track record of scaling teams and steering the delivery of complex software solutions in dynamic, rapidly evolving contexts.
• Expertise in managing comprehensive product deliveries aligning strategy with execution and business results.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills demonstrated through effective hiring, mentoring, and staff development at various levels.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration capabilities that thrive in distributed team settings.

Position Level

• Ideal candidates currently hold Director-level roles.
• Candidates at Manager or Senior Manager levels, exhibiting the experience detailed above and readiness to progress, are encouraged to apply.
• For exceptional candidates, the position can initially be set at a Manager or Senior Manager level with potential advancement aligned with the growth of the Toronto site.