Software Engineering Discipline Lead

About the Role

Electro Optic Systems is committed to supporting its workforce in achieving both professional growth and personal aspirations by engaging them in stimulating and meaningful projects. The Software Engineering Discipline Lead will oversee critical aspects of software engineering resource management, quality governance, compliance, team development, and delivery efficacy within the organization.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities

• Manage the limited pool of software engineering resources by allocating them efficiently across project delivery, product development, and maintenance efforts, making balanced decisions including addressing technical debt.
• Develop and enforce rigorous software development processes, standards, and ensure adherence to relevant regulatory and safety requirements.
• Lead the quality assurance framework by overseeing robustness, contractual obligations, and compliance of the software delivered, collaborating under the authority of the Chief Engineer - Hardware.
• Design training frameworks, career development paths, and recruitment strategies to strengthen and expand the software engineering capability.
• Ensure the overall productivity, health, and output quality of the software engineering teams.
• Conduct formal line management for Software Team Leads, including performance assessments and leadership development.
• Mandate and uphold software engineering technical standards and frameworks across teams, ensuring consistent compliance.
• Plan and arbitrate software resources across various projects, product lines, and support tasks.
• Implement and maintain independent software verification, validation, and quality assurance governance practices across products and projects.
• Define and track software quality indicators such as defect density, test coverage, and code quality benchmarks.
• Perform or delegate architectural and code reviews to assure compliance with standards and design principles.
• Monitor software technical debt levels and devise strategic remediation and investment plans collaborating with the Chief Engineer - Hardware.
• Oversee software engineering toolchains including version control systems, CI/CD pipelines, and licensing infrastructures supporting the development lifecycle.
• Lead and manage performance reviews, career progression strategies, compensation, and succession planning throughout the software discipline.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering or a closely related technical discipline.
• Extensive hands-on software engineering experience exceeding 10 years, including proven experience in functional leadership or engineering team management.
• Comprehensive experience managing all stages of the product lifecycle within an engineering organizational setting.
• Demonstrated capability managing geographically dispersed engineering teams across multiple locations.
• Knowledge of safety-critical software development standards such as DO-178C or DEF STAN 00-56 and secure systems development is advantageous.
• Professional Engineer registration or eligibility with the National Engineering Register (NER) is preferable.