Director of Software Engineering

Client of Foreground; Dubai; On-site; AED 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading AI software company based in Dubai is seeking a Director of Software Engineering to lead their technical vision and engineering teams. With a focus on AI-driven products, this role requires extensive experience in software development, particularly in SaaS environments. The successful candidate will ensure product excellence through innovative engineering practices, driving growth across various industries including logistics and government services.

Qualifications

• 1215 years of software engineering experience with leadership in SaaS.
• Proven experience delivering enterprise-grade products using modern technologies.
• Experience with Agile/Scrum and in AI/ML product environments is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering vision and product excellence for AI-powered software.
• Define software architecture, ensuring modularity and scalability.
• Oversee coordination between engineering teams and product leadership.

Skills

REST

CI/CD

Agile

DevOps

Communication Skills

Scalability

Security

Leadership

Python

React

Education

Bachelors or Masters degree in Computer Science

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Node.js

GraphQL

Job description

Job Description:
Foreground is partnering with a venture-backed AI software company serving enterprise clients across MENA to appoint a product-driven and deeply technical Director of Software Engineering , based in Dubai. As the company scales its SaaS platforms across industries including logistics, banking, and government services, the role will lead the engineering vision and drive product excellence through scalable, cloud-native architecture.
Role Purpose
To lead the engineering team responsible for designing, building, and deploying AI-powered software products that meet enterprise-grade performance, reliability, and security standards while maintaining speed of innovation and delivery.
Key Responsibilities
• Set the technical vision and software architecture for core product platforms, ensuring modularity, scalability, and continuous improvement across releases.
• Oversee backend, frontend, and infrastructure teams, ensuring effective coordination with product managers, data scientists, and QA leads.
• Implement engineering best practices, including DevOps pipelines, CI/CD automation, version control, and secure code development.
• Define and enforce coding standards, peer review protocols, testing coverage benchmarks, and documentation quality.
• Build engineering workforce plans, recruitment pipelines, and mentorship frameworks to scale the team as the company grows.
• Collaborate closely with product leadership to translate customer feedback and roadmap priorities into executable engineering sprints.
• Ensure security and compliance in multi-tenant enterprise environments, particularly around data privacy, AI model explainability, and system availability.
• Report on platform performance, technical debt, delivery velocity, and capacity planning to executive leadership and board stakeholders.
Ideal Candidate Profile
• 1215 years of hands-on software engineering experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role overseeing SaaS or platform-based software development.
• Proven track record delivering enterprise-grade products using modern technologies (e.g., Python, Node.js, React, Docker, Kubernetes, REST/GraphQL APIs).
• Experience leading teams using Agile/Scrum and DevSecOps frameworks in fast-growth environments.
• Bachelors or Masters degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• Prior experience working in AI/ML product environments is a strong advantage.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across tech and non-tech stakeholders and manage remote, cross-functional teams.
Required Skills:
REST
Compliance
CI/CD
GraphQL
Recruitment
Logistics
Pipelines
Agile
Version Control
React
Scalability
DevOps
Communication Skills
Government
Reliability
Software Development
Architecture
Continuous Improvement
Kubernetes
Banking
Infrastructure
Availability
Scrum
Automation
Node.js
Docker
Computer Science
Security
Documentation
Software
Testing
Planning
Python
Engineering
Leadership
Science
Communication

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