Director of Software Engineering

Foreground LLC; Dubai; On-site; AED 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading AI software company in Dubai seeks a Director of Software Engineering to lead the engineering team and deliver scalable, cloud-native software products. The role involves setting the technical vision, overseeing teams, and implementing best engineering practices. Ideal candidates will have 1215 years of software engineering experience, with at least 5 in leadership and have a strong background in SaaS development, modern technologies such as Python and Docker, and an educational background in Computer Science.

Qualifications

• 1215 years of hands‑on software engineering experience.
• At least 5 years in a leadership role overseeing SaaS development.
• Experience in AI/ML product environments preferred.

Responsibilities

• Set the technical vision and software architecture for core product platforms.
• Oversee backend, frontend, and infrastructure teams.
• Implement engineering best practices including DevOps pipelines.

Skills

Software engineering experience

Leadership in SaaS

Python

React

Docker

Kubernetes

Agile/Scrum

DevSecOps

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

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, React, Docker, Kubernetes, REST/GraphQL APIs).
• Experience leading teams using Agile/Scrum and DevSecOps frameworks in fast‑growth environments.
• Bachelor's or Master's 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.