Software Engineering Manager

Ford Motor Company; Chennai District; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 8,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Ford Motor Company in Chennai invites an experienced Software Engineering Manager to provide strategic technical leadership for the Order Fulfillment domain. You will own the architecture, roadmap, and delivery of cloud-native microservices, with a focus on scalability, reliability, and security.

You will coach engineers and product managers, drive Agile processes, implement TDD and CI/CD, and collaborate with Cloud Infra, Cybersecurity, SRE, and DevOps teams to deliver robust solutions for Ford

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive software engineering experience, with leadership exposure.
• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• GCP Architect Certification is a plus; certifications relevant to software engineering encouraged.
• 4+ years of experience delivering solutions on Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Expertise in Microservices, Cloud-Native architectures, Event-driven architectures, APIs, and Domain-Driven Design.
• Hands-on experience with Java, Angular, Terraform, Postgres, APIGEE, Kubernetes, Docker, Serverless, and Containerization.
• Deep knowledge of multi-threading, concurrency, and parallel processing concepts.
• Experience with DevSecOps and monitoring tools such as Dynatrace or Google Cloud Monitoring.
• Experience in integrating AI Agents or AI skills into the development lifecycle.
• Leadership qualities to drive large-scale transformations and foster psychological safety.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic technical leadership for the Order Fulfillment product suite and define architectural patterns.
• Lead cross-functional teams through complex integrations ensuring data flow and system interoperability.
• Translate business requirements into actionable technical strategies aligned with enterprise standards.
• Define and execute a multi-year product vision and roadmap for optimized order forecasting and generation.
• Champion an iterative, Agile delivery model with MVPs and high-velocity releases.
• Apply Human-Centered Design principles to solve real-world problems for Dealers and customers.
• Enforce engineering standards: TDD, CI/CD, DevSecOps; monitor system health and delivery velocity.
• Architect and oversee cloud-native, microservices-based systems for global scale and multi-tenancy.
• Cultivate a high-performing team through coaching, mentorship, and career development.
• Collaborate with Cloud Infra, Cybersecurity, SRE, and DevOps to reduce portfolio complexity.
• Lead hands-on contributions: code reviews, debugging, and prototyping high-risk concepts.

Skills

Java

Spring Boot

GCP

Angular

Kubernetes

Docker

Terraform

Postgres

APIGEE

Serverless

Domain-Driven Design

TDD

DevSecOps

Dynatrace

AI integration

Education

Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

Kubernetes

Terraform

APIGEE

Docker

Postgres

Job description

As a Software Engineering Manager within MS TECH Order Fulfillment, you will provide strategic technical leadership and hands-on expertise to build industry-leading products. You are a systems thinker capable of driving large-scale transformations that maximize value for Ford, our Dealers, and our customers. This role requires a unique blend of high-level strategy—defining product vision and technical roadmaps—and deep execution, ensuring our solutions remain scalable, resilient, and highly available in a global environment.

Technical Leadership & Vision

• Serve as the primary technical authority for the Order Generation product suite, defining the evolution of the technology stack and architectural patterns.
• Lead cross-functional teams through complex integrations, managing dependencies across the broader Order Fulfillment ecosystem to ensure seamless data flow and system interoperability.
• Translate high-level business requirements into actionable technical strategies that align with Ford’s enterprise standards.

Product Strategy & Delivery

• Partner with business stakeholders to define and execute a multi-year product vision and roadmap focused on optimized order forecasting and generation.
• Champion an iterative, Agile delivery model, prioritizing the delivery of Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) and maintaining a high-velocity release cadence.
• Apply Human-Centered Design (HCD) principles to ensure technical solutions solve real-world problems for Dealers and customers.

Engineering & Operational Excellence

• Enforce rigorous engineering standards, including Test-Driven Development (TDD), robust CI/CD pipelines, and DevSecOps practices.
• Drive a culture of "Full Lifecycle Ownership," where the team is responsible for the design, security, deployment, and operational health of their services.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for system health, code quality, and delivery velocity.

Architectural Design

• Architect and oversee the development of Cloud-Native, microservices-based systems designed for global scale, multi-tenancy, and high-performance transactional processing.

People Leadership & Talent Development

• Cultivate a high-performing, diverse team of Software Engineers and Product Managers through active coaching, mentorship, and career pathing.
• Foster a culture of psychological safety and continuous learning, utilizing blameless retrospectives and regular feedback loops to drive team growth.
• Identify and close skill gaps within the team to keep pace with emerging technologies and industry trends.

Strategic Collaboration

• Act as a bridge between the product team and domain experts in Cloud Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, SRE, and DevOps to reduce portfolio complexity.
• Influence stakeholders across the organization to adopt modern engineering practices and standardized service contracts.

Technical Execution (Hands-on)

• Maintain deep technical fluency in the team’s primary languages and frameworks (e.g., Java, Spring Boot, GCP/Azure).
• Lead from the front by participating in code reviews, resolving complex technical blockers, and occasionally prototyping solutions for abstract or high-risk technology concepts.

Qualifications (Must Have)

• Experience: 10+ years of progressive software engineering experience, with a significant portion in leadership roles.
• Education: Undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Certifications: Industry certifications relevant to software engineering (or a commitment to obtain them within 6 months). GCP Architect Certification is a plus.
• Cloud Expertise: 4+ years of experience delivering solutions on Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Technical Depth:
• Expertise in Microservices, Cloud-Native architectures, Event-driven architectures, APIs, and Domain-Driven Design (DDD).
• Hands-on experience with Java, Angular, Terraform, Postgres, APIGEE, Kubernetes, Docker, Serverless, and Containerization.
• Thorough knowledge of multi-threading, concurrency, and parallel processing concepts.
• Expertise in DevSecOps and monitoring tools such as Dynatrace or Google Cloud Monitoring.
• Experience increasing "Developer Experience" by integrating AI Agents or AI skills into the development lifecycle.
• Leadership Qualities:
• Proven ability to lead large-scale transformations and apply systems thinking to complex problems.
• Demonstrated ability to create psychologically safe team environments.
• Strong influencing and communication skills, with the ability to navigate complex decision-making in rapidly changing environments.
• Experience earning the respect of top individual technical talent through technical competence and mentorship.

Nice to Have

• Advanced Education: Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• AI/ML Innovation
• Awareness of AI/ML and experience with Vertex AI and MLOps in GCP.
• Platform Expertise:
• Technical expert with experience building platforms and underlying services for re-use across the enterprise.
• Ability to translate product roadmaps into manageable features through quarterly scoping sessions.
• Ability to jump in and assist product teams to resolve technical blockers directly.
• Actively works to identify and remove/ mitigate risks and blockers to product delivery.
• Assesses the overall health of the product and prompts key decisions to move it forward.
• Business Acumen: Strong understanding of business priorities and technical feasibility to prioritize platform backlogs and manage dependencies.
• Methodology: Experience with Lean methodology and eXtreme Programming (XP).
• Advocacy: Experience as a champion for software processes, culture, and best practices within a large organization.