Senior Director of Engineering

Paessler GmbH; Kraków; On-site; PLN 450,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

Paessler GmbH is seeking an experienced Director of Software Engineering to lead a high‑impact engineering team focused on platform transformation and network monitoring capabilities. The role combines end‑to‑end ownership of core initiatives with hands‑on coding and architecture design in modern .NET/distributed systems.

You will partner with product management on the roadmap, champion AI‑assisted development workflows, and mentor engineers across a global organization, balancing delivery

Qualifications

• 15+ years in software engineering with leadership experience.
• Proven ability to direct large-scale technical transformations.
• Strong architectural judgment under tight constraints.
• Excellent communication with executive stakeholders.
• Experience building and mentoring high‑performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical strategy and hands-on contributions to core platforms.
• Own end-to-end delivery of strategic engineering programs.
• Co-own product and technical roadmap with product management.
• Foster AI-assisted development workflows and modern tooling.
• Architect scalable backend services with strong security and performance.

Skills

Hands-on leadership

Delivery track record

Team building

Architectural judgment

Executive communication

Business acumen

Tools

GitHub Copilot

Cursor

Claude

Rust

C++

.NET/C#

Delphi

Job description

We are seeking an experienced, hands‑on Director of Software Engineering to lead, scale, and actively shape a high‑impact engineering team responsible for critical platform transformation and network monitoring capabilities.
In this role, you will take full end‑to‑end ownership of core engineering initiatives—driving our modern architecture strategy (.NET Core 9+, distributed systems, cross‑platform performance), fostering AI‑assisted development workflows, and leading high‑performing software engineers. Crucially, this is a hands‑on leadership role: you will remain directly engaged in the technical work, actively contributing to the product codebase, shaping system architecture, and co‑authoring the strategic product roadmap alongside product management.

YOUR TASKS

Technical Strategy & Hands-on Contribution

• Active Technical Contribution: Contribute directly to the product codebase, core architecture design, and technical proof-of-concepts, leading by example in clean code and modern engineering practices.
• Roadmap & Product Co-Ownership: Partner closely with product management to define, refine, and execute the product and technical roadmap.
• AI & Modern Tooling: Validate and champion AI-assisted development workflows (evaluating tooling, prompt engineering, and code validation standards) within the team's daily coding workflow.
• Architecture & Standards: Ensure rigorous quality, security, and performance standards across high-throughput backend services while making pragmatic build-vs-buy decisions.

Initiative & Delivery Ownership

• Own end-to-end delivery of strategic engineering programs: scope, timeline, quality, and stakeholder alignment.
• Drive technical initiatives from current build phases through full production deployment.
• Establish robust governance frameworks, quality gates, and decision-making processes across teams.
• Navigate cross-functional dependencies, eliminate blockers, and manage scope deliberately to balance velocity with delivery discipline.

Team Leadership & Culture

• Build, scale, and mentor a world-class engineering organization comprising software architects, .NET developers, and domain specialists.
• Refine hiring strategies to recruit top-tier talent adept at modern programming practices and AI-assisted engineering.
• Foster a culture of technical experimentation balanced with operational discipline, continuous learning, and knowledge sharing.

Stakeholder Management

• Align engineering, product, and executive leadership on technical priorities, roadmap execution, and resource allocation.
• Translate complex technical architectural concepts into clear business value for executive stakeholders.

YOUR PROFILE

Must-Have Qualifications

• Experience: 15+ years of total software engineering experience, with 8+ years in engineering leadership positions (Director, Head of Engineering, or Senior Engineering Manager).
• Hands-on Leadership: Strong desire and ability to remain hands-on with code, system design, and technical problem-solving alongside people management.
• Delivery Track Record: Proven experience directing large-scale technical transformations, platform extractions, or complex system migration programs.
• Team Building: Demonstrated success in scaling engineering teams—hiring, coaching, performance management, and career development.
• Architectural Judgment: Deep technical background in compiled languages and distributed systems, with the ability to make sound architectural trade-offs under tight constraints and ambiguity.
• Business Acumen: Ability to connect technical roadmaps to business outcomes and communicate effectively with non-technical executive leadership.

Nice-to-Have Experience

• Background in legacy modernization, language/framework migrations, or large-scale refactoring.
• Hands-on familiarity with modern AI coding tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude).
• Experience or background in compiled/high-performance systems languages (e.g., Rust, C++, .NET/C#, or Delphi).
• Domain experience in B2B software, network/IoT monitoring systems, infrastructure tools, or time-series data platforms.

FACTS FOR YOU

• Many possibilities to further develop your individual skillset
• Innovative and creative work environment with plenty of room for new ideas
• A structured onboarding phase with experienced colleagues
• Flexible working hours and a family-friendly environment
• Permanent employment contract
• A great working atmosphere in an enthusiastic international team with flat hierarchies
• Paessler is a fast-growing midsized company that has been in the market for 20 years. The company is focused on long-term goals and is currently comprised of 400+ employees

And at the end, a very important note:

For us, diversity is more than just a word — it's a commitment. Our job posts are geared towards all people, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, background, faith, or physical abilities. We value diversity and strive to create a work environment that prioritizes equal opportunities and inclusion. In line with this objective, please note that candidates with severe disabilities will be given preferential consideration over applicants with equal qualifications. At Paessler, we're determined to break down barriers and provide everyone with the chance to develop their full potential. Please feel free to let us know if you believe there are ways we can improve the wording of our jobs posts or our overall recruitment approach. Let's work together to create a more colorful and inclusive corporate culture!