Head of Engineering

Olarm; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Olarm is seeking a Head of Engineering to lead multi-disciplinary teams across software, firmware, hardware and IT. You will own the technical direction, architecture, and delivery roadmap, aligning with product strategy and compliance standards.

This role offers a high-impact opportunity in a fast-paced IoT home security company. You will shape engineering culture, build scalable teams, and drive innovation across devices, cloud and platforms, ensuring reliable, secure, and resilient product

Qualifications

• Experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams across embedded, cloud and app layers.
• Architecture of connected IoT or similar device-to-cloud systems.
• Building engineering structure, processes and leadership layers in a growing company.

Responsibilities

• Lead Olarm's engineering organisation through a team of functional leads.
• Own technical architecture across devices, firmware, cloud, mobile and web.
• Own engineering capacity, sequencing and delivery planning with Product.
• Ensure compliance with ISO 9001, ISO 27001, EN 50131, EN 50136, CE and other standards.

Skills

Leadership

IoT architecture

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Degree in engineering / CS

Tools

CI/CD tooling

Job description

Join the Olarm Team: Where Innovation and Collaboration Thrive!

At Olarm, we're not just a company – we're a passionate team of forward-thinkers, tech enthusiasts, and problem solvers. Our mission to revolutionise the home security and monitoring markets is driven by a set of core values that define who we are and how we work together. We believe in harnessing the power of cutting‑edge IoT technology to make a real difference in people's lives.

We are very big on our culture and company values so be sure to have a look at what we value below and apply if you think you can see yourself working with the Olarm team.

Creative & Innovative Minds: We're on a continuous journey of discovery, pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Bring your creative ideas and innovative spirit to the table, as we challenge conventions and embrace new solutions.

Collaborative Energy: At Olarm, collaboration is more than just a buzzword – it's how we achieve greatness. We value diverse perspectives, foster open communication, and support one another to reach our collective goals.

Results-Driven Focus: We don't just aim for success; we make it happen. We're a team of motivated individuals who thrive on delivering results.

Personal Impact: You will have a personal impact on people's lives being in the home security industry. Join us in shaping the future of IoT and home security, leaving a lasting impact.

Learning Culture: In a fast-paced industry, learning never stops. We encourage continuous growth, providing opportunities to expand your skill set, explore new technologies, and elevate your career to new heights.

State-of-the-Art Tooling: We believe in empowering our team with the best tools available. At Olarm, you'll have access to modern, state-of-the-art AI and developer tooling to help you move faster, solve complex problems, and focus on what matters most—building great products.

Job Description

The Head of Engineering owns how Olarm's technology is built, operated and delivered, across every engineering discipline and the company's internal IT. The areas include Software, Firmware, Hardware, Industrial Design, Agile Delivery and IT & Network.

Responsibilities

Engineering leadership

• Lead Olarm's engineering organisation through a team of functional leads, not through direct technical work.
  
• Build and maintain the leadership layer: appoint, develop and hold accountable the leads for each function.
  
• Own engineering hiring, capability development, career levels and succession.
  
• Set engineering culture, standards and ways of working across disciplines.
  
• Build multi-skilled, multifunctional teams that can work across disciplines and cover for one another.
  
• Manage bus-factor risk: keep a key-person risk register, and remove single points of knowledge through cross-training, pairing, documentation and shared ownership of critical systems.
  

Architecture and technical direction

• Own technical architecture across devices, firmware, MQTT backbone, cloud, mobile and web.
  
• Make the final call on technical trade-offs, technical risk and technology choices.
  
• Maintain a technical roadmap that supports the product strategy.
  

Innovation and emerging technology

• Lead Olarm's technical advancement into new fields, including AI and robotics, in both products and internal operations.
  
• Build the capability, prototypes and partnerships needed to turn new technology into viable products and operational improvements.
  
• Stay abreast of new technology trends in software and electronics, and assess their relevance to Olarm.
  
• Bring emerging-technology opportunities to CTO and Product through the Product and Innovation Forum, where strategic bets are agreed.
  

Delivery

• Own engineering capacity, technical sequencing and delivery planning, partnering with Product to shape feasible priorities and flag trade-offs early.
  
• Schedule engineering-led work, such as system upgrades, infrastructure changes, security patching and technical debt, with Product on one shared roadmap.
  
• Commit to delivery dates and report honestly on progress and risk.
  
• Own release quality, engineering QA and technical testing across software, firmware and hardware.
  
• Hand products to Manufacturing through design transfer, release management and change control.
  
• Maintain constant engagement between Engineering and the Support team, led by the Support Lead and Operations Manager.
  
• Hold a regular, fixed cadence with Support to review open escalations, recurring faults and customer impact.
  
• Provide a clear escalation path and agreed response times for technical issues Support cannot resolve.
  
• Feed field issues and support trends into engineering priorities, and close the loop with Support on fixes and root causes.
  
• Brief Support ahead of every release on changes, known issues and how to handle them.
  

Standards and certification

• Ensure engineering work and products comply with the standards and certifications Olarm holds or targets, including ISO 9001, ISO 27001, EN 50131, EN 50136, ATSP, ICASA and CE.
  
• Plan certification work into product roadmaps so launches are not delayed.
  
• Support internal and external audits, and close non-conformities by agreed dates.
  
• Work with the Head of Compliance, who sets the requirements and audits Engineering independently.
  

Platform and infrastructure

• Ensure an always-on product experience with 99.99% availability across the platform, devices and apps.
  
• Design for resilience: redundancy, failover, disaster recovery and safe, zero-downtime releases.
  
• Own monitoring, incident management and post-incident reviews, and report availability against target.
  
• Own cloud and platform infrastructure, reliability, security implementation and cost.
  
• Own Olarm's networks, including device cellular and IoT connectivity, data networks and internet connectivity.
  
• Own the SLAs with network and infrastructure suppliers, such as mobile network operators, IoT SIM providers, ISPs and cloud providers; monitor their performance and manage escalations and renewals.
  
• Manage engineering standby rosters, ensuring after-hours cover for production systems, a fair rotation, a clear escalation path and standby allowances in line with policy.
  

Cyber security, backups, business continuity and disaster recovery

• Own cyber security across products, platform and internal IT: secure development, device and firmware security, access control, vulnerability management, patching and regular penetration testing.
  
• Lead the response to security incidents, including containment, investigation, customer and regulator communication with Compliance, and post-incident reviews.
  
• Own backups for all critical systems and data: automated, encrypted, stored off-site, with restores tested on a regular schedule.
  
• Own the technology business continuity and disaster recovery plans, with agreed recovery time and recovery point objectives (RTO and RPO, TBC) for each critical system.
  
• Test the DR and continuity plans at least annually and report results and gaps to the leadership team.
  
• Implement and operate the security controls set by the Head of Compliance under ISO 27001, POPIA and GDPR, and support staff security awareness with People.
  
• Own the maintenance, quality and tidiness of Olarm's engineering labs and workspaces.
  
• Keep test and measurement equipment in working order and calibrated where required.
  
• Set and enforce lab standards for housekeeping, ESD control, storage of components and prototypes, and safe use of equipment.
  
• Coordinate with the Facility Manager on facility maintenance and health and safety requirements.
  

Internal IT and network

• Own office network, firewalls, VPN, connectivity, endpoint management, device standards and identity and access. Ensure reliable internal IT support for all Olarm staff.
  
• Implement and operate security controls defined by Compliance, including for ISO 27001.
  

Executive contribution

• Contribute to company strategy as part of the leadership team.
  
• Bring technology opportunities and risks to the business proactively.
  
• Manage the engineering budget.
  

Any other reasonable task.

Requirements

Experience

• Leadership of multi-disciplinary engineering teams across embedded, cloud and application layers
  
• Architecture of connected IoT or similar device-to-cloud systems
  
• Building engineering structure, processes and leadership layers in a growing company
  
• Working in regulated or certified product environments
  
• Leads through leaders: delegates technical work and holds leads accountable
  
• Translates business strategy into technical plans and clear trade-offs
  
• Communicates with credibility to the leadership team, partners and investors
  
• Makes sound decisions under ambiguity and owns the outcome
  
• Builds a culture of honest reporting, quality and delivery discipline

Qualifications

• Degree in engineering, computer science or a related field
  

Exciting Workspace.

Cutting-Edge Technology.

Engaging Projects and Innovations.

High-Tech Atmosphere.

Versatile Experience - Get exposure to a wide range of things.

Involvement in Manufacturing Processes - End-to-End Involvement.

Opportunity for Career Growth and Continuous Learning - Cross-Functional Teams.

Contributing to a South African Company with a real impact on people's lives.

Olarm Device and Subscription.

Are you ready to embark on a journey that's both professionally fulfilling and personally rewarding? If you're excited about technology, driven by results, and thrive in a collaborative environment, Olarm is the place for you. Join us in shaping the future of smart security solutions!