Head of Software and Platform Engineering

Old Mutual; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1 200 000 - 1 600 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading insurance and financial services company in Cape Town seeks a Head of Software Engineering to lead software development and engineering practices. The ideal candidate will have over 12 years of experience in software development, with significant experience leading teams. Responsibilities include developing engineering strategies and ensuring alignment with business goals, while fostering a culture of continuous improvement. A degree in a relevant field and familiarity with technologies like C# and Java are essential. The role is located in Cape Town, South Africa.

Qualifications

• 12+ years Software Development Experience with at least 5+ years leading software development teams.
• In depth experience and great technical skills developing solutions at both a backend and frontend level.
• Familiarity with DevSecOps and Cloud design approaches.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive software engineering strategy.
• Provide technical and people leadership to the engineering chapter.
• Lead and manage a small team of software engineers.

Skills

Action Planning

Agile Project Management

Oral Communications

Project Risk Management

Customer Focus

Education

Degree in Computer Science/ Engineering/ Mathematics or related experience

NQF Level 8 - Honours or Postgraduate Diploma or equivalent

Tools

C#

Java

DevSecOps

Job description

Let's Write Africa's Story Together!

Old Mutual is a firm believer in the African opportunity and our diverse talent reflects this.

Job Description

The Head of Software Engineering reports into the Head of Engineering and is responsible for the development of high-quality designs and solutions and the integration of these at an Enterprise level across Old Mutual. This role guides technical design and the development and maintenance of software engineering principles throughout Old Mutual – working with other Engineering Head roles to achieve this. This role requires fundamentals in engineering practices, an analytical and data-driven approach to problem solving, while following the DevSecOps model so that teams are empowered to own the full development and support the software development life cycle. The successful incumbent also has a track record of leading Software Engineering teams, driving outcome-based performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Engineering Strategy: Develop and execute a comprehensive software engineering strategy that aligns with the organization's business goals and technology requirements.
• Chapter Leadership: Provide technical and people leadership to the engineering chapter: driving standards, enabling skill development, and ensuring alignment of engineering practices across the organization. Oversee chapter members across multiple teams, fostering a strong community of practice, guiding career growth, and promoting a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Team Leadership: Lead and manage a small team of software engineers to help manage and build centralised methodologies, libraries and tooling to be utilized by the rest of the organization. Ensuring the team are organized, motivated, and equipped to deliver high-quality software and technology solutions.
• Software Development Governance: Oversee the development of software applications, ensuring the different teams meet quality, performance, and scalability requirements.
• Release and Deployment: Collaborate with development and operations teams to manage the release and deployment process, ensuring that software updates and changes are rolled out smoothly.
• Technology Stack Selection: Evaluate with other leads and select appropriate technologies and tools for software development, keeping up with industry trends and emerging technologies.
• DevOps Practices: Implement DevOps practices to automate software delivery and operations, improving efficiency and reducing manual intervention.
• Performance Optimization: Continuously optimize software and technology platforms in your area for performance, scalability, and cost-efficiency.
• Documentation: Maintain comprehensive documentation of software and platform architecture, configurations, and best practices to ensure transparency and facilitate knowledge sharing.
• Security: Collaborate with the Head of DevSecOps to ensure that security practices are integrated into software and platform engineering processes.
• Quality Assurance: Collaborate with the Head of Quality Engineering to Implement and maintain quality assurance processes to ensure software quality and reliability.
• Technology Stack Updates: Work with development leads to keep technology stacks and platforms up-to-date with security patches and updates to mitigate vulnerabilities. Maintaining a backlog of technical debt that teams needs to address.
• Vendor and Tool Management: Manage relationships with external technology providers and vendors, including contract negotiations and tool selection.
• Continuous Improvement: Foster a culture of continuous improvement in software engineering, encouraging innovation and the adoption of best practices.
• Communication: Collaborate with other departments to understand their technology needs and ensure that software standards are aligned with their requirements.
• Reporting: Provide regular updates and reports to senior management on the status, performance, and impact of software and platform engineering initiatives.

Requirements

• Degree in Computer Science/ Engineering/ Mathematics or related experience.
• 12+ years Software Development Experience with at least 5+ years leading software development teams.
• In depth experience and great technical skills developing solutions at both a backend and frontend level.
• Familiarity with DevSecOps and Cloud design approaches.
• Experience in containerization of developed solutions.
• Familiarity with a variety of programming languages, especially C# and Java.

Skills

Action Planning, Action Planning, Adaptive Thinking, Agile Project Management, Budget Management, Change Management, Current State Assessment, Data Compilation, Evaluating Information, Executing Plans, Futures Thinking, Gaps Analysis, IT Implementation, Learning and Development (L&D), Managing Stakeholder Expectations, Oral Communications, Policies & Procedures, Project Life Cycle Management, Project Performance Management (PM), Project Quality Assurance, Project Reporting, Project Risk Management, Project Schedule Management, Project Scope Management, Project Strategy {+ 1 more}

Competencies

Business Insight Collaborates Communicates Effectively Cultivates Innovation Customer Focus Decision Quality Develops Talent Drives Engagement

Education

NQF Level 8 - Honours or Postgraduate Diploma or equivalent

Closing Date

27 November 2025 , 23:59

The appointment will be made from the designated group in line with the Employment Equity Plan of Old Mutual South Africa and the specific business unit in question.

The Old Mutual Story!