Head of Software Engineering

ATS Client; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,800,000 - 3,200,000; Full time

Job summary

ATS Client is seeking a Head of Software Engineering in Cape Town to lead our software development efforts and drive technical excellence across engineering teams. Reporting to the CIO, you will shape the technology roadmap, guide cloud-native and microservices architectures, and transform legacy systems while building high-performing teams.

You will oversee CI/CD, security, and reliability initiatives, and partner with product, design and security teams to deliver scalable software solutions

Qualifications

• Honours degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electronic Engineering or related technical field.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute comprehensive technology roadmap aligned with business objectives and market opportunities.
• Drive design decisions for cloud-native applications, microservices and distributed systems.
• Establish technical vision for scalable, secure and maintainable software platforms.
• Lead digital transformation initiatives and modernisation of legacy systems.
• Evaluate and adopt emerging technologies to maintain competitive technical advantages.
• Implement robust software development processes.
• Establish and enforce coding standards, code review protocols and automated testing frameworks.
• Oversee CI/CD pipeline architecture, infrastructure as code and deployment automation.
• Drive quality assurance processes, performance optimisation and system reliability initiatives.
• Manage technical debt reduction and continuous improvement programs.
• Build and lead a team of software engineers and technical leads.
• Recruit top-notch engineering talent and establish clear career development pathways.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration and technical excellence.
• Conduct performance reviews, provide mentorship and drive professional growth.
• Create inclusive engineering culture that promotes diversity, learning and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with other technology and business teams to ensure seamless system integration.
• Work with design and UX teams to deliver exceptional user experiences.
• Coordinate with security teams to implement robust cybersecurity measures and compliance standards.
• Present technical strategy and progress updates to executive leadership and stakeholders.
• Ensure on-time delivery of high-quality software products and features.
• Manage engineering resources, project timelines and risk mitigation strategies.
• Establish and monitor KPIs for productivity and quality.
• Drive incident response, post-mortem analysis and system reliability improvements.
• Optimise development velocity while maintaining code quality and system stability.

Skills

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Microservices architecture

CI/CD pipelines

Frontend frameworks (React/Angular/Vue

Backend technologies

Security best practices

Observability tools (DataDog/New Relic

Education

Honours degree in Computer Science / Software Engineering / Electronic Engineering or related field

10+ years software development experience

Minimum 5 years in engineering leadership roles (15+ engineers)

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

CloudFormation

DataDog

New Relic

AppDynamics

Git

Job description

About the job - Head of Software Engineering

ABOUT THE ROLE

Were looking for a Head of Software Engineering to lead our software development efforts and drive technical excellence across our engineering teams. Reporting to the Chief Information Officer, this role is perfect for a seasoned engineer who thrives on delivering innovative software solutions that power business growth.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic technical leadership

• Define and execute comprehensive technology roadmap aligned with business objectives and market opportunities
• Drive design decisions for cloud-native applications, microservices and distributed systems
• Establish technical vision for scalable, secure and maintainable software platforms
• Lead digital transformation initiatives and modernisation of legacy systems
• Evaluate and adopt emerging technologies to maintain competitive technical advantages

Engineering excellence & operations

• Implement robust software development processes
• Establish and enforce coding standards, code review protocols and automated testing frameworks
• Oversee CI/CD pipeline architecture, infrastructure as code and deployment automation
• Drive quality assurance processes, performance optimisation and system reliability initiatives
• Manage technical debt reduction and continuous improvement programs

Team leadership & development

• Build and lead a team of software engineers and technical leads
• Recruit top-notch engineering talent and establish clear career development pathways
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration and technical excellence
• Conduct performance reviews, provide mentorship and drive professional growth
• Create inclusive engineering culture that promotes diversity, learning and continuous improvement

Cross-functional collaboration

• Collaborate with other technology and business teams to ensure seamless system integration
• Work with design and UX teams to deliver exceptional user experiences
• Coordinate with security teams to implement robust cybersecurity measures and compliance standards
• Present technical strategy and progress updates to executive leadership and stakeholders

Delivery & performance management

• Ensure on-time delivery of high-quality software products and features
• Manage engineering resources, project timelines and risk mitigation strategies
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for productivity and quality
• Drive incident response, post-mortem analysis and system reliability improvements
• Optimise development velocity while maintaining code quality and system stability

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES

Education & experience

• Honours degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electronic Engineering or related technical field
• 10+ years of software development experience with progressively increasing responsibility
• Minimum 5 years in engineering leadership roles managing teams of 15+ engineers
• Proven track record of scaling engineering organisations through rapid growth phases
• Experience in technology companies, SaaS platforms, or high-growth startups preferred

Technical expertise

• Deep hands‑on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and cloud-native architecture patterns
• Strong software engineering expertise
• Extensive experience with containerisation and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, EKS/AKS)
• Expert knowledge of microservices architecture, API design, and distributed systems
• Advanced understanding of CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code (Terraform, CloudFormation), and DevOps tooling
• Experience with modern frontend frameworks (React, Angular, Vue.js) and backend technologies

Leadership & Management skills

• Exceptional leadership abilities with demonstrated success building and scaling engineering teams
• Strategic thinking and ability to translate business objectives into technical roadmaps
• Excellent communication and presentation skills for technical and non-technical audiences
• Experience managing engineering budgets, vendor relationships and partnerships
• Proven ability to drive cultural change
• Data-driven decision-making approach with strong analytical and problem-solving skills

System & Architecture knowledge

• Understanding scalable system design, performance optimisation and reliability engineering
• Experience with database technologies (relational and NoSQL), data architecture and analytics platforms
• Knowledge of security best practices, compliance frameworks and privacy regulations
• Understanding of monitoring, logging and observability tools (e.g., DataDog, New Relic, AppDynamics)
• Experience with automated testing strategies, quality assurance processes and deployment practices