Head Of Software Engineering

Liquid Thought; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1 200 000 - 1 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company in Cape Town is seeking a Head of Software Engineering to lead their development efforts and drive technical excellence across teams. This role requires a seasoned engineer with over 10 years of experience, including at least 5 years in leadership roles. You will define technology roadmaps, manage engineering teams, and ensure the delivery of high-quality software products. A strong background in cloud platforms and microservices architecture is essential, along with excellent leadership and communication skills.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software development experience with increasing responsibility.
• Minimum 5 years in engineering leadership roles managing teams of 15+ engineers.
• Experience in technology companies or high-growth startups preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering teams and drive technical excellence.
• Define and execute a technology roadmap aligned with business objectives.
• Manage engineering resources and project timelines.

Skills

Leadership

Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)

Microservices architecture

DevOps tooling

Software engineering expertise

Problem-solving skills

Communication skills

Education

Honours degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

React

Angular

Job description

ABOUT THE ROLE

We’re 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 a 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, ) and backend technologies
• Experience with automated testing strategies, quality assurance processes, and deployment practices

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)