HEAD OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

Media24; Wes-Kaap; On-site; ZAR 1 200 000 - 1 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading media company in South Africa is looking for a Head of Software Engineering to lead software development efforts and build high-performing teams. The ideal candidate has over 10 years of experience in software development, with at least 5 years in leadership roles. This critical role focuses on driving technical excellence, innovation, and collaboration across various teams, making it essential for business growth.

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• Define and execute a technology roadmap aligned with business objectives.
• Drive design decisions for cloud-native applications and microservices.
• Build and lead a team of software engineers.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Technical expertise

Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)

Software engineering

CI/CD pipelines

Education

Honours degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

React

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 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

Given the employment equity policy of Media24, preference will be given to suitable candidates from the designated groups