Vice President of Engineering

Rahn Consolidated (Pty) ltd; Wes-Kaap; On-site; ZAR 1,800,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company in Cape Town is seeking a Vice President of Engineering to lead their multidisciplinary team. The role requires substantial expertise in embedded systems, wireless communications, and proven leadership experience to drive innovation and scale the engineering organization during rapid growth. Join this dynamic startup environment to develop pioneering technology solutions with global impact.

Benefits

Autonomy in your role

Significant growth potential

Work with a passionate team

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in embedded systems and wireless communications.
• Expertise in C/C++ development and STM32 microcontrollers.
• Proven experience in scaling engineering teams in high-growth companies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and scale the engineering team, focusing on wireless protocols.
• Architect and oversee embedded systems development.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align on company strategy.

Skills

Embedded systems

Wireless communications

C/C++ development

Proprietary protocols

DevOps

Collaboration

Job description

Our Client in the Technology sector is looking for a Vice President of Engineering with knowledge and experience in position tracking technology.

Rate: Market Related

Location : Cape Town

Terms: Permanent Employment

About Our Client in the Tech Industry

Our client is a leading technology company developing innovative real-time data and tracking systems. They build proprietary wireless solutions, embedded systems, and analytics infrastructure that deliver high-performance insights and data-driven decision-making for their customers.

Their solutions integrate advanced micro-electronics, embedded firmware, and cloud analytics to create powerful and reliable platforms used globally.

The Role

Our client is seeking a highly experienced and hands-on Vice President of Engineering to lead their growing multidisciplinary engineering team. You will architect and scale resilient wireless systems, take ownership of embedded firmware and protocol development, and drive engineering excellence as the company scales from Series A to B and beyond.

This is a high-impact leadership position requiring a combination of deep technical expertise in wireless systems and embedded software, alongside proven experience in scaling engineering organisations in fast-paced, venture-backed environments.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Delivery

• Architect and oversee development of proprietary UWB-based wireless protocols used in field-deployed devices.
• Own end-to-end engineering of embedded systems (STM32, RTOS, sensor integration, power optimisation).
• Ensure performance, reliability, and scalability of all engineering outputs, from physical layer to application layer.
• Foster a strong DevOps and CI/CD culture for embedded and cloud platforms.

Organisational Leadership

• Scale and structure the engineering function, growing from a Series A team to a world-class engineering organisation.
• Mentor and develop hardware, firmware, and systems engineers while remaining hands-on in critical areas.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders across Product, Operations, and Commercial teams to align on company strategy.

Innovation & Architecture

• Lead embedded software R&D on novel tracking, ranging, and localisation technologies using UWB.
• Define and implement architectural decisions across firmware, RF, and sensor fusion domains.
• Ensure robustness and regulatory compliance of radio systems and embedded hardware.

Working Closely With

• Founders (CEO and CIO)
• COO
• Chief Architect
• Head of NPI / NPD

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 10+ years of experience in embedded systems and wireless communications, including leadership roles.
• Demonstrated success in building and scaling resilient wireless protocols (ideally proprietary and UWB-based).
• Expertise in C/C++ development, embedded firmware, STM32 microcontrollers, and RTOS environments.
• Hands-on experience with wireless localisation, ranging systems, or radar signal processing.
• Deep understanding of the full OSI stack with ability to drive optimisation at physical, MAC, and application layers.
• Proven experience scaling engineering teams in high-growth, venture-backed companies (Series A to C).
• Strong communicator, able to collaborate across product, commercial, and hardware teams.
• Passionate about innovation and building pioneering technology.

Nice to Have

• Experience in high-volume production hardware or wearable consumer devices.
• Familiarity with cloud-based data processing (AWS or GCP) and real-time analytics infrastructure.
• Background in IoT, aerospace, automotive, or other high-performance embedded domains.

Why Join

• Be part of a team developing pioneering technology solutions with global impact.
• Work alongside a passionate, driven, and talented engineering team solving complex technical challenges.
• Contribute to a company with significant growth potential and opportunities for leadership impact.
• Enjoy a dynamic startup environment with autonomy and ownership in your role.