Director of Software Engineering

About you

You deeply understand what it takes to build and ship software in a fast-moving environment. You are not waiting to manage from a distance; you want to be close to the work, close to the team, and close to the product.

You simplify. You reduce ambiguity for your team, your peers, and your leadership. You document decisions, set clear expectations, and communicate proactively.

You understand that engineering exists to deliver business outcomes. You connect your team’s work to customer value and company goals.

You have a track record of attracting and retaining strong people. You build for where the company is going, not just where it is today. You put foundations in place before they are urgently needed.

About the Role

This role spans two interconnected dimensions (Front-Line Manager and Strategic Leader) that will evolve as the company grows. In the first year, expect to spend significant time in both as you take on direct management of the team, while simultaneously beginning to formulate how the software department should be structured for scaling. Beyond the first year, the balance shifts toward leadership and strategy as the team matures. You will need to partner with product and leadership to enable on the software roadmap.

Assignments call for up to 5% domestic and international travel.

Key Responsibilities

• Directly manage a team of 12 engineers (a mix of frontend, backend, and full-stack), with plans to grow significantly over the next 18-24 months.
• Run effect sprint planning, standups, retrospectives, and 1:1s, maintaining high team velocity and morale.
• Recruit, interview, and hire exceptional engineering talent at all levels.
• Build a culture of ownership, candid feedback, and continuous improvement
• Coach and mentor engineers at all levels, creating clear career development paths and growth opportunities.
• Manage team performance proactively – recognizing strong contributors and addressing performance gaps with clarity and care.
• Manage contractor and vendor relationships where applicable.
• Partner closely with the CTO, VP of Engineering, and Principal SW Architect to translate business goals into actionable engineering roadmap.
• Define and implement software development processes suitable for current and future stages of the company.
• Drive automation in testing, deployment, and diagnostics to improve cycle time and quality.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 10 years of progressive software engineering experience, with 5 years in technical leadership or management roles.
• Proven track record of leading and growing engineering teams in a startup, scale-up, or high-growth technology environment.
• Strong experience with industrial systems ideally in semiconductor capital equipment or adjacent industries.
• Excellent communication skills – able to synthesize technical complexity and translate business needs into engineering direction for the software team.

Preferred

• Prior experience in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, automation, robotics, or precision instrumentation.
• Experience scaling a software team in a startup or growth‑stage company.
• Exposure to AI/ML or advanced analytics in equipment or manufacturing contexts.
• Experience with tools like Azure DevOps, Jira, Confluence, or equivalent
• Experience with agile methodologies and lightweight processes appropriate for lean teams