SVP of Software Engineering

Equity Software, an Equity Technology Group Company (Equity), is an employee-owned firm whose focus is providing specialized engineering consulting and technology services for new and aging infrastructure in the refining, petrochemical, chemical, and other industries. Our goal is to develop and transfer technologies that help clients improve safety and profitability by managing risk and maximizing equipment availability while controlling costs.

At Equity, we work together as a team to deliver technical excellence to our clients by approaching new opportunities with curiosity and creativity. As an ESOP company, we promote professional growth and a work/life balance through programs like our open time off policy, hybrid work arrangements, educational reimbursement, and excellent benefits. Salary for this position will be commensurate with experience.

We are seeking a Senior Vice President of Software Engineering to lead a critical transformation of how we build, deliver, and scale our software products.

This is not a strategy-only technology role. We are hiring a hands-on execution leader who can unify teams, restore delivery predictability, improve quality, and build a high-performing software engineering organization. The SVP will lead multiple software teams and establish the processes, culture, and discipline required to deliver reliable, competitive products at scale.

This is an execution-focused role centered on delivery excellence, operational maturity, and organizational transformation. As the organization evolves, leadership structure may mature with it. This role is critical to Equity’s ability to deliver competitive products, retain customers, and support growth.

Organizational Context

The SVP of Software Engineering will:

• Lead Innovative Technology, Engineering Software, and Commercial Software teams.
• Directly manage senior leaders from Innovative Technology, Engineering Software, and Commercial Software teams, as well as the Technical Program Manager
• Partner closely with VP of Products and Client Success
• Collaborate with the executive leadership team and the Technology Steering Committee

Key Responsibilities

1. Establish Delivery Excellence

Deliver measurable results.

• Establish disciplined release management practices with proper planning, communication, and rollback procedures
• Implement appropriate CI/CD standards
• Improve deployment reliability and communication
• Eliminate preventable outages and delivery instability

2. Unify and Elevate Innovative Technology, Engineering Software, and Commercial Software Teams

• Break down silos between teams
• Establish shared practices where valuable
• Align incentives around collective success
• Build a unified culture focused on accountability and collaboration

3. Establish Prioritization Discipline

• Partner with VP of Products to create clear prioritization frameworks
• Protect strategic initiatives from constant interruption
• Ensure the organization can deliver on commitments
• Increase transparency around tradeoffs and capacity

4. Improve Quality and Reliability

• Implement consistent testing and quality engineering practices
• Address technical debt strategically
• Elevate quality standards and create consistency across teams
• Reduce customer-facing quality issues
• Support efforts to build customer confidence through visible improvements

5. Lead Cloud Transformation

• Guide pragmatic legacy modernization efforts
• Rationalize technology stack, currently split between Azure and GCP
• Ensure Equity’s PlantManager cloud platform matures and scales
• Make pragmatic architecture decisions, balancing modernization with delivery

6. Build Leadership and Talent Depth

• Develop internal leaders and succession pipeline
• Assess organizational capabilities and address gaps through hiring or reorganizing
• Ensure critical technical and leadership roles are appropriately staffed
• Create a leadership culture grounded in stability, accountability, and growth
• Foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement

7. Establish Metrics and Visibility

• Implement meaningful performance metrics for teams and leadership
• Create reporting cadence that drives insight, not overhead
• Use data to drive decisions and track progress

8. Drive Organizational Change

• Succeed where prior transformation efforts stalled
• Build coalitions and earn buy-in, rather than mandate compliance
• Lead with patience and emotional intelligence
• Create long-term cultural change, not short-term compliance

9. Leverage AI in Software Development

• Evaluate and adopt AI-assisted development practices to improve productivity and quality
• Improve productivity and quality through modern tooling
• Build responsible and effective AI usage across teams

Experience- Required

Experience and Track Record

• 12 years in software development and engineering leadership
• 5 years in senior leadership (Director, VP, SVP, or equivalent)
• Demonstrated success improving delivery performance during transformation
• Experience unifying multiple teams under shared operational practices

Technical Leadership

• Strong knowledge of modern development practices (CI/CD, DevOps, cloud platforms)
• Experience with legacy modernization and cloud transformation initiatives
• Broad understanding of quality engineering and testing strategies
• Technical credibility with senior engineers and architects with proven ability to engage in architectural discussions

Organizational Transformation

• Proven change leadership across complex organizations
• Track record of developing leaders and building high-performing teams
• Strong executive presence and communication skills
• Experience partnering with diverse stakeholders

Preferred Experience

• Experience in industrial software, engineering tools, or technical B2B products
• Experience in regulated industries and familiarity with compliance requirements
• Familiarity with Azure and GCP environments
• Experience in organizations undergoing restructuring or integration
• Experience implementing AI-assisted development workflows

Ideal Candidate Attributes

• Execution-focused. Gets things done. Balances strategic thinking with operational follow-through. Doesn’t just diagnose problems; fixes them.
• Change agent with patience. Can drive transformation without alienating the organization. Wins people over rather than bulldozing them.
• Politically savvy. Navigates complex organizational environments. Builds alliances. Knows when to push and when to wait.
• Earns credibility through results. Demonstrates value quickly. Builds trust with skeptical teams through visible wins.
• Develops others. Invests in growing leaders. Delegates effectively. Creates opportunities for team members to stretch.
• Humble learner. Willing to learn the domain. Asks questions. Respects existing expertise while bringing outside perspective.
• Clear communicator. Provides visibility without creating burden. Translates between technical and business audiences. Sets clear expectations.
• Persistent and adaptable. Can handle resistance and setbacks. Stays focused on long-term goals. Doesn’t take organizational dysfunction personally.
• Pragmatic over ideological. Applies methodologies and best practices sensibly. Adapts to context. Doesn’t impose process for its own sake.