Head of Software Engineering

SQUAD is seeking a Head of Software Engineering to lead and scale its embedded software engineering organization. The role unifies software development teams, sets architectural and engineering standards, oversees delivery across product lines, and supports client discovery and pre-sales activities.

Responsibilities:

• Software Delivery & Technical Strategy: Take full accountability for domain-wide software delivery across multiple projects, ensuring high-quality architectural choices, secure software lifecycles (OTA, secure boot), and execution against business goals
• Pre-Sales & Technical Discovery: Actively participate in pre-sales calls, technical discovery sessions, and client proposals; evaluate system constraints, design high-level software architectures, and estimate engineering efforts for prospective clients
• Engineering Excellence & Standards: Establish domain-wide coding guidelines, automated testing frameworks, and CI/CD practices tailored specifically for embedded Linux, RTOS, firmware, and edge AI development
• Leadership & Team Alignment: Partner with, support, and align seasoned Software Development Managers and Tech Leads, empowering autonomous execution while maintaining a unified technical direction. Resolve interpersonal friction, defuse technical disagreements among leads, and unite the engineering team under a shared strategic vision focused on core business outcomes
• Resource Management & Domain Scaling: Oversee resource allocation and capacity planning to balance team utilization across projects; partner with the Recruitment team to align hiring and scale engineering capacity
• Executive Stakeholder Management: Serve as the primary embedded software domain authority for clients, product managers, and cross-functional leaders (Hardware, Backend, Image Quality, Research, QA)

Requirements:

• Proven track record as a Head of Engineering, Director of Software, or Engineering Delivery Lead managing embedded software/firmware organizations (C/C++, Embedded Linux, RTOS)
• Deep architectural background in embedded systems (OS drivers, middleware, connectivity, video/audio streaming, or edge processing) sufficient to challenge architectural decisions and guide technical discussions
• Hands-on experience in pre-sales enablement: technical proposal writing, client pitches, and effort estimations for external projects
• Solid understanding of modern software delivery practices, Agile frameworks, and CI/CD for embedded systems
• Proven ability to build trust, empower autonomous leads, resolve team friction, and balance technical excellence with project deadlines, budget constraints, and delivery commitments
• Advanced / Fluent English (C1/C2) with outstanding ability to articulate complex technical architectures clearly to both technical and non-technical client stakeholders
• Experience with AI/ML integration at the edge (on-device object detection, ISP tuning, smart camera features)
• Domain experience in smart home, IoT, or camera security platforms
• Understanding of the full hardware lifecycle (how embedded software integrates with EE/RF and mass-production pipelines)
• Strong negotiation skills regarding delivery scope, boundaries, and timelines