Job Description

VP of Engineering Engineering/Technical
Stellenbosch - Western Cape - South AfricaENVIRONMENT:A leading AgriTech company with offices in Johannesburg and Stellenbosch is seeking a Vice President of Engineering (VP of Engineering) to lead and scale its engineering team while driving technical excellence and innovation. Working closely with the CTO and other department heads, this role requires a strategic thinker with strong leadership skills and deep technical expertise to ensure the successful development and delivery of the companys platform. The ideal candidate holds a Bachelors or Masters degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Information Systems, or equivalent experience.DUTIES:Technical Leadership

• Serve as the primary technical leader, providing guidance on technology decisions, architecture, and software development best practices.
• Oversee and ensure high-quality code reviews, design reviews, and system optimisations.
• Establish and maintain best practices for software development, deployment, and maintenance.
• Lead initiatives to improve software performance, security, and scalability.

Engineering Strategy & Roadmap

• Collaborate with the CTO to define and execute the technology roadmap, addressing technical debt and mitigating risks.
• Align engineering initiatives with overall business objectives, ensuring timely delivery of product milestones.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and industry trends to drive innovation and maintain a competitive edge.

People & Team Management

• Manage and mentor engineering team leads and engineers to ensure professional growth and technical excellence.
• Conduct performance reviews, provide constructive feedback, and develop career development plans.
• Oversee hiring, onboarding, and training of engineers to build a high-performing team.
• Manage leave schedules and support rotations to ensure optimal team productivity.
• Promote a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Budget & Resource Management

• Assist in managing engineering budgets and costs, ensuring efficient allocation of resources.
• Identify hiring needs and skill gaps, advocating for new roles where necessary.
• Optimise infrastructure and tooling investments to enhance development efficiency.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Product, Operations, and Commercial teams to align engineering efforts with business goals.
• Participate in executive decision-making and contribute to company-wide strategic initiatives.
• Act as a bridge between technical and non-technical stakeholders, ensuring clear communication of engineering priorities.

Office Presence & Travel

• Willingness to travel between Stellenbosch and Johannesburg for one week every two months.
• Work from the Johannesburg or Stellenbosch office approximately twice a week for effective collaboration.

REQUIREMENTS:Formal Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Masters degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Information Systems, or equivalent experience.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Proven track record in leading and scaling engineering teams within a fast-paced startup or SaaS environment.

Technical Expertise

• Extensive experience in full-stack development, particularly with:

• Backend: Ruby on Rails API, PostgreSQL, GraphQL, Docker
• Frontend: Angular, Electron, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Figma
• Infrastructure & DevOps: AWS services, Heroku, GitLab CI/CD
• Strong understanding of software architecture, scalability, security, and performance optimisation.
• Experience implementing Agile methodologies and DevOps best practices.
• Knowledge of database sharding strategies and ETL/ELT pipeline architecture is a plus.

Soft Skills & Leadership Abilities

• Exceptional problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Ability to inspire, mentor, and develop engineering talent.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into business terms.
• Comfortable working in a high-growth, fast-paced startup environment with little to no red tape.

Languages / Frameworks / Major libraries / Infra:

• Ruby on Rails API
• Angular webapp
• Electron desktop app
• Heroku for API and background workers
• RDS Postgres for database
• Various AWS services
• GitHub for source control & CI/CD
• GraphQL for all network comms
• Figma for UI prototyping
• Docker for local dev (they dev on nix or win, you choose)
• Proficient in Ruby on Rails, Angular, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and related technologies.
• Experience with relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL) and writing complex SQL queries.
• Solid understanding of object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts and software design principles.
• Experience with version control systems, such as Git.
• Experience with Agile development methodologies is a plus.
• Contributions to open-source projects or participation in relevant communities is a plus.

ATTRIBUTES:

• Strong problem-solving and debugging skills.
• Excellent teamwork and collaboration abilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to handle multiple projects and prioritise tasks effectively.

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