Head of Software Engineering

About the opportunity:

At Rohde & Schwarz Topex , we develop mission-critical Voice Communication Systems (VCS) that enable reliable communication between air traffic controllers and pilots in demanding operational environments.

We are entering a new phase of growth and innovation, developing the next generation of our Voice Communication System while continuing to evolve our existing product portfolio. We are looking for a highly experienced Software Development Manager to lead the software development organization and play a key role in shaping the future of our products and engineering capabilities.

This is a senior leadership position , combining organizational leadership, technical direction, product delivery, and people development. The successful candidate will build and lead a high-performing software organization, establish the technical and engineering strategy, and ensure predictable delivery of high-quality, mission-critical software.

You will have the opportunity to build the next generation of a market-leading product while creating an engineering organization capable of sustaining long-term innovation and growth.

The Role:

As Head of Software Development Manager , you will have overall responsibility for the software development organization supporting our Voice Communication Systems.

You will:

• Lead and develop a high-performing software engineering organization , including organizational structure, staffing, leadership development, and performance management.
• Define and execute the software technology strategy, architecture direction, development processes, and engineering roadmap .
• Lead the development of the next-generation Voice Communication System , leveraging proven capabilities from the existing product portfolio while introducing modern technologies and architectures.
• Ensure the organization delivers against agreed scope, quality, schedule, cost, and product objectives .
• Drive engineering excellence, continuous improvement, innovation, and adoption of modern development practices.
• Establish clear standards for software architecture, development, testing, quality, security, release management, and technical governance .
• Build a culture of ownership, accountability, trust, collaboration, meritocracy, and high performance .
• Recruit, retain, coach, and develop strong engineering talent and future technical and people leaders.
• Act as the representative of senior engineering toward Executive Management, Product Management, System Engineering, Project Management, Sales, and Customer Support.
• Proactively identify and manage technical, organizational, and delivery risks.
• Represent engineering in strategic decisions, providing clear, data-driven recommendations and technical insight.
• Ensure customer and market requirements are translated into effective engineering priorities and product decisions.

Technical & Product Leadership

The role combines organizational leadership with strong technical responsibility. You will be expected to:

• Define the long-term technical vision and architectural strategy for the software organization and next-generation VCS.
• Ensure solutions are scalable, reliable, maintainable, secure, and designed for long-term evolution.
• Govern major architectural and technology decisions and act as the escalation point for critical technical challenges.
• Drive technology selection and the adoption of modern software engineering practices.
• Balance short-term delivery needs with long-term technical sustainability.
• Ensure compliance with relevant industry standards, including ED-136 and ED-137 , while avoiding unnecessary legacy constraints.
• Promote engineering excellence through architecture and design reviews, technical standards, mentoring, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure lessons learned from the existing product portfolio are effectively incorporated into the next-generation platform.

Organizational & People Leadership

You will build an organization where talented engineers can perform at their best.

Key responsibilities include:

• Define the organization, roles, responsibilities, competencies, and career paths required to support business growth.
• Build and maintain a strong leadership structure within the software organization.
• Set clear expectations and establish a strong performance culture.
• Develop and retain high-performing engineers and future leaders.
• Foster an environment of empowerment, transparency, constructive challenge, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure effective collaboration across Sales, Product Management, Project Management and System Engineering.

Delivery & Business Responsibility

You will be accountable for turning strategy into execution. This includes:

• Owning software delivery performance across the organization.
• Establishing effective development and delivery processes and measurable engineering KPIs.
• Ensuring predictable execution of the product roadmap.
• Managing priorities, resources, dependencies, and delivery risks.
• Providing transparent reporting on progress, risks, capacity, and performance to senior management.
• Aligning engineering investments and priorities with customer needs and business objectives.

What We Are Looking For:

Required

• Minimum 10 years extensive experience in software engineering leadership , ideally managing an entire software development organization or multiple development teams.
• Proven track record of building, scaling, and leading high-performing engineering organizations .
• Strong technical background in software architecture, distributed systems, real-time communications, telecommunications, or other complex/missions-critical systems.
• Demonstrated experience delivering complex software products from concept through production.
• Strong understanding of modern software engineering, Agile methodologies, DevOps, quality, and cybersecurity practices.
• Proven ability to combine strategic thinking with hands-on organizational and execution leadership .
• Strong business orientation and ability to translate business and customer needs into technical strategy and execution.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, stakeholder management, and executive presentation skills.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Telecommunications, Electronics, or a related field.
• Experience in Air Traffic Management, Air Traffic Control, aviation communications, or safety-critical systems.
• Knowledge of ED-136, ED-137, VoIP, SIP, or related communication technologies.
• Experience with highly available, mission-critical communication platforms.
• Experience in regulated, certification-driven, or compliance-intensive development environments.

Preferred

• Experience in Air Traffic Management, Air Traffic Control, aviation communications, or safety-critical systems .
• Knowledge of ED-136, ED-137, VoIP, SIP , or related communication technologies.
• Experience with highly available, mission-critical communication platforms.
• Experience in regulated, certification-driven, or compliance-intensive development environments.

Leadership Profile:

We are looking for a leader who:

• Thinks strategically and can translate vision into execution.
• Takes ownership and makes difficult decisions when required.
• Builds trust while maintaining high standards and accountability.
• Inspires and develops people and future leaders.
• Can operate effectively from executive strategy to technical detail .
• Challenges the status quo and drives continuous improvement.
• Is resilient, pragmatic, and comfortable leading through change.
• Has the credibility to influence engineers, executives, customers, and other stakeholders.