Software Engineering Director (R&D Operations)

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.

We are seeking a highly motivated Development Lead to join our Apex team. The successful candidate will lead software development for Apex in China, provide hands-on technical and operational direction across architecture, design, implementation, build and test automation, CI/CD, defect resolution, and release readiness, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver secure, reliable, and high-quality software releases that support business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and execute R&D initiatives.
• Collaborate with various internal and external teams to deliver multiple product releases per year.
• Develop and maintain build systems, code coverage, regression testing, and development environments.
• Organize daily scrum meetings to ensure continuous integration and continuous delivery.
• Participate in Sprint planning and Sprint/Release retrospective meetings and provide feedback for planning/improvements.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical or operational issues.
• Drive process improvements and best practices.
• Participate in weekly technical discussions and provide feasibility analysis.
• Mentor junior team members and contribute to team growth.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Masters in software/computer science/mechanical engineering or related engineering domains

Experience

• 25+ years of experience in the Software Industry with experience in managing CAE R&D
• Experience leading large-scale application development
• Experience delivering predictable releases while managing scope, quality, resources, and dependencies.
• Proven leadership and demonstrated ability for team development
• Strong technical background with proficiency in C++, Python, Windows, Linux, and Test automation
• Proven experience with risk management, agile methodologies, and coordinating across various product groups such as UX, QA, IT, and Support.
• Has a strong understanding of the CAE domain and worked in MSC, Ansys, Ansa or related companies.
• Hands-on experience using AI-assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or similar platforms to improve developer productivity, code quality, test generation, documentation, and engineering workflows.

Technical Leadership Skills

• Ability to provide technical direction across architecture, design, implementation, testing, and release execution.
• Strong capability to evaluate technical trade-offs, guide design reviews, and make sound engineering decisions aligned with product strategy.
• Experience leading geographically distributed engineering teams and coordinating execution across product, QA, IT, support, and release management functions.
• Ability to mentor senior engineers, develop technical leads, and build a culture of engineering ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Proven ability to identify technical risks early, define mitigation plans, and ensure predictable delivery of complex software programs.
• Strong understanding of software quality practices, including automation, code coverage, regression strategy, build stability, and release readiness.
• Ability to communicate complex technical topics clearly to executive stakeholders, product teams, and engineering contributors.

Soft Skills

• Strong people leadership skills with the ability to mentor engineers, set expectations, provide feedback, and build a high-performing delivery-focused team.
• Excellent communication skills for working with engineering teams, product stakeholders, QA, program management, and senior leadership.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make practical decisions under technical and schedule constraints.
• Ability to drive accountability, remove execution blockers, and maintain focus on predictable, high-quality delivery.

• Collaborative mindset with the ability to influence across teams and build alignment around technical priorities and delivery commitments.N/A

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