Head of Software Engineering

The Head of Software Engineering is a key member of middle management team, responsible for software engineering leadership, overseeing software architecture and software development practices, discipline leadership, and the maturation of software engineering service offerings. The role ensures alignment with industry standards and best practices while identifying and pursuing new business opportunities within existing accounts, maintaining strategic client relationships, collaborating with management to secure leads, recommending optimal engagement models, and overseeing project delivery to ensure quality and client satisfaction.

The Head of Software Engineering has a strong focus on relationship-driven growth within existing clients and accounts while driving financial performance, discipline health, technical excellence, and sustainable capability growth across the Software Engineering discipline.

The HoD’s responsibilities include:

• Understand client environments and future business needs and how the company's offerings could address those requirements.
• Responsible for identifying leads and opportunities within existing client environments (relationship-driven growth within existing clients).
• Lead engagement with General Manager and/or Account Manager regarding potential leads.
• Own and manage relationships with nominated client individuals to drive engagement expansion within accounts.
• Assist Business Development in external environments through discipline-specific pre-sales activities.
• Recommend ideal client engagement models aligned to quality, control and team culture.
• During project delivery, provide oversight and quality governance across engagements, including risk management, issue resolution, and client expectation management aligned to QA and governance processes.

• Provide input into Digital Consulting strategy.
• Ensure alignment and strong collaboration with Shared Services (HR, Finance, Business Development, and General Management) to drive discipline performance.
• Scale and mature discipline offerings and competency frameworks to ensure sustainable capability growth.
• Develop and maintain discipline capability, skills, and career pathways aligned to competency models.
• Act as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) and represent the discipline externally in the industry.
• Financial, Pipeline & Operational Accountability 
• Own and deliver against assigned annual sales, Discipline revenue, and gross profit targets
• Define and own Headcount & Skills plan.
• Responsible for Discipline pipeline and resource allocation.
• Track performance across key levers including headcount, utilisation, GP, pipeline, and other commercial metrics.

Business Development Alignment

• Work closely with Business Development, HoDs, and Operations Managers to reach assigned annual targets.
• Accountable for pre-sales coordination and proposal inputs.
• Relationship Sphere 3: Relationships with Consultants
• Accountable for Communities of Practice (CoPs).
• Ensure discipline training recommendations are in line with market demand via skills plan.
• Support PDP development and performance processes.
• Develop discipline capability, skills, and structured career development pathways for consultants.
• Support recruitment process.

Internal Alignment

• Align and engage with internal stakeholders.
• Work closely across departments (HR, Finance, Business Development, and General Management) to ensure alignment and execution of discipline objectives.

Personal Billability

• Contribute to delivery where applicable.
• Billability is optional but expected to contribute through oversight, governance, or specialist roles where required.

Unique Work Conditions:

• Must be willing and able to travel within Gauteng on a daily basis and further travel might be required from time-to-time.
• Must be able and willing to be involved in various projects across multiple client sites at times.
• Must be willing and able to work overtime from time to time as required not only by client deadlines but internal commitments as well.

Background and Education

• A tertiary qualification in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, software development, or technology consulting environments.
• 5+ years of experience in leadership roles such as Technical Lead, Engineering Manager, Software Development Manager, Solution Architect, Head of
• Engineering, or similar.
• Proven experience leading and scaling software engineering teams in enterprise environments.
• Demonstrated experience in software architecture, solution design, software delivery governance, and engineering best practices.
• Experience managing complex client engagements, software delivery portfolios, and multi-disciplinary teams.
• Strong understanding of modern software development methodologies, engineering frameworks, DevOps practices, cloud technologies, and architectural patterns.
• Experience contributing to business development activities, pre-sales engagements, proposal development, and client relationship management.
• Experience driving discipline growth, capability development, workforce planning, and recruitment strategies.
• Relevant industry certifications in software architecture, cloud platforms, agile delivery, or engineering leadership would be advantageous.