Technology Director - IOE Cardano

Summary

As the Technology Director - IOE, you will be responsible for leading all value stream aligned teams working on the core components of Cardano. You will lead the engineering delivery of these teams to reach objectives and synchronize their work all along the project’s life cycle. You will work closely with our Product team to ensure that we set the right technical specifications and requirements, to define and execute on a healthy and progressive product and technical strategy that maximizes efficiency and output for the team.

You will report to the General Manager of IOE.

This is a senior leadership role in IOE where you will have the opportunity to shape the direction of the company as we expand to take on more commercial projects for customers. You are responsible for ensuring that the team delivers high quality code and engineering outputs based on clear technical requirements and also to ensure that the Tribe’s standards are high, and that technical debt is managed effectively.

You will be responsible for leading the delivery of the Cardano Node, Hydra, Cardano Wallets, Cardano backend services and Cardano tools. You and your team will work closely with research, product management, architects, and engineers, and work towards software where we can produce evidence that it meets the requirements..

As IOE continues to evolve, it is expected that your team will cover the whole software development lifecycle. You and your team will assist researchers by providing simulations, prototypes, and feedback on feasibility. They will also work with product management to capture and formalize requirements, produce specifications, and work closely with engineers to turn those specifications into production code, which are adequately tested and documented.

This is primarily a department wide management position, where you will lead multiple teams, manage team leads and contribute to high level technical guidance. However it is expected that you will devote a small portion of your time to hands-on work within your teams.

With the comprehensive overview over the technical aspects of IOGs products this position will give you, You will be expected to use this to assist the communications department when they need to convey technical information to our customers and community.

Duties

• Manage the Cardano Core Engineering team(s) including…
• Ensure the technical feasibility of the project including but not limited to ensuring that our solutions are scalable, sustainable, architecturally sound, and that technical debt is incurred consciously and repaid in a reasonable time.
• Assist the Product team to ensure software meets business requirements
• Propose and negotiate project requirements with the Product managers and customers
• Ensure the delivery of products as defined and on time in line with business objectives
• Contribute technical and systems design expertise to assist in the architectural design, development, implementation, and testing of software.
• Work on technical strategy and roadmaps, regularly assessing the technical state of squads, advocating for best practices broadly, and providing focused mentoring to squads.
• Contribute to architectural decisions and the design of solutions to resolve challenging problems particularly when they have an impact on multiple teams and/or products.
• Determine and define clear deliverables, roles and responsibilities for team members required for specific projects or initiatives working closely with software engineers, QA, product managers and other engineering teams to produce high-quality products and features through the software project lifecycle (build, test and release on time).
• Maintain high standards of software quality within the team by establishing best practices for performing code reviews for the software development team. Follow and pro-actively implement appropriate coding standards.
• Work closely with the Product Management, Site Reliability Engineers and Executive teams to deliver the product roadmap.
• Identify the staffing and resourcing requirements that are needed to achieve delivery goals, and guide budget owners to allocate resources effectively
• Monitor the progress and performance of projects to ensure timely and effective delivery both technically and financially
• Build a team that will last and be successful in the long term by implementing best practices in management, processes, tools and people (ie: creating a succession plan, avoiding single point of failure etc.)

Growth and Innovation:

Drive the adoption of innovative methodologies, tools, and practices, ensuring that the organization is positioned to capitalise on emerging technologies.

While AI-assisted development is not currently part of our processes, it is anticipated to become increasingly relevant and possibly critical in the next 3 to 5 years. You will be expected to explore and integrate AI methodologies where applicable, helping shape this area as a key component of our future development strategy.

Lead the strategic development and exploration of AI-driven tools and workflows that can enhance productivity, code quality, and scalability across engineering teams.

Leadership

As Leaders it is our responsibility to hire, develop and progress our fellow team members. As a Leader there is a need to communicate openly with all members of your team, address any issues head on and not shy away from difficult conversations.

Empowering your team to provide the best results by organizing clear processes and coordinating team efforts should be your top priority.

Please read our Leadership at IO Global document for more information on your duties and responsibilities as a leader at IOG

Requirements

Key Competencies

• Excellent communication skills and able to resolve conflict
• Change management in both technology stack and organizational change
• Leadership skills
• People and Process management
• Software engineering
• Agile and continuous improvement
• Program management experience
• Research/Innovation forecasting
• Functional programming may be an advantage.
• Strategic thinking about technical challenges in product development
• Coach and mentor to members of my team, helping to problem solve and identify opportunities to enhance development.
• Excellent collaborator within the Tribe Leadership Team regularly and ensuring clarity is delivered to all members of the tribe

Recommended Education and Experience

• Engineering Graduate
• 15+ years experience in software industry
• 10+ years experience in managing software development teams
• 5+ years experience in managing managers
• Haskell and formal methods may be an advantage
• Experience in coaching teams through agile method and organizational changes
• Proven experience in people management
• Proven experience in strategic planning
• Experience mentoring, coaching and developing rising talent in the technology department
• Experience working in globally distributed teams
• Excellent interpersonal skills so as to be able to relate with people from diverse backgrounds or personnel from different units of the company.

Benefits

• Remote work
• Laptop reimbursement
• New starter package to buy hardware essentials (headphones, monitor, etc)
• Learning & Development opportunities
• Competitive PTO

At IOG, we value diversity and always treat all employees and job applicants based on merit, qualifications, competence, and talent. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.