Director, Software Engineering

Director, Software Engineering

Role Purpose

The Director of Software Engineering will responsible for the development of digital products within Coats and will report directly into the VP, Digital & Technology.  They will have the accountability for developing the Software Engineering Team in Coats into a robust, future focused and driven team who are responsible for architecting and developing to our Growth Agenda via embedding modern engineering culture and ways of working.

The Engineering Director is responsible for the developing the technology roadmap, development, planning, and execution of Coats’ digital product development, enhancements, and strategy.  The role entails managing and developing the engineering team and delivering performance against agreed KPIs.  This is a key global role within Coats, reporting to the VP Digital & Technology and is critical for supporting profitable sales growth and achievement of budget.

Successfully implement and manage software engineering roadmaps in alignment with our strategic vision, whilst making conscious, customer-centric choices on feature enhancements.

The Director, Software Engineering will be responsible for the development of skills, ways of working and culture within both the Software Engineering Team as well as within the wider D&T team within Madurai.

Principal Accountabilities and Key Activities

• Lead the development and execution of the Coats Software Engineering digital products strategy, working closely with the key stakeholders, to deliver and constantly refine/ develop world-class products, which are timely, compelling, and drive customer stickiness and create competitive distance.
• Own and lead thought leadership, intelligence, and insight generation (program, content, and knowledge share) and Coats messaging, working with the business to develop and execute.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders, including but not limited to Coats D&T Leadership Team, commercial and business teams within coats, Professional Services, , etc to develop and deliver solutions to meet our digital agenda

Manage and support the Product Development to ensure delivery of key objectives:

• Refinement and execution of digital development strategy.
• Content and feature management of the product in line with the roadmap agreed with LT.
• Delivering Software Engineering Roadmaps and Enhancing Features with Strategic Focus.
• Need key milestones/ landmarks – product-wise.
• Enhanced Management, Administration, and Compliance.
• Deliver Sustainable Engineering and Innovation Transformations and Address Technical Debt.
• Participate in the Commercial Council Programme
• Utilisation of development tools to deliver the software development
• Key metrics reporting on the performance of the team.

Delivering Software Engineering Roadmaps and Enhancing Features with Strategic Focus

Key Actions:

1. Roadmap Management:

• Adhere to committee-agreed roadmaps for each portfolio, documenting and explaining any strategic divergences.
• Establish robust feedback loops with stakeholders for continuous roadmap improvement.
• Develop and manage a comprehensive resourcing plan, addressing resource constraints.
• Regularly update and maintain roadmap documentation.

2. Feature Enhancement:

• Strategically decide on feature enhancements, focusing on benefits for the entire customer community.
• Document relevant product deliveries and changes in plans in a work tracking system.
• Use DevOps principles for efficient tracking and communication regarding enhancements.

3. Documentation and Reporting:

• Prepare and document plans for the following year before the current year ends.
• Create and maintain automated SaaS metrics for monthly reporting.
• Proactively manage and address technical debt.

Enhanced Management, Administration, and Compliance

• Complete and submit all department management information and administration tasks within company guidelines.
• Specific tasks include providing training requirements, performance feedback, equipment needs, and clarifying task understanding.
• Timeline: Ongoing, with quarterly reviews to assess progress.

Deliver Sustainable Engineering and Innovation Transformations while Managing Technical Debt

Overall Goal: Enhance delivery speed and efficiency across Product Management, Developers, Quality Assurance, and DevOps, while systematically addressing and reducing technical debt in our products.

• Ensure the teams deliver on their goals, focusing on specific areas of interest as needed.
• Review and refine process flows, including DevOps system and team processes.
• Demonstrate and highlight continuous delivery (CD) improvements.
• Create robust feedback loops with stakeholders for continuous learning and improvement.

The role will also be responsible for

• Leading and developing the Software Engineering Team to deliver world class digital solutions for our customers within Coats. 
• Contract management with our 3rd party suppliers
• Support the integration of the new structure with deliverable and measurable outcomes.
• Understand the requirements of all stakeholders across products/ functions. Maintain performance and exceed expectations on all SLAs.