R&D Global Director

Main Responsibilities:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience in Java software development, including at least 10 years in a leadership or managerial role.
• Demonstrated success leading complex software delivery initiatives in large-scale enterprise environments.
• Proven experience managing geographically distributed engineering teams and working effectively across multiple time zones and cultures.
• Demonstrated ability to combine hands-on technical understanding with senior-level organizational leadership, strategic planning, and delivery accountability.
• Experience leading engineering process improvements, organizational transformation, or modernization initiatives while maintaining ongoing software delivery.
• Experience working with mature enterprise software platforms involving complex dependencies, legacy technologies, and ongoing modernization requirements.

Technical Expertise

• Strong expertise in Java, Spring, Spring ecosystem projects, Spring Boot, REST APIs, and related technologies.
• Experience with front-end technologies, including JSF/MyFaces, React, or similar frameworks, is required.
• Solid understanding of relational and NoSQL database technologies, SQL, and ORM frameworks such as Hibernate and JPA.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms, including AWS, Azure, and/or GCP, and containerization technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
• Proven experience with Agile/Scrum methodologies and tools such as JIRA, Confluence, and Git.
• Hands-on understanding of software architecture, REST APIs, and enterprise integration patterns.
• Strong familiarity with the IT infrastructure typically supporting enterprise application architectures.
• Experience with monolithic, microservices, and event-driven software architectures.
• Knowledge of DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure automation, and modern software delivery tooling.
• Strong understanding of source control, branching strategies, automated testing, code reviews, build systems, and release management practices.
• Ability to evaluate technical architecture, engineering design decisions, and technology trade-offs without needing to serve as the primary hands-on developer.
• Experience working with mature enterprise software platforms involving complex dependencies, legacy technologies, and ongoing modernization requirements.

Delivery, Quality and Process Management

• Demonstrated experience managing projects aligned with CMMI Level 2 or higher.
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent development projects and competing delivery priorities.
• Experience establishing and improving software engineering processes, development standards, and quality controls.
• Strong understanding of software testing strategies, quality assurance, automated testing, and defect management.
• Experience establishing engineering performance metrics and using data to improve delivery predictability, quality, and productivity.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and address systemic engineering challenges, delivery bottlenecks, and technical debt.
• Experience balancing customer-driven development commitments with product roadmap priorities and longer-term technology investments.

Leadership and Interpersonal Skills

• Excellent problem-solving, organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, coach, and develop engineering teams.
• Strong executive communication skills, including the ability to present complex technical and operational matters to senior leadership.
• Proven ability to influence stakeholders, build consensus, and resolve competing priorities across organizational boundaries.
• Sound judgement, resilience, adaptability, and the ability to remain effective in complex, fast-paced environments.
• Ability to navigate organizational ambiguity, establish clarity, and drive accountability through constructive collaboration.
• Strong decision-making skills, with the ability to balance technical quality, delivery urgency, customer commitments, and business objectives.
• Experience leading organizational change and gaining adoption of new engineering practices, processes, and technologies.
• Ability to work effectively with geographically distributed teams and diverse stakeholders.

What Success Looks Like

The successful candidate will establish and sustain a high-performing global Development organization that consistently delivers reliable, high-quality enterprise software while advancing engineering maturity and modernization.