Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Head of Software to join our team at C4ADS. This role is not just about managing software personnel and ensuring successful project delivery; it's about being deeply aligned with and excited about our mission to advance global security and stability through data-driven analysis and innovative technology. The ideal candidate will bring a strong background in software development, project management, and team leadership, all while sharing our passion for making a meaningful impact in the world.

What You'll Do

Team Management

Manage all software program team personnel, including software engineers and product designers, ensuring they are responsive to stakeholders, meeting their milestones, and following software development SOPs.
Supervise team output, providing mentorship through regular code reviews and design crits.

Project Planning

Lead planning for new software projects through coordination with project and product managers.
Advise on expectations, time, resource, and cost estimates for each project proposal involving software.

Technical Architecture

Work closely with the relevant engineering staff to design the technical architecture for each project.
Work with engineering staff to manage the organization’s cloud infrastructure.

Project Tracking

Track all software projects to ensure that timelines are met and any issues are communicated to stakeholders as early as possible.
Provide periodic updates to leadership and the broader organization about new products and features produced by the software team.

Labor and Budget Management

Advise on labor requirements and hiring needs for new software engineering positions.
Advise on labor requirements and budget for software components within new project proposals.
Manage budgets for consultant labor required to successfully reach deliverables and milestones.

Software Development Standards

Establish and maintain software development standards and processes, including:
Recommended application architecture for software platforms and products, including standardized templates for deployment and orchestration.
Expectations around tools used to track, monitor, and maintain code.
Software project management and sprint processes.
Code review, styling, and testing standards.
Software consultant hiring and management guidelines.
Shared infrastructure, including CI/CD authentication, cloud services, and product analytics.

Infrastructure Audits

Conduct quarterly audits for security, redundancy, functionality, and cost of cloud compute infrastructure, including:
Disaster recovery scenarios for data, code, and infrastructure.
Security credentials for cloud infrastructure.
Financial costs of cloud infrastructure.

Product Success

Coordinate with the product and project managers to track and improve software product success, e.g., by monitoring user engagement, revenue, and costs.
Work alongside the product manager and product designer to generate user feedback on existing products and to test upcoming features or products.
Work with the product manager to capture comprehensive usage analytics on all software products.
Work with the product manager to derive meaningful insights from captured analytics and use these to inform future product decisions.

Career Development

Ensure that Software Engineers and Product Designers have defined growth areas and career tracks, in coordination with the Senior Director of Operations and the Chief of People.
Maintain the hiring process for incoming software engineers, product managers, and product designers.

Intern Program

Establish and maintain the intern program for Software Engineers at C4ADS.

Other Duties

Perform other duties as assigned.

What we're looking for

Required

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
Extensive experience in software development and project management.
Experience taking projects from a concept to a finished product.
Experience with SQL databases like Postgres.
Strong leadership and management skills.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Proficiency in software development methodologies.
Experience with cloud compute infrastructure and security best practices.
Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities effectively.
Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Passion for fostering a positive and collaborative work environment.
A deep excitement and alignment with C4ADS's mission to advance global security and stability through data-driven analysis and innovative technology.

Bonus Points For

Experience with AWS.
Experience with OpenSearch or ElasticSearch.
Experience with languages and frameworks like Python, Typescript, Django, Celery, and React.
Experience with NoSQL databases like Redis.
Experience administering containerized infrastructure through services like Docker and Kubernetes.

How We'll Reward You

$140,000 salary
Fully covered Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance for employees and covered dependents.
Unlimited vacation time, with a required minimum of 10 days per year.
401(k) program with 4% matching for both traditional and Roth options.
A $4,500 education stipend for continuing growth.
12 weeks of paid parental leave for the birth, adoption, or placement of a foster child.
Life & disability insurance fully covered.
Access to a pre-tax, flexible spending account (FSA).
SmartBenefits for pre-tax deposits on SmartTrip cards.
A passionate team that values hard work and is serious about building and maintaining a great culture.

Join us at C4ADS and be part of a mission that truly makes a difference in the world.

C4ADS

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