Global Head - Engineering

About the role

The Global Head of Engineering oversees and manages Mercans' IT department. The role sets the strategic direction, organizes and implements key processes, selects and manages personnel, and ensures the day-to-day operation of development teams. It calls for strong leadership vision, technical expertise and the ability to drive continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities

• Define the vision and strategy for the global development organization and manage its daily operations and governance
• Plan development resources and supervise the development leadership team so that performance meets objectives
• Take part in recruitment, define team structure and develop team competences
• Set up performance metrics aligned with industry best practice, track them and set goals for team leads and members
• Develop organizational procedures, process maps and strategic IT processes, and take part in company policy drafting
• Manage costs, forecast budgets and find ways to optimize the IT cost base
• Support business development and marketing, such as client and sales calls
• Keep development aligned with security and quality standards (ISO 9001, 20001, 27001, 27017, 27018, OWASP, SOC 1, SOC 2) and support compliance and data security audits
• Build a risk management framework, register and matrix, and mitigate risks
• Maintain an overview of development processes and standards for external stakeholders and draft an annual strategic plan

Required profile

• 5+ years of relevant industry experience
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or a related field, or equivalent experience
• Hands-on experience with IT management, resource planning and process optimization
• Experience leading global software development teams and managing large-scale engineering projects
• Nice to have: enterprise-level software development and architecture, cloud technologies, DevOps and security frameworks, and knowledge of HR and payroll software

Performance goals

• At least 10% year-on-year improvement in key performance metrics
• At least 10% annual process optimization by reducing time spent on non-development activities
• At least 75% of development resources' time on development-related activities
• Reduce time spent on rework and reuse tasks by 30% by year-end
• Reduce the total backlog items by 30% by year-end, with clear priorities and acceptance criteria