SVP Software Development at Clickatell

Purpose:

The SVP of Software Development will be a key part of the Product & Development leadership team and will need a combination of business focus and demonstrated technical leadership acumen. This position will be responsible for directing the work of Software Development, Quality Assurance, Data efforts and several other ongoing product or architectural projects. 

Clickatell operate several products across a handful of platforms, and you will be responsible for delivering projects with good quality and on schedule leveraging your partners and our own resources. The ideal candidate is not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in the detail, however at the same time see the bigger picture, and help frame the missing pieces.

The role of our Champion:

• Build and lead a high performing distributed organization that delivers top quality technology at a high velocity, this includes all Platforms, Applications, Quality Assurance/Control, Release Management, Data & Business Intelligence for Clickatell.
• At Clickatell we believe that the process improvements we can identify will drive significant productivity value so you will drive continuous productivity & process improvements to obtain improved levels of value for the company.
• Utilize your experience as technology leader to help define strategy and direction for the software platforms and teams in alignment with Clickatell’s overall direction.
• Leverage your technical depth as a former developer and architect to set a personal standard for excellence across the organization.
• Appropriately assess risk when business decisions are made on the product line, always demonstrating particular consideration for the company’s reputation. You are able to constantly assess the risk and are not afraid to propose high risk efforts if the plans and mitigations can be articulated and put in place

Product & Delivery

• Establish the vision and technology roadmap for the delivery of our products, and partner with the Product Management leaders to develop long-term goals and short-term objectives for the different product lines and platforms that support Clickatell’s direction and strategy.
• Report on the status of goals, budget and metrics on a regular basis, and identify issues or risks to reaching the goals and objectives.
• Provide oversight and guidance to ensure that objectives are met, exception situations are addressed promptly, and issues are reported and escalated to the appropriate level.
• Provide platform expertise and technical leadership for all the Clickatell programs, including design decisions related to development and maintenance of each of Clickatell’s platforms to ensure future-focused architecture and frameworks.
• Lead and consult with the group leadership, product and product operations teams to promptly address all production, software issues, concerns, problems, and questions.
• Work closely with our Networks & Infrastructure team managing resources and alignment of the functions

Development

• Be the driving force in a continuous improvement process where you and your groups are expected to deliver exceptional results.
• Ensure that Clickatell has a strong long-term architectural view and the ability to achieve and manage against the plan.
• Manage and protect the IP surrounding its development and product efforts in collaboration with other stakeholders
• Develop and maintain the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and ensure compliance with SDLC guidelines and deliverables.
• Make quick and precise decisions based on concrete data and in-depth technical understanding of the tasks conducted by your teams.
• Demonstrate and promote the Software Development teams’ capabilities to peers and executives to position the function for additional responsibilities and product lines.
• Coordinate project initiation, prioritization, and monitoring, and ensure appropriate development resource levels and skills are allocated to successfully complete projects.

Management

• Hire a great team and then continuously coach and mentor them to ensure the responsibilities of each platform are being delivered effectively, accurately, and efficiently.
• Develop and foster an environment that promotes innovation and knowledge within product lines.
• Attract and retain an effective, cohesive, highly motivated, well-trained, and diverse workforce.
• Set quarterly goals and pro-actively analyse metrics to drive process improvements within the development team.
• Have detailed knowledge of the work done by your team and proactively work to improve consistency and integration between your software and other teams.
• Influence your team’s technical strategy by making insightful contributions to the team priorities and approach so that it is agile and in line with the company’s strategy that can adapt to change.
• Create a budget for software development, and manage actual spend vs budget on an ongoing basis

The capabilities of our Champion:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, MSc/MA Degree preferred
• 12+ years of related work experience required
• 7+ years of management experience
• Experience in hands on development, preferably in C++, Python and Java.
• First-hand knowledge of software development and QA processes and SDLC methodologies/frameworks such as Agile/Scrum
• Expert knowledge in application development, Public & Private cloud infrastructure, Architecture, asynchronous and synchronous messaging and high availability networks.
• Competitive, self-driven, goal-oriented and confident individual
• Creative and able to think outside the box
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong work ethic and team player mentality
• Any hands-on experience with building solutions

Our Champions journey thus far:

• Influential: Ability to build support for strategic recommendations, solutions, or ideas that position the software development function for success and elevate the work and reputation of Clickatell. Draws on wide ranging sources of information and networks of relationships to develop and carryout complex business strategies and initiatives.
• Innovative: Ability to develop creative strategies and solutions in pursuit of continuous improvement. Thinks broadly, beyond immediate details and issues, to encourage forward thinking ideas and approaches. Anticipates crises and problems. Fosters the generation of ideas, opportunities and innovation, and keeps employees open to new possibilities. Displays curiosity and passion for learning & execution.
• Strategic: Seeks to identify trends which may impact the software development & sister functions. Demonstrates outstanding tactical mindset and logic abilities. Proven ability to prioritize and manage competing and sometimes conflicting priorities.
• Operational acumen: Demonstrates thoughtful analysis, clear logic underlying business decisions and processes, close attention to key aspects of implementation, operation and compliance, and performance management. Displays flexibility and creativity in achieving strategic objectives and engages employees, where appropriate, to help solve business challenges. Has a philosophy of continuously seeking opportunities for improvement of operations and processes.
• Inspirational: Inspires and communicates a path for continuous improvement in advancing functional and operational performance. Motivates and inspires teams to exceed expectations and achieve results. Ability to engage with all levels of the organization. Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Integrity: Ethical individual who can be trusted to act with the highest standards of conduct and set the standard for their areas of responsibility. Exhibits a high level of personal integrity.
• Change Agent: Advocates, anticipates and orchestrates change understanding the governance and culture of Clickatell. Demonstrates confidence along with personal flexibility and adaptability. Creates a culture that enables staff to achieve results in a changing environment. Communicates and builds a commitment to change.

Why you will love being here:

• Competitive salary paid monthly
• Medical aid contributions
• Quarterly performance incentives
• Pension fund contribution
• Group life cover
• Communication allowances
• Undercover parking
• Half day off on your birthday
• 5 “personal” days leave a year, over and above your normal annual leave.
• Staff events, daily popcorn, snacks, cool offices. All the things that make Clickatell a fantastic place to work.