SaaS Software – Vice-President Engineering – Toronto

Our customer is among the largest and quickest growing SaaS-based tech companies in Canada. Their offering simplifies and connects administrative processes to end users, enhancing operational efficiencies, increasing staff productivity, and reducing operational risk. The company is projected to expand at a remarkable rate of 30-35% annually in its core markets while swiftly entering adjacent high-growth segments.
Recognized for prioritizing employee satisfaction, the company puts great effort into ensuring the well-being of its nearly 400 employees by fostering an inclusive culture, providing amenities such as an in-house health club, catered lunches, massage services, and even a spiritual center.

Scope of Position

Overall, the VP Engineering aims to create an environment that attracts, deploys, and retains the necessary resources to effectively develop, deliver, and support the company's platform and applications, providing value to customers while aligning with the business strategy for profitable growth.
Reporting to the Co-Founder/CTO, the VP Engineering leads all activities related to the development and delivery of the company's offerings, overseeing departments such as development, QA, and BA. The ideal candidate will manage a team of about 100 highly skilled individuals known for their loyalty, creativity, and dedication to the company's innovative products and customer satisfaction.

Functional Tasks

• Contribute to the company's vision and strategies, collaborating with the senior team, particularly product management, to align with the product roadmap and overall strategic growth plans.
• Recruit, train, and supervise direct reports, set goals, manage performance, and provide development feedback. Implement similar initiatives across the engineering organization.
• Establish and document corporate plans and systems for product development.
• Deliver reliable, high-quality software within set timelines and costs using Agile methodologies, balancing release content, quality, and desired dates.
• Oversee the engineering budget.
• Review existing and implement new scalable development platforms and processes that meet current needs, anticipate future growth, and maintain a balance between predictability and creativity.
• Stay abreast of technology trends, products, and development tools relevant to customers and businesses.
• Define key performance indicators for project completion and make timely, informed decisions on strategies, plans, and projects.
• Stay informed about available public support for development activities and human resource development.
• Cultivate strong relationships and synergy across all company departments, key suppliers, and technical partners to achieve corporate goals and execute development plans.
• Foster an environment that enables technical staff to excel consistently, achieve personal and team goals, and be acknowledged for their expertise within the company's software development programs.
• Establish and manage succession plans for all engineering positions to ensure a smooth transition and reduce vacancies in critical roles.
• Evaluate third-party technologies and contribute to the due diligence process to enhance the quality and scope of the company's product portfolio.

Key Performance Deliverables
Outlined below are specific objectives the position is expected to accomplish:

• Staff development indicators, such as completed goals and performance reviews.
• Efficient cycle times and timely product delivery to market.
• Service quality and customer satisfaction.
• Retention and recruitment efforts.
• Employee satisfaction, motivation, and performance.
• Product functionality, reliability, and performance.
• Effective budget management and product cost control.
• Innovation benchmarks against competitors' products.
• Productivity metrics like developers/revenue ratio.
• Responsiveness to market changes and customer needs.
• Attainment of overall corporate objectives.

Competency Profile

The following competencies characterize the Vice-President Engineering role:

Role Expertise
Demonstrates critical technical or professional knowledge related to the role. Possesses in-depth understanding of relevant products, services, and methodologies. Expands and updates technical knowledge in the field.
Quality Orientation
Strives for excellence in products, processes, and services by continuously assessing, improving, and redefining quality standards.
Planning & Objective Setting
Approaches work systematically, devising action plans with defined objectives and clear steps for achieving them. Anticipates obstacles, establishes realistic timelines, and incorporates necessary checkpoints and controls to ensure desired outcomes are achieved.
People Management
Establishes clear priorities and direction, clarifying roles and responsibilities. Adapts management style to optimize results.
Developing & Coaching Others
Evaluates employees' strengths and development needs accurately. Encourages their improvement and actively supports their growth. Provides timely feedback, coaching, and challenging learning opportunities. Adjusts coaching methods based on individual abilities and motivation levels.
Leading Change
Recognizes the need for change, challenges the status quo, and promotes new initiatives. Serves as a change catalyst, inspiring others and devising effective action plans to drive and monitor change.
Results Orientation
Focused on achieving agreed-upon outcomes, ensuring key objectives are met. Communicates a sense of urgency, resolves issues promptly, aims for continuous improvement, and sets ambitious personal targets to strive for achievement.
Commercial Acumen
Applies suitable commercial and financial principles, understanding tasks in terms of costs, profits, added value, and return on investment. Recognizes the commercial impact of their work on the organization's finances.
Team Skills
Promotes teamwork, cooperation, and support to foster a harmonious team spirit. Balances personal and team objectives and encourages collaboration among team members.

Preferred Experience / Education

The following criteria are vital for successfully meeting the responsibilities and performance objectives:

• Leadership qualities and teamwork skills, along with strong management, technical, and communication capabilities.
• Proficiency in agile development and a proven track record of successfully delivering high-quality software products using the agile methodology.
• Technical degree and at least 15 years of experience in commercial software development, progressing from a developer to a large development organization leader.
• Prior experience in enterprise software is essential, while SaaS development knowledge is preferred. Healthcare industry familiarity is a plus.
• Experience outside bureaucratic organizations, demonstrating a focus on results and effective scaling of development teams.
• Detail-oriented, proactive, with the ability to foresee and address issues to realign projects and products effectively.
• Direct, ethical, and self-effacing demeanor.
• Competitive compensation package, including a base salary, bonuses, and stock options.