Director of Software Engineering

PetSafe Brands • Knoxville, TN

2d

About The Position

The Director of Software Engineering will lead software, firmware, and quality engineering execution across PetSafe’s connected product ecosystem and digital experiences, including cloud backend services, mobile applications, DTC web/e-commerce, and embedded/firmware. This leader will drive engineering excellence, delivery predictability, and product quality through disciplined engineering practices, scalable architecture, and a modern quality strategy. The Director will manage a team of engineering managers and will be accountable for building an operating model and organization structure that balances internal development capacity with external extensions to achieve speed, quality, and cost effectiveness.

Requirements

• 10+ years in software engineering, with 5+ years leading multi-team organizations (engineering managers + senior IC leaders).
• Proven ability to lead full-stack engineering across multiple domains: cloud/backend services, mobile applications, web/e-commerce, embedded/firmware, and quality engineering.
• Demonstrated success building and scaling hybrid teams, including nearshore/rightshored models and vendor-managed delivery (staff augmentation and project-based).
• Strong track record improving engineering execution through SDLC modernization (Agile, CI/CD, automation, release governance, telemetry/observability).
• Proven experience leading QA/Quality Engineering and implementing measurable improvements in quality, release stability, and defect prevention.
• Deep understanding of scalable cloud infrastructure and modern engineering practices; experience with embedded/firmware development lifecycles in consumer products preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field required; advanced degree preferred.

Nice To Haves

• advanced degree preferred

Responsibilities

• Engineering Execution & Velocity Lead and manage engineering managers and teams across cloud backend, mobile, web/e-commerce, firmware/embedded, and QA.
• Drive consistent execution through modern software development lifecycle practices, including Agile delivery, CI/CD, automation, and telemetry-driven insights.
• Deliver product increments and releases that meet functional, schedule, reliability, and customer experience targets across digital and device domains.
• Firmware, IoT, and Full-Stack Systems Leadership Ensure scalable, secure, and modular architecture across device-to-cloud-to-app experiences, enabling efficient feature development and lifecycle management.
• Establish engineering standards and practices for embedded/firmware development, release discipline, and maintainability across connected and non-connected product lines (RF/RTK/GPS).
• Partner with Hardware Engineering, Product, and Operations to ensure integrated system performance across electronics, firmware, apps, and cloud services.
• Quality Engineering Strategy & QA Leadership Lead the QA/Quality Engineering function across software and firmware; establish robust validation frameworks and release readiness expectations.
• Revamp quality strategy, including test architecture (automation strategy and tooling), environments, and quality gates aligned to consumer products and IoT ecosystems.
• Improve quality outcomes through prevention-oriented practices (clear acceptance criteria, shift-left testing, telemetry/observability, defect escape reduction).
• Organization Design, Capacity Planning, and Hybrid Workforce Model Build and scale a high-performing engineering organization with clear roles, accountability, and leadership mechanisms across software, firmware, and QA.
• Define and implement a capacity model to support roadmap planning, allocation decisions, forecasting, and transparent tradeoffs across run/support and new development.
• Design and manage a hybrid delivery model that balances internal capability with nearshore teams (staff augmentation and project-based delivery) while maintaining engineering ownership, code quality, and knowledge retention.
• Technology Standards, Reliability, and Security Define and enforce technical standards for cloud and mobile infrastructure, embedded systems, quality practices, and secure SDLC controls.
• Establish operational excellence practices, including observability, incident response, postmortems, and reliability targets appropriate for customer-facing services and connected devices.
• Ensure compliance with relevant cybersecurity, privacy, and regulatory expectations through engineering discipline and partner governance.
• Cross-Functional Leadership & Stakeholder Management Partner closely with Product Management, Hardware Engineering, PMO/Program Leadership, Finance, and Customer Care to translate roadmap priorities into executable plans.
• Communicate progress, risks, and tradeoffs clearly to executive stakeholders; drive alignment across dependencies and shared outcomes.
• Strengthen vendor/partner governance through measurable outcomes, delivery transparency, and performance management.

Benefits

• We offer a collaborative and creative team-oriented work environment where we encourage you to take risks to learn and grow!
• We offer a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, and 401K match.
• In addition we offer a rich wellness program which includes an onsite health clinic, workout facility and of course, we encourage you to bring your dog to work, which is our whole reason for what we do!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees