Head of Engineering & Software Development

Company Description Head of Engineering & Software Development Montreal, QC | Hybrid, | Full-time | Ayata.AI About Ayata develops AI-powered software for complex problems in the energy and insurance industries. We are looking for a hands-on engineering leader to guide software delivery, cloud infrastructure, engineering practices, and team growth. This role combines practical technical leadership with responsibility for building reliable, secure, and scalable products. Job Description Job Responsibilities and Duties Lead and develop a multidisciplinary software engineering team. Set engineering priorities and translate business and product goals into practical delivery plans. Establish clear standards for architecture, coding, reviews, testing, documentation, releases, and production support. Guide cloud architecture, CI/CD, deployment automation, observability, reliability, and Infrastructure-as-Code. Implement lightweight change management and release controls that support security, traceability, and auditability. Improve delivery quality and predictability while balancing product needs, technical debt, and operational priorities. Work closely with executive leadership, AI teams, customers, and product stakeholders. Remain technically involved through architecture decisions, problem-solving, reviews, and mentoring. Qualifications Qualifications 10+ years of progressive software engineering experience, including 5+ years in engineering or technology leadership. Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field. Experience leading software teams and delivering production-grade cloud applications or SaaS platforms. Strong understanding of software architecture, APIs, testing, security, quality assurance, and modern development practices. Hands-on experience with AWS; Azure or Google Cloud experience is an asset. Experience with Docker, CI/CD, Infrastructure-as-Code, monitoring, and production operations. Proven ability to introduce practical SDLC, change management, documentation, and release practices. Clear communication skills and the ability to work effectively with technical teams, executives, customers, and partners. Additional Qualifications Master’s degree in a relevant field. Experience with Kubernetes and scalable platform architecture. Experience supporting SOC 2, cybersecurity, customer assessments, or other compliance initiatives. Experience in Energy, Industrial Software, Insurance, Operational Optimization, or another regulated industry. Experience helping a growing organization scale its engineering team, delivery practices, and technical platform.