6+ Thought leadership Jobs in India

SOFTWAY

Title: Principal Engineer I 

Department: Technology Services

Vision for the portfolio

The Modernizing Technology & Operations (MTO) portfolio is the driving force behind transformative change for our clients, leading the charge in modernizing technology to elevate our client’s businesses to new heights of success. With a relentless commitment to innovation and excellence, we empower our clients to upgrade, enhance or replace their technology infrastructure, architecture, systems and applications to operate more efficiently, and embrace the latest advancements to stay ahead in their industries. By leveraging a blend of existing and cutting-edge technologies, we catalyze organizational transformation, delivering measurable results and positioning our clients for sustained growth and competitiveness in today's rapidly evolving world.

Overall Purpose of the Position:

As a Principal Engineer I, your position will be crucial in providing leadership, strategic guidance, and technical expertise in the design, implementation, and optimization of technology solutions within digital transformation projects across your portfolio, with a focus on versatility across digital platforms. You will showcase a strong blend of technical acumen, business knowledge, leadership capabilities, and a track record of successful contributions to digital transformation initiatives.

Key Responsibilities and Duties:

Specialization & Work Product: Your responsibilities will involve designing and implementing critical system components. You'll lead by example in writing clean, efficient, and scalable code and well thought through systems. Your expertise will be instrumental in guiding the team through complex challenges and making architectural decisions. You'll conduct reviews, ensuring adherence to standards and promoting a culture of excellence in software development. Your contributions will significantly impact the overall quality and success of the project/s and the portfolio your work within

Teamwork & Collaboration: You'll play a crucial role in fostering a collaborative environment within the projects you serve, and within the Portfolio. You'll mentor other engineers in effective collaboration practices and lead by example in promoting open communication and knowledge sharing. You'll work closely with other members to resolve conflicts, remove obstacles, and ensure the team operates cohesively towards common goals. Your strong teamwork and collaboration skills will be instrumental in driving project success.

Project Roles: You'll assume a lead role/s in different disciplines within projects, overseeing the end-to-end development lifecycle. You'll work closely with project managers to plan and prioritize tasks, allocate resources effectively, and manage project risks. You'll represent the engineering team in project meetings and communicate progress and challenges to stakeholders. Your project role/s will be critical in driving project success and delivering value to the business.

System Design: You'll lead system design efforts, translating business requirements into scalable and resilient architecture solutions. You'll conduct architecture reviews and provide guidance to ensure that designs meet quality attributes such as performance, security, and maintainability. Your expertise in system design will be instrumental in shaping the long-term technical roadmap and strategy of the portfolio.

Learning & Development: You'll champion learning and development initiatives within the team and across the organization. You'll support and mentor other engineers in their career development planning and provide guidance on skill enhancement opportunities longside portfolio managers. You'll advocate for the adoption of new technologies and methodologies to promote innovation and professional growth. Your commitment to learning and development will inspire others to excel and evolve in their positions within the portfolio.

Sales, Account Development & Client Engagement: You'll play a significant role in client engagement activities, acting as a trusted technical advisor and liaison between the engineering team and clients. You'll participate in pre-sales meetings, providing technical insights and contributing to proposal development. You'll cultivate strong client relationships, understanding their business goals and challenges, and aligning technical solutions to address their needs effectively. Your client engagement skills will be critical in driving customer satisfaction and fostering long-term partnerships.

Solution Design & Architecture: You'll lead solution design efforts, translating business requirements into scalable and resilient architecture solutions. You'll conduct architecture reviews and provide guidance to ensure that designs meet quality attributes such as performance, security, and maintainability. Your expertise in solution design will be instrumental in shaping the long-term technical roadmap and strategy of the organization.

Communication: You'll communicate at a strategic level, influencing technical decisions and driving alignment across multiple teams and departments. You'll represent the engineering team in meetings with management and client stakeholders, advocating for technical excellence and innovation. You'll convey complex technical concepts in a compelling and understandable manner, inspiring confidence and trust in your expertise. Your communication skills will be instrumental in driving organizational objectives and fostering a culture of transparency and collaboration.

Innovation, Experimentation & Improvement: You'll champion innovation as a core value of the engineering organization. You'll create an environment that encourages experimentation and risk-taking, where failures are viewed as learning opportunities. You'll allocate time and resources for innovation projects, empowering teams to pursue breakthrough ideas and technologies. Your ability to lead and foster a culture of innovation will drive continuous improvement and differentiation in the marketplace.

Thought Leadership: You'll be recognized as a thought leader both within your portfolio, technology services and the organization as a whole. You'll influence technical decisions and drive consensus on complex issues through your deep understanding and reasoned analysis. You'll represent the engineering organization in external forums and contribute to industry thought leadership through publications, speaking engagements, or participation in standards bodies. Your thought leadership will shape the direction of technology and inspire others to strive for excellence.

Mentorship & Development: You'll collaborate and partner with Managers within the portfolio, other Portfolio's within Tech Services and other functional groups across the organization. You'll invest time and effort in developing their technical and leadership capabilities, providing constructive feedback and coaching to help them overcome challenges and achieve their career goals. Your ability to lead and influence will be a cornerstone of the organization's talent development strategy, ensuring a pipeline of skilled and motivated leaders for the future.

Portfolio Capability Growth: You'll have established a strong list of projects and achievements that reflect your expertise and technical prowess. You'll have led successful initiatives and delivered tangible results that have made a significant impact to your portfolio. You'll continue to grow your experiences by taking on strategic projects and driving innovation and excellence in your domain. Your impact to the portfolio's capability growth will be a testament to your enduring commitment to personal and professional excellence.

Culture & Strategic Initiatives: Within your project teams, the portfolio and the wider Softway organization, you'll support and foster Softway’s culture by living out Softway’s values, principles and behaviors. 

Skills and Qualifications:

Leadership and Project Management:

Strong leadership skills to guide cross-functional teams and drive projects to successful completion.

Proven track record in defining project scopes, establishing timelines, and managing resources effectively.

Ability to prioritize initiatives, allocate resources efficiently, and adapt to changing business requirements.

Experience in risk management, issue resolution, and stakeholder communication to ensure project success.

Business Acumen:

Understanding of business operations and the ability to align technology initiatives with strategic business goals. Knowledge of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices for driving operational efficiencies and competitive advantage. Experience in conducting technology assessments, identifying areas for improvement, and developing technology roadmaps aligned with business objectives.

Problem-Solving and Innovation:

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify root causes of technical challenges and develop effective solutions.

Ability to innovate and propose novel approaches to technology modernization, infrastructure optimization, and process improvement.Experience in evaluating and adopting new technologies, tools, and methodologies to drive continuous improvement and innovation.

Communication and Collaboration:

Excellent communication skills to articulate technical concepts, project status, and recommendations to stakeholders at all levels of the organization. Ability to collaborate effectively with internal teams, external vendors, and business partners to deliver integrated solutions that meet business needs. Experience in facilitating workshops, meetings, and training sessions to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and skill development.

Change Management and Adaptability:

Proficiency in change management principles and practices to facilitate organizational change and adoption of new technologies.

Ability to adapt to evolving business requirements, market dynamics, and technology trends, and lead teams through periods of transition and transformation.

Quality Assurance and Risk Management:

Understanding of quality assurance processes, testing methodologies, and risk management practices to ensure the reliability, security, and performance of technology solutions. Experience in implementing robust security measures, data protection strategies, and compliance frameworks to mitigate risks and ensure regulatory compliance.

Continuous Learning and Development:

Commitment to continuous learning and professional development to stay abreast of industry developments, emerging technologies, and best practices.Willingness to mentor and coach team members, share knowledge and expertise, and foster a culture of learning and growth within the organization.

Certifications:

You will hold one or more certifications aligned with the below domains, As well as others not listed but may be required to support the organization's objectives, growth needs, and/or client solutions.

Advanced Cloud Certifications

Leadership and Project Management Certifications

Business Acumen Certifications

Problem-Solving and Innovation Certifications

Communication and Collaboration Certifications

Change Management and Adaptability Certifications

Quality Assurance and Risk Management Certifications

Continuous Learning and Development Certifications

In Person Meetings & Travel Expectations:

• In-Person Team Meetings: Regular attendance for in-person team meetings is required. 
• Company Meetings / Retreats: Attendance for all Company-wide Meetings and/or Retreats is mandatory.
• Client Visits: Occasional travel for client visits may be necessary. Travel frequency will depend on client requirements and or international travel laws / restrictions.
• International Collaboration (India & US): Willingness to travel to India and/or US as requested to collaborate with cross-functional teams is required. 

Reporting Structure:

Reports directly to the Portfolio Director

Collaboration and Interaction: Engage with cross-functional teams, clients, and stakeholders, participating in collaborative discussions to contribute ideas to enhance project outcomes and growing the portfolio. Foster a teamwork-oriented mindset, attend regular team meetings, share regular feedback as a mentor and seek opportunities for knowledge-sharing of insights and best practices. It includes providing regular updates on portfolio performance and strategic initiatives to leadership, fostering transparency and collaboration.

Adherence to Standards: Consistency in applying coding standards and adherence to Softway's policies.

Direct Response Copywriter:

The Direct Response Copywriter is responsible for creating compelling and effective copy for B2B SaaS-based marketing campaigns. This includes crafting email and social media copy, as well as writing landing page copy and other promotional materials. The ideal candidate will have experience writing direct response copy and a proven track record of increasing conversion rates. The Direct Response Copywriter will work closely with the marketing team to develop and implement successful campaigns.

Conversion Copywriter:

The Conversion Copywriter is responsible for writing persuasive and compelling copy that converts website visitors into customers. This includes writing copy for landing pages, product pages, and other key conversion points on the website. The ideal candidate will have experience in conversion copywriting and a deep understanding of B2B SaaS-based industries. The Conversion Copywriter will work closely with the marketing and sales teams to develop and implement effective conversion strategies.

Thought Leadership Copywriter:

The Thought Leadership Copywriter is responsible for creating engaging and informative content that positions the company as a thought leader in the B2B SaaS industry. This includes writing blog posts, articles, white papers, and other long-form content. The ideal candidate will have experience writing thought leadership content and a deep understanding of B2B SaaS-based industries. The Thought Leadership Copywriter will work closely with the marketing and sales teams to develop and implement a content marketing strategy.

About First Principles

We are a Tech Holding Company and our portfolio companies generate millions in revenue. What is unique about FirstPrinciples is that most of our companies remain controlled and majority owned by First Principles and its team members rather than by external investors. We are proud that our product engineering team builds world class products from India. https://firstprinciples.io/">https://firstprinciples.io/

About this Role

As we scale and build our organisation, we would like to add an individual to our core Technical Leadership who can scale our key products and projects and help us build and foster relationships with Enterprise clients.

We are looking for an experienced Technology Leader to join our fast growing organisation to help us with driving Technical Strategy, Approach and oversee the Implementation for internal and external products. You should be someone who loves Engineering, have amazing debugging skills and slay problems with technology. 

In this role, you will undertake Technical / Solution Architecture and should also be able to help team with Engineering and coding wherever required. That includes, working along with the team, writing code, doing R&D or POCs, ensuring we follow modern industry standards and building beautiful high performing Software and Applications and thus delivering a better solution and product. You will also help FP build strong relationships with clients and technical leadership on the client side.

You would be required to have a minimum of 10+ years of experience with a mix of Engineering, DevOps, Infrastructure, Cyber - Network Security, Enterprise Application Maintenance, Database Management along with Project, Client and People Management skills which are necessary to lead the team and be their voice. You should be a leader and not just a manager who loves delegating things to the off-shore team, but rather someone who would not hesitate to take over Git-Pull and start writing code and show ‘here is how it’s done’ and amaze everyone with your expertise! :-) 

Because this is a Senior role, you would also be involved working with the Product/Project Manager and will be responsible for the delivery and output.

Tech Stack [High-Level]: We are JavaScript focused i.e. we work in ReactJS, NodeJS, AngularJS, TypeForm, TypeScript, Redis. On the server side, we work with AWS/GCP/DO. Database: MySQL, PostgreS and MongoDb. API: REST and GraphQL API. We also have a strong DevOps stack - including Kubernetes(K8), Dockers and CI/CD automation. 

Interview Process: 

• 60 min Discovery Call
• 15 mins introduction and what you bring to the table (We love people who say, “We build the damn table”) 
• 15 min understanding your experience and background
• 15 min on why you want to join our team and your expectations, future plans
• 15 min Q&A
  
  
• 60-90 min Technical Interview  (May be more than 1)
• Technical Call
  
  
• 45-60 min Final Call
• 15 min discussion on results 
• 15 min CTC expectations / negotiations 
• 15 min closure
• 15 min buffer