Software Engineering Manager

Company Description

A thriving environment for learning, innovation, and growth.

Why do so many people join MTS Systems Corporation and stay for a career? Because this is a place where you get to apply your creativity, work with smart people on fascinating projects, and make a positive impact on people’s lives. It is a place where you can learn, innovate, and grow professionally.

MTS Systems creates some of the world’s highest performance mechanical testing systems for customers that include Formula 1 teams, leading automotive and aerospace companies and the world’s leading researchers in materials, seismic and other engineering disciplines. Our control software enables these systems to achieve extremely high levels of physical simulation fidelity and performance by enabling advanced controls, data acquisition and modeling capabilities. This role is an opportunity to have a major impact on the current and future real-time control software that powers these leading-edge systems and machines.

Job Description

Primary Objective:

Lead the Software and Research Development group, which is responsible for developing and maintaining software applications and systems control techniques that support the MTS Test & Simulation business. The Software Engineering Manager role has accountability for technology strategy and innovation, talent development and retention, program execution, and software development process excellence.

Major Areas of Accountability:

PEOPLE

• Inspire, lead, recruit, hire, train, and mentor Software and Research Engineers, Product Owners, Scrum Masters, and Software Testers.
• Create an inclusive, positive work environment where people are motivated to do their best.
• Foster collaboration between teams and encourage creative problem solving.
• Demonstrate strong and effective inter-personal and communication skills, with the ability to interact professionally with a diverse group of internal customers, staff, and vendor partners.
• Provide oversight, guidance and review of work performed by the team.
• Conduct performance reviews, track individual's goals, create individual development plans, and manage compensation.
• Ensure appropriate skills mix within the group.
• Develop staff bench strength and knowledge management practices to ensure continuity of critical expertise and skills.

MANAGEMENT

• Apply proven communication skills, problem-solving skills, and best practices to guide the development team on issues related to the design, development, and deployment of mission-critical user application software. 
• Employ project management and resource allocation skills to ensure software development programs deliver on scope, schedule, and cost.
• Provide input to annual operating budget and manage group cost center budget.
• Anticipate operational, program, and implementation issues and develop preventative measures.
• Provide regular feedback to senior management and facilitate communication on project status, justifications for variances and technical information.
• Refine relevant metrics for software development and use as a basis for communication and continuous improvement.
• Define strategic staffing plans based on projected demand making use of external resourcing capacity where applicable.
• Set and hold high work quality standards for the team.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Product Management:
  • Partner in developing and implementing innovative product offerings that deliver differentiating customer value. 
  • Manage conceptual studies to determine feasibility of product ideas. 
  • Develop concepts, cost estimates, and schedules to support product development.

TECHNOLOGY

• Own and maintain the technology roadmaps for key technical competencies within the group.
• Keep abreast of new technology and market developments. 
• Provide strategic, tactical, and functional analysis and direction relative to all software development activities.
• Advocate, evangelize, and implement modern software development best practices.
• Encourage innovation: document trade secrets and/or patent applications around key intellectual property.
• Help translate business requirements into technical needs and actions.
• Communicate about technical, as well as strategic concepts to diverse audiences.
• Foster a systems-engineering mindset: drive consistency in architecture, processes, design documentation and tools across the product portfolio.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 7+ years software development and/or software project management experience in a c