Our client is a groundbreaking technology company developing the next generation of wireless audio devices integrating embedded, mobile, audio, cloud, data science and AI (focus on Machine Learning).

We are looking for a Software Development Leader based in the Los Angeles area (this is a hybrid role with 1x week in-office) with deep expertise in embedded software environments, with startup background.

This is NOT a coding job. It IS a leadership role that requires excellent communication, global team management, make vs. buy decisions, planning and execution with track record demonstrating all of these qualities and more.

We are representing this new role on an exclusive, retained basis.

The Software Development Leader will manage the development of software solutions that deliver cutting-edge audio experiences. They will direct and build a distributed team of internal, contract, and outsourced software resources to deliver quality software that aligns with the company's business goals.

This person will work with the latest technologies in embedded, mobile, audio, cloud, data science and AI (with a focus on machine learning) to deliver new and exciting customer experiences.

A desire to contribute and thrive in a creative lean startup environment is critical.

The successful candidate will report to the VP of Product in Los Angeles, communicating regularly with founders and a global R&D team, contributing to a positive and inclusive culture.

Responsibilities:

• Develop a solid understanding of corporate vision, business goals, and target customers to ensure high-level software development and user experiences for the company's audio technologies. Software must successfully run on various ARM hardware platforms including headphones, portable smart speakers, iOS and Android mobile devices, and other hardware systems.

• Work with leadership, stakeholders, and cross department resources, to develop software roadmaps, business and market cases, use cases, user journeys, and technology feasibility analyses.

• Create a comprehensive architecture for software solutions and provide strategic direction throughout the development process.

• Coordinate software features/function priorities, backlogs, QA/test plans, and MVP, across various departments, DevOps, contractors, partners, and service providers.

• Maintain very close communication and collaboration with the European R&D team to align software and product planning with hardware, firmware, embedded, cloud, backend, natural language process, data analytics, AI development, SaaS, and technology partners.

• Qualify and manage external development agencies as necessary to meet UI/UX, mobile app, or other software development needs.

• Oversee the build of the company's partner dev platform. Ensure that APIs and integration policies are well documented for the SDK.

• Manage the product lifecycle from strategic planning to execution, maintenance, and EOL. Monitoring market performance and feedback. This includes software products, mobile apps, features/functions, cloud services, content, and partner integrations.

• Ensure software compliance with regulatory, privacy and security policies as well as technical standards.

• Stay current on new software technologies, as well as conforming to best practices in cybersecurity.

• Recruit, train, develop, and manage software team and resources.

Required experience:

● Development, deployment, and integration of software solutions for firmware, iOS and Android mobile apps, cloud services, and web front end/back end.

● Proficiency in various programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, flavors of C, Go, and PHP. Working experience developing for Linux, Android, and iOS.

● Design of software architectures for scalability, reliability, and performance.

● Development and management of APIs, SDKs, and platforms.

● Technical project management and management of teams working with tools like Jira, Trello, Slack, MS Teams, G-suite, and others.

● SDLC management and management of teams in an Agile environment.

Required knowledge:

● Software requirements, user stories, use cases, personas, and concept rapid prototyping.

● Technologies behind automatic speech recognition (ASR) and natural language processing (NLP) systems.

● Use cases for AI systems, machine learning, deep learning and neural networks.

Characteristics:

● Adaptable and comfortable with frequent change.

● A leader with excellent communication skills with ability to align at all levels of the business.

Education /Years of relevant experience:

● Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Technical Management, orrelated field

● Or combination of experience and education

● 7+ years relevant professional experience in software development and team management