Software Engineering Director (R&D Operations)
Cadence · China
At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology. Position Summary
We are seeking a highly motivated Development Lead to join our Apex team. The successful candidate will lead software development for Apex in China, provide hands-on technical and operational direction across architecture, design, implementation, build and test automation, CI/CD, defect resolution, and release readiness, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver secure, reliable, and high-quality software releases that support business objectives.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and execute R&D initiatives.
- Collaborate with various internal and external teams to deliver multiple product releases per year.
- Develop and maintain build systems, code coverage, regression testing, and development environments.
- Organize daily scrum meetings to ensure continuous integration and continuous delivery.
- Participate in Sprint planning and Sprint/Release retrospective meetings and provide feedback for planning/improvements.
- Troubleshoot and resolve technical or operational issues.
- Drive process improvements and best practices.
- Participate in weekly technical discussions and provide feasibility analysis.
- Mentor junior team members and contribute to team growth.
Required Qualifications
Education
- Masters in software/computer science/mechanical engineering or related engineering domains
Experience
- 25+ years of experience in the Software Industry with experience in managing CAE R&D
- Experience leading large-scale application development
- Experience delivering predictable releases while managing scope, quality, resources, and dependencies.
- Proven leadership and demonstrated ability for team development
- Strong technical background with proficiency in C++, Python, Windows, Linux, and Test automation
- Proven experience with risk management, agile methodologies, and coordinating across various product groups such as UX, QA, IT, and Support.
- Has a strong understanding of the CAE domain and worked in MSC, Ansys, Ansa or related companies.
- Hands-on experience using AI-assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or similar platforms to improve developer productivity, code quality, test generation, documentation, and engineering workflows.
Technical Leadership Skills
- Ability to provide technical direction across architecture, design, implementation, testing, and release execution.
- Strong capability to evaluate technical trade-offs, guide design reviews, and make sound engineering decisions aligned with product strategy.
- Experience leading geographically distributed engineering teams and coordinating execution across product, QA, IT, support, and release management functions.
- Ability to mentor senior engineers, develop technical leads, and build a culture of engineering ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Proven ability to identify technical risks early, define mitigation plans, and ensure predictable delivery of complex software programs.
- Strong understanding of software quality practices, including automation, code coverage, regression strategy, build stability, and release readiness.
- Ability to communicate complex technical topics clearly to executive stakeholders, product teams, and engineering contributors.
Soft Skills
- Strong people leadership skills with the ability to mentor engineers, set expectations, provide feedback, and build a high-performing delivery-focused team.
- Excellent communication skills for working with engineering teams, product stakeholders, QA, program management, and senior leadership.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make practical decisions under technical and schedule constraints.
- Ability to drive accountability, remove execution blockers, and maintain focus on predictable, high-quality delivery.
- Collaborative mindset with the ability to influence across teams and build alignment around technical priorities and delivery commitments.N/A We’re doing work that matters. Help us solve what others can’t.