Director of Software Engineering
Nordson · Colchester
Nordson Test & Inspection, a global leader in world-class metrology equipment and inspection systems, is seeking a highly motivated and talented Director of Software Engineering to join our team in Colchester, United Kingdom. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we are looking for candidates who share that same commitment.
Summary of the role
Nordson XRT is seeking an experienced and visionary Director of Software Engineering to lead and unify a globally distributed software development organization supporting our advanced sorting and inspection technologies. This role will build and lead a high-performing engineering function across teams throughout Europe and Asia.
The successful candidate will combine strong technical leadership, operational excellence, and organizational development capabilities to create a cohesive engineering culture across geographically dispersed teams with diverse histories, skills, and product responsibilities. This leader will balance the delivery of high-priority customer-specific solutions with the execution of strategic product roadmaps, architectural modernization, and long-term business objectives.
A key aspect of the role will be driving the effective adoption of Artificial Intelligence, both within engineering processes to accelerate product development and within Nordson XRT products to enhance customer outcomes, system performance, and operational reliability.
As a member of our team, you will have the opportunity to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment, where your ideas and contributions will be valued and respected.
Role and Responsibilities
Engineering Leadership & Team Development
- Lead and develop a global software engineering organization across Colchester, Feldkirchen, Bangalore, and remote team members throughout Europe and Asia.
- Foster a unified engineering culture that leverages the strengths, expertise, and heritage of multiple development groups.
- Build organizational capability through coaching, mentoring, succession planning, and talent development.
- Support the continued growth and development of global engineering teams while ensuring effective collaboration across locations.
- Promote collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement across all locations.
Product Delivery & Execution
- Ensure predictable, high-quality delivery of both customer-driven projects and strategic product roadmap initiatives.
- Balance short-term business commitments with long-term platform, architecture, and technology investments.
- Implement effective planning, prioritization, resource allocation, and execution frameworks across multiple concurrent projects.
- Establish clear delivery metrics and operational rhythms to improve visibility, predictability, and performance.
- Partner with Product Management, Program Management, and other business leaders to align engineering activities with commercial priorities.
Architecture & Technical Strategy
- Drive the development and adoption of common software architectures, engineering standards, development practices, and shared technology platforms.
- Reduce technical fragmentation by introducing common tools, processes, and development methodologies across teams.
- Guide technical decision-making and investment planning to ensure product scalability, maintainability, security, and reliability.
- Champion modern software engineering practices including DevOps, CI/CD, automated testing, cloud technologies, and data-driven development.
Artificial Intelligence & Innovation
- Lead the strategic adoption of AI technologies throughout the software development lifecycle to improve productivity, quality, and speed of delivery.
- Identify and implement AI-enabled engineering tools to accelerate design, coding, testing, documentation, and support processes.
- Partner with product and business leaders to integrate AI-driven capabilities into Nordson XRT products.
- Explore opportunities to leverage machine learning, predictive analytics, computer vision, and intelligent automation to improve customer productivity, equipment performance, and operational reliability.
- Establish governance and best practices for the responsible and effective use of AI technologies.
Operational & Financial Management
- Manage engineering budgets, staffing plans, vendor relationships, and external development resources.
- Ensure delivery objectives are achieved while operating within corporate financial and resource constraints.
- Drive efficiency improvements through process optimization, standardization, and strategic technology investments.
- Develop business cases and investment proposals supporting technology and capability advancement.
Stakeholder Communication
- Provide clear and proactive communication to senior leadership regarding project status, risks, resource needs, and strategic opportunities.
- Serve as a key member of the Engineering leadership team, contributing to divisional strategy and execution.
- Build strong relationships across Engineering, Product Management, Operations, Sales, Service, and Executive Leadership.
- Effectively manage complex stakeholder environments and conflicting priorities.
Skills and Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related discipline.
- 10+ years of software engineering experience with progressive leadership responsibility.
- Proven experience leading geographically distributed engineering teams across multiple international locations.
- Demonstrated success delivering both customer-specific software solutions and long-term product platforms.
- Experience managing engineering organizations through periods of growth, integration, and transformation.
- Strong understanding of modern software architecture, software development methodologies, and product lifecycle management.
- Experience establishing common engineering processes, tools, and standards across multiple teams.
- Strong financial, operational, and strategic planning capabilities.
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
Preferred Skills and Qualifications
- Experience within industrial automation, machine vision, manufacturing technology, inspection systems, scientific instruments, or related technology sectors.
- Experience leading teams that develop software for hardware-enabled products and complex integrated systems.
- Knowledge of AI, machine learning, computer vision, and data analytics technologies.
- Experience scaling engineering organizations in India and managing global offshore development teams.
- Familiarity with regulated or mission-critical product environments where reliability and performance are essential.
- Strong business and financial acumen.
- Customer-focused approach with strong systems thinking skills.
Travel
Regular travel to suppliers and other XRT sites both in the UK and overseas. 25% typical.
Benefits
We offer a flexible work schedule, a comprehensive benefits package, and opportunities for growth and development.
About Nordson Test & Inspection
Nordson Test & Inspection manufactures world-class metrology equipment and inspection systems to ensure electronic products are built to meet the highest standards. We use X-ray inspection, acoustic imaging, and optical inspection technologies to create testing systems that enable the identification of even the smallest defects at high resolution. By joining our team today, you will help us bring innovative ideas to life.
Nordson Test & Inspection is a global team that works to create machines and systems that improve the manufacturing process for a wide range of industries, including electronics, aerospace, automotive, energy, lighting, and medical. We offer a supportive culture in a growing and dynamic work environment. Whether you're just beginning your career or you're a seasoned professional, there's a place for you to belong at Nordson Test & Inspection.
We offer hourly and salary positions in production, maintenance, customer service, quality, engineering, and more. We actively invest in our teams to help you build your skillsets and advance your career.
Our recruitment process is designed to identify the best qualified candidates for the role, and we are committed to ensuring a fair and equitable interview process. We are looking for candidates who have a passion for inclusion, diversity and equity, and the ability to contribute to a culture where all employees feel valued, respected, and included.
Interested?
If you are interested in being a part of a team that is dedicated to providing advanced inspection and testing solutions and creating an inclusive and diverse workplace, please apply online with your CV.
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