Head: Software Development (CH1158)

• Leadership & People Development:

• Attract, recruit, and retain top software development talent with the skills to meet PPL's evolving technology and business needs.
• Build and nurture high-performance, self-organising teams by setting clear expectations, defining team purpose, and promoting continuous learning.
• Provide strategic direction, mentorship, and hands-on coaching to drive excellence in team delivery and personal growth.
• Develop succession planning and manage individual development plans to minimise knowledge concentration risks.
• Cultivate a psychologically safe and inclusive work environment that values diversity, transparency, and emotional intelligence.
• Address performance concerns constructively and manage disciplinary processes where necessary, in collaboration with People Support.
• Software Delivery & Quality:

• Drive the delivery of scalable, maintainable, and secure software systems that meet business objectives and architectural standards.
• Ensure adoption of Agile practices, with a strong emphasis on continuous integration, test automation, and built-in quality frameworks.
• Champion the use of metrics to assess software quality, delivery velocity, and team health-enabling early identification of issues and opportunities for improvement.
• Oversee technical design reviews, code quality assessments, and best practice alignment across all development teams.
• Encourage innovation through technical experimentation while maintaining the stability and integrity of the production environment.
• Ensure all software changes are tested, reviewed, and deployed in compliance with regulatory and internal risk management guidelines.
• Strategic Alignment:

• Translate business strategy into actionable development goals and long-term delivery plans in collaboration with Product and Architecture leads.
• Actively participate in strategic planning forums and ensure software development priorities support the broader mission of the organisation.
• Ensure software delivery initiatives contribute measurable value to business KPIs, including customer experience, operational efficiency, and digital transformation.
• Align technology capabilities with evolving customer and market demands, ensuring that development efforts stay relevant and impactful.
• Process Ownership:

• Define, govern, and continuously improve the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), ensuring it is pragmatic, scalable, and fit for PPL's delivery environment.
• Lead the implementation and evolution of Agile frameworks such as Scrum and Kanban across teams, promoting standardisation without stifling contextual flexibility.
• Monitor adherence to delivery processes, facilitating retrospectives, process audits, and continuous improvement cycles to boost productivity and predictability.
• Design visibility mechanisms like dashboards and information radiators to ensure clear reporting and accountability.
• Align delivery processes with compliance, data protection, and audit requirements.
• Transparency & Communication:

• Foster a culture of open and honest communication within teams and with business stakeholders.
• Maintain transparency on project progress, risks, dependencies, and team capacity using clear visual management tools and performance dashboards.
• Establish mechanisms for regular updates to executives, including milestone tracking, delivery forecasts, and retrospectives.
• Create an environment where innovation, experimentation, and constructive failure are encouraged as learning opportunities.
• Ensure that team goals and outcomes are clearly aligned and communicated across functions.
• Vendor & Budget Oversight:

• Lead the strategic sourcing, onboarding, and management of external development partners and contractors to supplement in-house capability.
• Negotiate and maintain service level agreements (SLAs), ensuring vendors deliver on scope, quality, and time commitments.
• Oversee the software delivery budget (annual and 3-year plans), ensuring effective cost management and ROI on technology investments.
• Monitor vendor performance, mitigate delivery risks, and take corrective actions where contractual obligations are not met.

• Agile expertise: Scrum, Kanban, XP, SAFe.
• Strong communication, facilitation, and coaching skills.
• Secure development, risk mitigation, and compliance awareness.
• DevOps, CI/CD, automation, and code quality metrics.
• Crisis and incident response management.
• Strategic thinking and product-centric delivery mindset.

• Bachelor's Degree or 3-year tertiary qualification in IT (e.g., BSc Info Science, BTech, NDip).
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or equivalent Agile certification.
• 12+ years in IT, including 6+ years leading software development teams.
• Proven success in enterprise software release and Agile delivery.
• Experience with vendor management and contract negotiation.
• Strong technical leadership and team development record.

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Should you not hear from us after 30 days you may consider your application unsuccessful.
• In keeping with our client's employment equity requirements, only South African citizens will be considered.
• Please include your current salary and salary expectations.

Capital H Staffing and Advisory Solutions