Executive Director, System Software Development

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is seeking an Executive Director, Systems Software Development to lead the strategy, development, delivery, quality, productivity, and lifecycle support of the systems software technologies that enable Toshiba's global retail hardware platforms. This executive leader will direct a global, multi-level engineering organization responsible for Linux, SKY, and Android operating system solutions; Open Systems drivers; device drivers and utilities; diagnostics; hardware SDKs; system images and preloads; and supporting technologies required across Toshiba's retail hardware portfolio.

The Executive Director will establish the technical and organizational strategy for Systems Software Development while ensuring predictable execution across new product development, software releases, customer deployments, and lifecycle support. A key expectation is to transform engineering productivity through automation, CI/CD, modern software development practices, and the full implementation and adoption of AI-enabled engineering capabilities throughout the software development lifecycle.

• 15+ years of progressive software, systems software, embedded software, or related product development experience.
• 10+ years of technical and organizational leadership experience with increasing levels of responsibility.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in an executive or senior executive engineering leadership role, including responsibility for managers, senior technical leaders, and complex development organizations.
• Significant experience leading geographically distributed engineering teams and organizations.
• Demonstrated experience delivering complex commercial software products through the complete development lifecycle.
• Strong technical understanding of operating systems, device drivers, hardware/software interfaces, diagnostics, SDKs, and system-level software.
• Experience leading software development requiring close integration between hardware and software.
• Demonstrated ability to establish technology strategy and translate strategy into executable product and engineering roadmaps.
• Proven experience driving measurable improvements in engineering productivity, development cycle time, quality, and speed of execution.
• Demonstrated experience implementing and scaling development automation, automated testing, DevOps, and CI/CD practices across a software engineering organization.
• Demonstrated experience leading implementation and organizational adoption of AI-enabled engineering capabilities beyond experimentation and into production engineering workflows.
• Proven ability to establish measurable AI adoption, productivity, quality, and execution objectives and drive results.
• Experience leading critical customer and field issue resolution across multiple technical and business organizations.
• Experience managing complex development portfolios involving competing priorities, resource constraints, and customer commitments.
• Proven ability to build, develop, and lead high-performing engineering organizations.
• Strong executive communication skills with experience presenting technical strategy, business tradeoffs, risks, investments, and recommendations to senior leadership.

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or a Master of Business Administration (MBA).
• Executive leadership experience within a global technology, software, hardware, or product development organization.
• Experience developing commercial systems software for retail, Point-of-Sale, embedded, or edge-computing environments.
• Deep knowledge of Linux and Android operating system environments.
• Experience with proprietary or specialized operating system platforms.
• Experience developing and supporting device drivers, diagnostics, SDKs, utilities, and system images.
• Experience managing software across multiple hardware generations and extended product lifecycles.
• Knowledge of software security, vulnerability management, and secure development practices.
• Experience leading large-scale engineering transformation involving AI, automation, DevOps, CI/CD, test automation, and engineering productivity.
• Experience with Agile development, modern software engineering toolchains, configuration management, and automated build, test, and release environments.
• Experience managing global engineering organizations and external development partners.
• Experience supporting software platforms used by large enterprise customers operating business-critical systems.

Provide executive leadership for a global engineering organization responsible for the development, integration, validation, release, and lifecycle support of:

• Linux, SKY, and Android operating system solutions
• Open Systems drivers and device drivers/utilities
• Hardware diagnostics
• Hardware Software Development Kits (SDKs)
• System images and preloads
• Supporting system software technologies required to enable Toshiba retail hardware platforms

Lead through multiple levels of management and technical leadership while establishing accountability for product delivery, software quality, engineering productivity, automation, technical excellence, and customer support.

Build organizational capability through workforce planning, talent development, succession planning, performance management, and strategic skills development.

Establish and execute the long-term strategy and technology roadmap for Toshiba's Systems Software portfolio.

Partner with Hardware Architecture, Software Architecture, Product Management, and Development leaders to:

• Define future software platform strategies and roadmaps
• Establish operating system and platform direction
• Align hardware and software architectures
• Evaluate emerging technologies and industry trends
• Increase software reuse and common capabilities
• Reduce platform complexity and technical debt
• Establish lifecycle and migration strategies
• Ensure future hardware platforms can be efficiently enabled and supported across operating environments

Balance customer requirements, innovation, security, maintainability, productivity, development cost, and long-term support requirements when making platform decisions.

Provide executive oversight across the complete Systems Software development lifecycle, including:

• New product enablement
• Operating system releases
• Drivers and utilities development
• Diagnostics solutions
• SDK delivery
• System preloads
• Lifecycle releases
• Customer-specific software requirements

Establish planning, prioritization, resource management, and execution processes that deliver commitments with high levels of predictability, quality, productivity, and transparency.

Partner across Hardware and Software Development organizations to identify and mitigate technical and execution risks early.

Provide executive ownership for the implementation, adoption, execution, and ongoing expansion of AI, automation, and CI/CD capabilities throughout Systems Software Development.

Drive practical AI implementation across:

• Software design and development
• Code generation and review
• Automated testing and test case generation
• Defect identification and root cause analysis
• Requirements management and documentation
• Knowledge management and engineering search
• CI/CD and DevOps workflows
• Engineering planning and estimation
• Customer and field issue resolution
• Repetitive engineering and administrative activities

Advance automation capabilities through:

• Automated build and integration processes
• Automated regression testing
• Validation and quality gate automation
• Configuration management automation
• Release process automation

Establish governance, security, intellectual property protection, development standards, and measurement practices for AI-enabled engineering.

Develop measurable objectives for AI adoption, automation, engineering productivity, software quality, development cycle time, throughput, and speed of execution.

Establish a strong engineering culture that emphasizes quality throughout the software development lifecycle.

Drive continuous improvement in:

• Software design and development practices
• Automated testing and defect prevention
• Release readiness
• Root cause analysis and corrective actions
• Software reliability and maintainability
• Field issue resolution
• Engineering quality and productivity metrics

Provide executive leadership for significant customer and field issues, ensuring rapid resolution, clear accountability, and permanent corrective action.

Leverage lessons learned from customer deployments and field issues to improve architecture, development, validation, automation, and release processes.

Establish a culture where engineering productivity, quality, and speed of execution are continuously measured and improved.

Utilize engineering metrics and KPIs to identify bottlenecks and improve:

• Development cycle time
• Automation coverage
• Test effectiveness
• Software quality
• Release performance
• Technical debt reduction
• Organizational throughput

Lead initiatives focused on:

• Leadership development and succession planning
• Technical, AI, and automation skills development
• Organizational design and workforce planning
• Global resource optimization
• Recruitment and retention of critical talent
• Development of managers and senior technical leaders
• Clear ownership and accountability

Promote collaboration across global engineering locations, encouraging innovation, technical excellence, accountability, knowledge sharing, and continuous learning.

Leads a highly complex global engineering organization responsible for systems software platforms supporting Toshiba's retail hardware portfolio. Balances product delivery, technology strategy, engineering transformation, AI adoption, workforce development, customer commitments, and operational excellence across multiple technologies, products, teams, and geographic regions.

Drives business value through improvements in engineering productivity, software quality, delivery efficiency, workforce optimization, technology investment effectiveness, reduced development costs, accelerated time-to-market, scalable revenue growth, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is a dynamic billion-dollar global company based in Research Triangle Park, NC, providing retail store solutions to your favorite brands.  Have you ever been in a hurry and made use of the self-checkout at Lowe’s Foods, earned fuel rewards at Kroger, or just paid for purchases at retailers such as Walmart, Michaels, Carrefour, The Gap, Calvin Klein, Boots, Cencosud, BJ’s, or Costco?  These are just a few examples of our in-store solutions and impressive customer base that made us the world's installed market share leader.  

The nature of retail is changing quickly, so if you share our 'Together Commerce' vision of a seamless two-way, participatory shopping experience, let’s get together to drive the new economy.  

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, Inc. offers a competitive salary and generous benefits package including the following:

Group health coverage (medical, dental, & vision)
Employee Assistance Programs
Pre-tax spending accounts
401(k) plan (with company match)
Company provided life insurance
Pet Insurance
Employee discounts
Generous paid holiday schedule, paid vacation & sick/personal days

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer that evaluates qualified applicants without regard to age, ancestry, color, religious creed, disability, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, national origin, race, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation or any other protected factor. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. Individuals who need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process should email benefits@toshibagcs.com to request an accommodation. 

We at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions firmly believe that our people are an integral part to the success of our customers. Furthermore, we’re committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for all our people as highlighted by our 5 Core Principles (Create Outreach, Foster Belonging, Unleash Opportunity, Diverse Cultural Engagement and Culture of Transparency).  We’re passionate about our customers in the retail industry and becoming a more responsible company as we help create a brighter future. 

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)