Head of Device Software, Span.IO
Electrical equipment manufacturing
Be an early applicant
Electrical equipment manufacturing
201-500 employees
Be an early applicant
201-500 employees
Company mission
To enable homes to get clean energy faster, cheaper and more easily. Impacting climate change is our passion.
Role
Who you are
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field; advanced degree preferred
- Proven experience (typically 10+ years) in software development, with at least 5 years in a leadership role overseeing large-scale software projects or teams
- Deep understanding of embedded systems, firmware development, and mobile device software architecture
- Strong business acumen with experience in strategic planning, budget management, and resource allocation
- Excellent leadership and communication skills, with the ability to inspire and influence cross-functional teams
- Track record of delivering complex software projects on time and within budget, preferably in the consumer electronics or technology industry
- Deeply technical leader with a passion for technology and innovation
- Results-driven with a strong focus on operational excellence and continuous improvement
- Collaborative and team-oriented, with the ability to build consensus and drive change
- Adaptable and resilient in a fast-paced, evolving environment
What the job involves
- SPAN’s Device Software team is responsible for all of the software that is physically embodied in our hardware products. Our first product - the SPAN Panel - contains a complex network of microcontrollers and a single board computer that must work together to react quickly to changing conditions with impeccable reliability in order to perform its job.
- We look for excellent technical leaders who enjoy working with their peers to solve complex problems and prioritize trusting that the people we hire are capable of great things when well supported. Engineers work directly with the broader software, product, and hardware teams to ensure the right things get built at the right time
- As the Head of Device Software, you will lead the strategic direction, development and deployment of software solutions for SPAN’s ranges of device products.
- You will be responsible for driving innovation, ensuring quality and optimization performance across all software aspects of our devices from embedded systems to user interfaces. This role requires a blend of technical expertise, leadership, and business acumen to deliver impactful solutions and results in a dynamic market
- Provide strong leadership and guidance to the engineering teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability
- Provide mentorship and career development opportunities for team members, ensuring a strong talent pipeline and retention of top performers
- Foster a culture of innovation and ongoing improvement, inspiring exploration of new technologies and methods that can enhance our products and team productivity
- Establish clear goals and KPIs for the team, monitoring performance and driving continuous improvement
- Provide technical expertise and guidance to engineering teams, helping to solve complex problems and make critical design decisions
- Stay abreast of emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices, driving continuous improvement and innovation in both hardware and software development
- Define and execute the software strategy aligned with overall business goals and market trends
- Drive innovation in software development processes, technologies, and methodologies to enhance product competitiveness and customer satisfaction
- Collaborate closely with other senior leaders to integrate software strategies with hardware development, sales, and marketing efforts
- Oversee the end-to-end product development process, from requirements gathering and design to testing, deployment, and maintenance
- Ensure that engineering efforts are aligned with product requirements, customer needs, and market trends, delivering high-quality solutions that meet or exceed expectations
- Oversee the end-to-end software development lifecycle, from concept and design to deployment and maintenance
- Ensure timely delivery of high-quality software releases, managing resources effectively to meet project timelines and budget constraints
- Implement best practices in software engineering, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance to meet industry standards and regulatory requirements
- Establish and maintain strategic partnerships with key technology vendors, fostering collaboration and leveraging external expertise to enhance product capabilities
- Negotiate contracts and manage relationships with third-party software suppliers and service providers to optimize costs and ensure quality standards
- Champion a customer-centric approach to software development, gathering and analyzing user feedback to drive product improvements
- Implement robust testing and validation process to ensure reliability, security and scalability of software solution
- Collaborate with product management and design teams to create compelling, intuitive user experiences through software
Our take
Span helps homeowners looking to improve their energy resilience by replacing electric panels, many of them decades old, with a flexible smart panel that helps users monitor and control their energy usage from a single app.
Founded in just 2018, Span has made great strides in both price and technological development and has won the International Builders' Show 2022 Best Energy Efficient Product award for its Gen 2 smart Panel. Significant funding rounds have propelled product development, including a future-looking integration of its equipment with that of solar inverter, battery, and EV charger manufacturers.
This fast-developing and innovative answer to a previously stagnant home energy feature directly caters to the increasing demand for energy efficiency in the home. This is exemplified by a 2024 partnership with PulteGroup, the third-largest homebuilder in the US. With CEO Arch Rao at the helm, previously head of Products, Application & Sales Engineering at Tesla, Span seems likely to continue on its winning streak with increasingly affordable renewable energy products.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Funding (last 2 of 5 rounds)
Apr 2023
$96m
SERIES B
Mar 2022
$90m
SERIES B
Total funding: $229.8m
Company benefits
- Competitive compensation and early equity at a well-funded, fast-growing, venture-backed company (read more on why Amazon and others invested in SPAN here and here)
- A sunny 20,000 sqft hardware lab + office space in SOMA, a stone’s throw from Caltrain and close to BART
- Flexible hours and vacation time - we simultaneously work hard and make space for the important stuff
- Additional SPAN holidays in celebration of causes we believe in (i.e. Black History Day, Women’s History Day, Earth Day and Gay Pride & Juneteenth among others)
- Comprehensive benefits include a choice of medical plans; dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
- Diversity - we are serious about this. SPAN embraces diversity and equal opportunity in a serious way. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds,
Company HQ
SoMa, San Francisco, CA
Articles
Leadership
Arch Padmanabhan Rao
(Founder & CEO )After graduating from Stanford with an MS in Mechanical Engineering, Arch was an Energy Consultant for LCG Consulting and Technical Advisor for The Westly Group. They co-founded Verdigris, which used AI to eliminate electricity waste and was the Head of Products, Application and Sales engineering at Tesla Motors before founding Span.
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