AVP, Product Engineering

What is Equisoft? Equisoft is a global provider of digital solutions for insurance and investment, recognized by over 250 of the world's leading financial institutions. We offer a comprehensive ecosystem of scalable solutions that help our customers meet all the challenges brought about by this era of digital transformation, thanks to our business needs-driven approach, industry knowledge, cutting-edge technologies and experts. With its business-driven approach, in-depth industry knowledge, cutting-edge technologies and multicultural team of experts based in North America, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, Equisoft helps its customers meet the challenges of this era of digital transformation. Why Choose Equisoft? With 950+ Employees, We Are a Stable Organization That Offers Career Advancement Opportunities And Fosters a Stimulant Environment. If That’s Not Enough, Then Check Out These Other Perks Below • Hiring Location: Canada (Montreal) • The position is hybrid with up to two days at the office a week. • Full-time Permanent Role • Benefits available day 1: Medical, Dental, Retirement Plan, Telemedicine Program, Employee Assistance Program, etc. • Flexible hours • Number of hours per week: 40 • Educational Support (LinkedIn Learning, LOMA Courses and Equisoft University) Role: The AVP of Product Engineering will lead one of our core engineering organizations, responsible for the architecture, development, and operations of multiple SaaS components that power our insurance technology solutions. This role requires a strategic technical leader who can maximize software output and quality while maintaining strong operational excellence and driving contribution margin improvement. You will manage a team of 100+ engineers, including engineering managers, architects, developers, QA specialists, and DevOps professionals across multiple products and technologies. Your organization will be responsible for the full lifecycle of software components from architecture and development through deployment, operations, and maintenance. Your Day With Equisoft Team Management • Define clear expectations and objectives with the team members; provide appropriate learning tools and activities to attain objectives • Understand the strategic product objectives and translate ensure they are adequately translated into either overall team objectives or individual objectives • Build trust and camaraderie between team members, influence valuable changes and positive outcomes • Consult frequently with team members and have regular touchpoints with each member of the team to discuss progress on goals, engagement, professional development and more • Establish an open discussion for decision-making, foster new ideas coming from team members, encourage and support independent thinking • Cultivate a unique identity for the team; Build a unified department • Recognize and acknowledge the skills of key team members and utilize their strengths to the benefit of the team • Mediate disagreements between members. Set a behavioral code if necessary • Evaluate results and provide feedback in a timely fashion • Share the team’s challenges and successes with the applicable stakeholders • Manage your team’s budget, overall allocations, resource distribution based on seniority level, skillset, etc. • Support the other directors and AVP in various key initiatives at the team, or division level Recruiting and Integration • Actively participate in the selection and interview process, as prescribed by Equisoft’s best practices • Provide hiring approvals for your Managers and Directors’ teams • Hire, develop, and retain top engineering talent across multiple disciplines • Participate in the integration plan, and ensure that new employees receive the necessary support and training to meet the positions’ requirements • Allocate engineering resources effectively across approved R&D projects • Build and mentor high-performing engineering management team • Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement • Develop AI and data expertise within engineering teams to support product roadmaps Financial & Operational Accountability • Own SaaS Margin and Contribution Margin KPIs for your engineering organization • Manage engineering budget and optimize cost-efficiency • Submit technical projects, technical debt initiatives, and maintenance budgets to product investment committee • Implement metrics and processes to track engineering productivity and efficiency • Drive operational excellence including uptime, performance, and defect reduction Engineering Productivity & AI Tooling • Establish comprehensive metrics to measure engineering output, including velocity, cycle time, deployment frequency, and code quality • Implement and drive adoption of AI-powered development tools (copilots, code generation, automated testing, intelligent code review) • Measure and report on productivity gains from AI tooling investments, tracking metrics such as: • Time saved per developer through AI assistance • Code generation adoption rates and quality metrics • Reduction in defect rates through AI-assisted quality checks • Acceleration in feature delivery timelines • ROI on AI tooling investments • Continuously optimize the engineering tool chain to maximize developer efficiency • Create a data-driven culture around productivity measurement and continuous improvement • Share best practices across teams on effective AI tool utilization Cross-Functional Collaboration • Partner closely with Product Management teams to translate requirements into technical solutions • Collaborate with Product teams on project prioritization and resource allocation • Work with GCCP (Global Centre for Cloud & Product) on resourcing and delivery • Engage with implementation and support teams to ensure smooth operations • Participate in executive leadership decisions and strategic planning Key Performance Indicators • SaaS Margin: Optimize operational costs relative to revenue generated by your components • Contribution Margin: Overall profitability of engineering organization including all costs • Engineering Velocity: Maximize output per invested dollar at acceptable quality • AI Tooling ROI: Measurable productivity improvements from AI development tools • Operational Excellence: Uptime, performance, defect rates, and customer satisfaction • Team Health: Employee engagement, retention, and development Skills Development And Training • Identify the weaknesses and suggest areas of improvement in the team • Motivate team members, ensure their good performance and actively contribute to the attainment of the goals and deliverables of the team • Deliver or participate in training sessions to help with the integration of new knowledge and the development of the team’s expertise • Ensure the company’s policies, as well as the standards and best practices are respected Requirements Technical • Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred) • 15+ years of software engineering experience with 8+ years in senior leadership roles • Excellent working proficiency of French and English (spoken and written) • Proven track record leading large engineering organizations (100+ people) • Deep expertise in SaaS architecture, cloud infrastructure (AWS/Azure/GCP), and modern development practices • Strong understanding of engineering economics, P&L management, and contribution margin optimization • Experience measuring and improving engineering productivity through metrics and tooling • Demonstrated success implementing AI-powered development tools and measuring their impact • Experience with insurance or financial services software preferred • Demonstrated ability to build, scale, and mentor high-performing engineering teams • Strong partnership skills working with product management and business stakeholders • Expertise in modern software architecture patterns (microservices, event-driven, API-first) • Strong knowledge of cloud platforms, DevOps, CI/CD, and infrastructure as code • Understanding of AI/ML technologies and integration patterns, including AI-assisted development tools • Experience with engineering metrics, DORA metrics, and productivity measurement frameworks • Experience with multiple programming languages and technology stacks • Knowledge of agile/lean development methodologies Soft Skills • Strong sense of organization and prioritizing • Analytical and problem-solving skills • Ability to communicate, write and synthesize information • Ability to multi-task in a rapid-paced environment • Team spirit, tact, diplomacy, autonomy, rigor, and discipline Equisoft is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.