Engineering Development Manager — Traffic Controllers & Remote Management

Engineering Development Manager — Traffic Controllers & Remote Management

Syntell is a leading South African technology company with a proven track record in providing practical, innovative services and systems, including end‑to‑end traffic law enforcement services and systems; and state‑of‑the‑art road traffic management systems offering complete turnkey solutions for intersection installations In addition, we offer local authorities a complete outsource model for prepaid electricity vending and revenue enhancement services.

Build the brain and backbone of South Africa’s intersections

Help build and operate the technology that keeps South Africa moving—across a ~750,000 km national road network (the largest in Africa, top‑10 globally). In Cape Town alone there are ~1,650+ signalised intersections , and Johannesburg manages ~2,000+ —a massive, real‑world canvas for embedded control and city‑scale RMS analytics. Your work will directly improve congestion, safety, and uptime at the country’s most critical junctions.

Join Syntell’s Traffic Systems business to lead the teams that design, build, and operate modern traffic signal controllers (embedded hardware / firmware / software) and a city‑scale RMS (Remote Management System) that monitors, configures, and optimises intersections—including AI (Artificial Intelligence) -powered “green‑wave” optimisation via specialist partners. We specify the hardware, outsource PCB manufacture and component kitting, assemble in our own production facility , and design / maintain our test jigs end‑to‑end. Your remit spans embedded MCU (Microcontroller Unit) firmware, OS (Operating System) drivers, backend, frontend, and cloud—working shoulder‑to‑shoulder with Field Technicians and Production - and leading innovation streams that solve uniquely South African challenges (low‑power / green energy, low‑cost products, vandalism and cable‑theft resilience).

Syntell seeks an Engineering Development Manager, reporting to the Senior Manager Product & Technology Operations. You are an experienced people leader and manager of engineers — equally comfortable mentoring juniors and coaching Senior / Staff / Principal Engineers . You will set the technical and leadership bar, design the organisation (teams, ownership boundaries, succession), and land predictable releases that municipalities can trust—while coordinating multiple stakeholders (Field Operations, Production, Supply Chain, Quality, Product, Sales / Tenders, Compliance, AI partners, outsourced hardware designers / manufacturers) and third‑party vendors such as Sensys, FLIR, Bytefuse AI, Swarco and others . You will ensure all integrations fit a coherent, documented architecture and lead innovation programs tailored to South Africa’s challenges.

Reporting Line Manager : Senior Manager Product & Technology Ops

Impact You’ll Have (Outcomes)

1. Predictable releases across controllers and RMS with clear objectives and service targets (SLA – Service Level Agreement; SLO – Service Level Objective).

2. Reliability and safety : higher availability, lower MTTR (Mean Time To Repair), robust fail‑safe behaviours, and field‑proven diagnostics.

3. Platform fundamentals : security, codebase consistency, disciplined releases, observability, and crisp runbooks.

4. Manufacturing readiness : high first‑pass yields via DFM / DFA (Design for Manufacturing / Assembly), validated HIL / SIL (Hardware / Software‑in‑the‑Loop) testing, and tight engineering change control.

5. Partner integrations that work : third‑party sensors, detection, and optimisation services integrated via stable contracts and conformance tests.

6. Innovation that matters in the South African context : low‑power / green energy, cost‑down designs, anti‑vandalism / anti‑theft resilience—measured by tangible reliability and cost wins.

7. Talent density and succession : clear levels, growth paths, coaching for junior and senior engineers, and reduced key‑person risk.

8. Stakeholder trust : Field Operations, Production, Supply Chain, Product, and Customers experience Engineering as predictable, responsive, and easy to work with.

What You’ll Do (Scope)

• Execution of a rolling roadmap and a quarterly release train in partnership with product management team.
• Make trade‑offs explicit; align plans with tenders, pilots, and municipal rollouts.
• Publish written plans with risks, mitigations, and exit criteria; maintain a single visible backlog.
• Guide architecture for controllers and RMS; ensure coherent interfaces and data contracts.
• Balance new features with platform health (security, performance, maintainability).
• Promote simple, well‑documented interfaces and sensible defaults.
• Establish fit‑for‑purpose CI / CD (Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery), automated testing, and one‑command rollback.
• Implement observability (structured logs, metrics, health endpoints) and incident management with clear ownership.
• Define upgrade / rollback procedures for field hardware and software.

Manufacturing & Test

Integrations & Partnerships

Minimum Qualifications & Experience

Strengths We Value (Nice‑to‑Haves)

Syntell is an equal‑opportunity employer. We value rigorous systems thinking, practical delivery, and leaders who raise the bar for both people and product—while inventing for South Africa’s unique operating realities.

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Seniority level

Employment type

Job function

Industries

#J-18808-Ljbffr