Software Engineer

Job Description

Position: Senior Manager - Software Engineering (Solar Tracker Systems)

Location: Chennai India

Department: R&D

Reporting to: VP of engineering

About FTC Solar Inc

FTC Solar is a fast growing, global provider of solar tracker systems, technology, software, and engineering services. We are as passionate about renewable energy as we are about our culture and values. We want to attract likeminded individuals who live and breathe Integrity, Accountability, Innovation and Excellence. Were humble enough to know that we dont know everything, so we love bold ideas that disrupt the status quo. Basically, we dont want you to just fall in line!

The Role

We are looking for a Senior Manager (Software Engineering) to lead the team responsible for our solar tracker software stack - Zone Controller, Row Controller, backend services, REST APIs, cloud integration, and field device communication. The role covers everything from embedded Linux devices in the field (Raspberry Pi, Toradex) to Azure Cloud-connected backend systems.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role for someone who understands both distributed backend systems and the realities of industrial/field deployments - device communication (MQTT, Modbus, serial/XBee), remote sites, OTA updates, and field-issue debugging. The candidate will manage and mentor a team of software developers, senior engineers, and Zone Controller engineers, own technical architecture and delivery, and be the escalation point when tracker software or communication issues need to be resolved fast - including issues affecting live sites.

Position Key responsibilities:

• Own architecture and technical direction for the Zone Controller / Row Controller software stack, backend services, and REST APIs.
• Guide the team on device communication design across MQTT, Modbus, TCP/IP, and serial/UART/XBee links between Zone Controllers, Row Controllers, sensors, and backend systems.
• Direct development and operation of applications on embedded Linux platforms (Raspberry Pi, Toradex, ARM-based controllers) deployed in the field.
• Oversee Azure Cloud architecture for cloud-connected tracker systems (App Service, Functions, Storage, Key Vault, monitoring).
• Set standards for Docker-based deployment and service management across edge devices and backend systems.
• Act as final escalation for complex production issues - software, Linux, networking, communication protocol, or cloud - including field/site-level tracker issues.
• Drive root-cause analysis on recurring or high-impact field issues and ensure fixes are engineered to be robust, not just patched.
• Own quality standards: code review practices, unit/integration/regression testing, and release validation.
• Own the release process for Zone Controller software: build pipelines, deployment packages, OTA updates, and rollout validation across sites.

People & Team Management

• Manage, mentor, and grow a team spanning junior developers (13 yrs) through senior engineers (5+ yrs) working on backend, cloud, and Zone Controller software.
• Plan and prioritize sprint/backlog work across backend features, tracker configuration features, integration testing, and field-issue fixes.
• Identify skill gaps (Azure, protocols, embedded Linux, distributed systems) and drive upskilling within the team.
• Build a culture of ownership, field-awareness, and debugging discipline - this team's bugs can affect live solar sites.

Delivery & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Coordinate with hardware, QA, DevOps, and field-support teams to ensure smooth Zone Controller / Row Controller integration and deployment.
• Own delivery timelines for tracker software releases, backend features, and cloud integrations.
• Track and report delivery status, technical risk, and field-issue trends to leadership.
• Ensure reliability, scalability, and security across all backend and field-connected systems owned by the team.
• Maintain technical documentation standards across the team.

Required Skills

• 12+ years of professional software development experience, with 23+ years in a technical leadership or engineering management role.
• Strong programming background in Python; able to review and guide code across the team.
• Strong understanding of OOP, SOLID principles, and design patterns.
• Proven experience designing and scaling REST APIs and backend services.
• Solid understanding of distributed systems, microservices, and service-oriented architecture.
• Strong Linux fundamentals, including embedded/edge Linux environments (systems, processes, services, log analysis).
• Practical experience with Azure Cloud (or equivalent) for cloud-connected applications.
• Working knowledge of Docker and container-based deployment (including on edge/embedded devices).
• Experience with Git-based workflows and code review practices at team scale.
• Strong understanding of device communication protocols: MQTT, Modbus, TCP/IP, and/or serial/UART.
• Experience with databases such as MongoDB, PostgreSQL, or MySQL.
• Understanding of multithreading, concurrency, and asynchronous programming.
• Excellent debugging and root-cause analysis skills, including cross-layer issues spanning software, network, and hardware/field communication.
• Strong communication skills - able to work with hardware, QA, field-support, and leadership, and translate field issues into engineering priorities.

Good to Have

• Prior experience in solar tracker, renewable energy, or industrial/OT domains.
• Experience with embedded platforms such as Raspberry Pi, Toradex, or other ARM-based controllers.
• Experience with XBee or other device-to-device wireless communication.
• Experience with OPC-UA, IEC 61850, or other industrial communication standards.
• Exposure to C/C++ or Go.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps or similar).
• Experience with FastAPI, Flask, or Django.
• Understanding of REST API security (OAuth2, JWT, HTTPS, secrets management).
• Experience managing OTA update rollouts across distributed/remote field devices.

Education

Bachelors or masters degree in computer science, Computer Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, or a related field.