Head of Embedded Software, KTEC

KONE is a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, making people’s journeys safe, convenient, and reliable with smart and sustainable People Flow®. In a world where cities are constantly evolving and more and more people choose to live in them, we at KONE stand with one clear aim: to shape the future of cities. We make urban life more vibrant and livable. And we do it by enabling safe, sustainable, and effortless people flow for all. We help cities leave a positive mark on the planet - for the next century and beyond. We shape the future of cities.

KONE Technology and Innovation Unit (KTI) is where the magic happens at KONE. It's where we combine the physical world – escalators and elevators – with smart and connected digital systems. We are changing and improving the way billions of people move within buildings every day. We are on a mission to expand and develop new digital solutions that are based on emerging technologies.

KONE R&D brings together top talent from different disciplines into an industry-leading product and technology organization. We thrive in solving complex customer challenges, connecting legacy with the latest technologies across hardware and software engineering. In fact, roughly half of our R&D roles are in software. Agile ways of working mean that we are better able to meet our customers’ rapidly evolving needs for speed and innovation, in a global environment. Our common goal at KONE is to keep the end users safe and people flow uninterrupted. KONE moves 2 billion people every day and that means our services can really make cities better places to live.

KONE Technology and Engineering Center (KTEC), is the Research, Development and Technology arm of KONE with 2.5 decades of excellence in innovation and execution. KTEC as the global capability center for KONE, employing around 1200 experts, is a technology hub headquartered at Chennai and newly expanded in Pune.

Being a home to KONE Technology and Innovation (KTI) unit in India, KTEC houses a variety of technical competencies across R&D (Software, Hardware, Mechanical domains), Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Innovation, the Global Engineering Center, and Global Spare Parts Supply. Our teams around the clock work on cutting edge technologies, ranging from cloud platforms, embedded systems, and software engineering to Generative AI, data and analytics, business intelligence, and enterprise architecture – just to name a few. In addition to strong technical expertise and capabilities, KTEC proudly hosts the largest global R&D center of KONE among six others, including a state-of-the-art test tower, which opened in 2023. By collaborating to drive innovation globally, we focus on combining physical elevators and escalators with smart, connected digital systems, and developing solutions for smarter, more sustainable urban spaces.

We are looking for a seasoned leader to lead the Embedded Software team at KTEC, and the role is based in Chennai. You will collaborate with a wide range of experts and leaders across India and global R&D location, ensuring that our embedded software products operate flawlessly at customer site.

Role Overview

The role holds a critical position, responsible for the performance of team of 150+ software developers and their development. You will lead and drive the strategy, design, development, and delivery of KTEC’s embedded software solutions, ensuring they align with the company’s innovation roadmap, enhance customer value, and support KONE’s mission of improving urban flow. You will report to Head of KTEC and in dotted line to Head of Software, Finland. Additionally, you will serve as a member of the KTEC R&D Leadership Team (LT) driving strategic priorities for KTEC R&D.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & People Management

• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing embedded software development team.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Drive talent development, succession planning, and capability building.

SW Roadmap Delivery

• Ensure timely delivery of high-quality, safety-compliant embedded solutions.
• Oversee integration of embedded systems with IoT, cloud, and digital services.
• Champion best practices in software engineering, testing, and DevOps for embedded systems.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Management

• Partner with global R&D teams across Europe, Asia, and North America.
• Collaborate with hardware, product, and digital service teams to deliver seamless solutions.
• Represent the Chennai KTEC embedded software function in global forums.

Innovation & Strategy

• Drive adoption of emerging technologies in embedded systems, connectivity, and AI/ML.
• Align embedded software development with KONE’s digital transformation strategy.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards, cybersecurity, and safety regulations.
• Driving Software In Loop simulation capability development

Qualifications

Must-Have

• Bachelor’s/master’s degree in computer science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 12+ years of experience in embedded software development, with at least 5 years in leadership roles.
• Strong expertise in C/C++, Linux/RTOS platforms, and real-time systems.
• Knowledge of Linux IPC, multi-threading, memory management, and debugging tools.
• Experience with IoT, connectivity protocols, and safety-critical systems.
• Proven track record of leading global teams and delivering complex embedded solutions.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and strategic thinking skills.
• Strong command of agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban) and modern DevOps practices.
• Experience of developing and executing successful organizational development, transformation or business strategies and plans
• Proven abilities to achieve tangible results and to develop organizations or business

Nice-to-Have

• Experience with AI/ML toolchains, digital-twin platforms, or real-time data processing.
• Background in building safety-critical or regulated software

Behavioral competences

• Strategic and Business Acumen (KONE Leadership competences)
• Execution (KONE Leadership competences)
• Customer focus (KONE Leadership competences)
• Winning through people (KONE Leadership competences)
• Decision making (KONE Leadership competences)
• Collaborating (KONE Leadership and General competences)
• Integrity (KONE General competences)
• Drive and persistence (KONE General competences)

What are we looking for in an ideal candidate:

• Comes from a modern, forward-thinking tech environment—where innovation is valued more than formality (no need for suits and ties here)
• Demonstrates resilience and tenacity in navigating and overcoming organizational bureaucracy, driving meaningful change against structural inertia
• Passionate about modern software development practices, with hands-on experience and a strong vision for integrating AI tools seamlessly into the daily workflows of developer

What do you get in return?

KONE is building up a unique community, aiming to provide the most advanced People Flow™ solutions for its customers and lifting the customer experience to the top. At KONE, we are focused on creating an innovative and collaborative working culture where we value the contribution of each individual and where we share actively ideas. Sustainability is an integral part of our culture and a daily practice. We are proud to offer a range of opportunities that will support you in achieving your career and personal goals and enable you to live a healthy and balanced life. We believe in improving performance through inspiring, engaging and developing our people.

At KONE, we are focused on creating an innovative and collaborative working culture where we value the contribution of each individual. Employee engagement is a key focus area for us and we encourage participation and the sharing of information and ideas. Sustainability is an integral part of our culture and the daily practice. We follow ethical business practices and we seek to develop a culture of working together where co-workers trust and respect each other and good performance is recognized. In being a great place to work, we are proud to offer a range of experiences and opportunities that will help you to achieve your career and personal goals and enable you to live a healthy and balanced life.

Read more on https://careers.kone.com/en/