Manager, R&D

Position Description:

Vocera, now a part of Stryker, is seeking an experienced technical R&D manager with a strong background in software engineering and the cloud domain, coupled with excellent people management skills. In this role, you will mentor and lead a team, driving innovation and delivering high-quality enterprise-class products. You will oversee software development, support, and testing, ensuring the scalability, longevity, and reliability of product releases.

What will you do:

Technical & Management Responsibilities:

• Experience managing the development, testing, and deployment of a mission-critical Java-based backend platform serving customers.

• Provide technical leadership and guidance to the team in one or more of the following areas. (Java, Kotlin, Databases, Security, Observability, Infrastructure, Containerization, CI/CD, Cloud)

• Collaborate with teams in North America, Technical Support, Escalations, and DevOps to anticipate and mitigate project issues as well as troubleshoot issues encountered by customers.

• Deliver high-quality releases on legacy platform, including bug-fixes, security patches, and features as needed.

• Determine project staff assignments and schedule work to meet completion dates and R&D deliverables. 

• Build and mentor a high-performing team, fostering an environment of trust, psychological safety, and continuous learning.

• Lead with empathy and inclusion, fostering a culture where team members feel supported, challenged, and valued.

• Balance technical innovation with practical execution, ensuring high-quality releases at a rapid pace.

• Provide regular coaching and career development opportunities to help engineers grow their skills and advance in their careers.

• Experience executing a talent and performance management strategy.

• Promote a culture of collaboration, open communication, and shared ownership. 

What you will need:

Technical Skills:

• Proficient in building robust back-end applications using Java, Spring Boot / Spring Framework. Knowledge of Kotlin is a strong plus.

• Hands-on expertise with Kafka Confluent for event streaming and message brokering.

• Experience with containerization and orchestration of Java applications with tools such as Docker and Kubernetes.

• Knowledge of microservice architecture, including designing, developing, and deploying scalable services.

• Knowledge of enterprise-grade observability tools (Datadog, Splunk, Prometheus, or other)is a strong plus.

• Strong experience with CI/CD pipelines using tools such as Jenkins, Gitlab CI/CD, or similar technologies.

• Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure, and their associated services.

• A basic understanding of application security, identity management, and vulnerability management strategies is a strong plus.

• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to analyze complex technical issues and develop creative solutions.

• Good communication skills and the ability to work in Agile development environments. 

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field required. A master's degree in a related field is preferred.

• 12+ years applicable experience, with 4+ years direct people management experience.

• Strong hands-on development background in Java, Kotlin, or a similar programming language preferred.