[Hiring] Technology Director @Critical Software

Role Description

We're looking for a forward-thinking Cluster Technology Director to define, lead and continuously transform the technical vision for our Energy & Critical Infrastructure (ECI) setup. This is where we help utilities, grid operators, and technology providers keep energy flowing safely and reliably. Our teams build and assure the software behind smart metering and smart grids, substation and grid management, renewable energy, and the critical infrastructure that modern life depends on.

As CTD, you own the technical direction of the cluster. You set the architecture principles and reference roadmaps, you are the technical authority for safety-critical and mission-critical energy systems, and you make sure our engineering choices stay credible with customers, sound on cybersecurity and regulation, and reusable across projects. You work closely with multiple teams, raising the technical bar for everyone around you and turning energy-sector complexity into clear, buildable engineering.

Note: this is a single role with global impact across the cluster, open to applications from different cities in Portugal.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering and technical leadership experience, with significant time in energy, utilities, or critical infrastructure and in safety-critical or mission-critical systems
• Strong grasp of the energy ecosystem, from utilities, TSOs and DSOs to OEMs, metering vendors, and technology partners
• Expertise across the relevant architectures: smart metering and grid, head end systems, substation automation, embedded and connected platforms, energy data platforms
• Solid command of cybersecurity, interoperability, and secure design for regulated environments
• A practical view on AI and ML in operational energy, including value, risk, validation, and security
• Ability to communicate complex technical and regulatory topics clearly to customers, teams, and senior leadership
• Leading through influence, mentoring senior technical people across projects and customers
• Strong sense of responsibility toward safety, reliability, quality, and ethics
• Strategic, pragmatic, and resilient, with a bias for clarity, credibility, and execution
• Deeply aligned with Critical Software's mission and values
• Excellent English communication skills

Requirements

• Define and lead the technology vision, principles, and reference roadmaps for the cluster, aligned with company strategy and the company's global direction
• Act as the technical authority for regulated, safety-critical energy software, across metering, head end systems, substations, grid, and renewables
• Grow the cluster on solid foundations, with architectures and assets that scale and get reused across customers
• Set the bar on cybersecurity, interoperability, and secure design for critical infrastructure, working to multiple standards
• Be the escalation point for the hardest architectural, safety, and regulatory calls, and make them fast
• Bring AI into energy delivery where it solves real problems, balancing innovation with security and regulation
• Work with the CTO to build the capabilities that sharpen Critical's edge as a trusted energy engineering partner
• Mentor senior engineers and architects across the cluster, and represent Critical in industry and standards forums

Benefits

• Private health insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme (mental health, legal, financial support)
• Home office support
• Extra holidays: 2 additional days after year one, more as time goes on
• Extra parental leave: 2 additional months fully paid
• Gradual return-to-work support: We’ll help you ease back from long breaks
• Sabbatical programme for long-term employees
• Training, mentorship, and growth opportunities: we'll invest in where you want to go next