Head of Ports Software Development

Wärtsilä is a world leader in marine technology and leading the industry's transformation towards a decarbonised and sustainable future. With the world’s widest portfolio and service network, we – Wärtsilians - deliver efficient, safe and sustainable integrated products and solutions to enhance the business of our customers. The opportunities presented through digitalisation and new technologies are offering a new era of shipping. Did you know that shipping is the world’s most efficient mode of transportation and that 88% of the world's trade is carried by sea?

We want to change the course towards an interconnected and cleaner maritime future and are constantly on the lookout for future-oriented talent to join our team and to work towards enabling sustainable societies through innovation in technology and services - together. Are you ready to jump onboard?

Purpose of the role

Location : Cairns, Queensland and Sydney, NSW 

Leads engineering execution and drives technical excellence across all Vessel Traffic Services product lines and technology domains. The function ensures our VTS solutions meet the highest standards for reliability, scalability, and performance, while directly supporting the company’s product-led growth and global expansion strategy.

Operating at the intersection of technology, product, and solution delivery, the Head of R&D oversees two software engineering teams of five to six engineers each. The role owns the technical roadmap, both functional and non-functional, and ensures the VTS technology domains continuously evolve to meet customer expectations and regulatory requirements in a fast-moving maritime environment.

Why Us

Join Voyage, a product‑led organisation shaping the future of Vessel Traffic Services. You will work on mission‑critical maritime technology that improves safety and operational efficiency worldwide, while leading and influencing modern, scalable VTS platforms with real global impact. You will collaborate closely with international, high‑performing teams in a supportive and innovative environment. 

What will you do.

• Own and execute the engineering strategy for all VTS-related products, platforms, and capabilities.
• Own the long-term technical vision and ensure alignment with product strategy and customer outcomes.
• Partner with Product Management to shape the VTS roadmap, ensuring scalability, modularity, and extensibility of solutions.
• Drive continuous improvement and innovation in VTS technologies, leveraging modern architectures, cloud-native practices, and emerging maritime standards.
• Drive modernization initiatives (e.g., containerization, microservices, event-driven architecture).
• Work with global teams across multiple time zones.
• Lead, mentor, and scale high-performing engineering teams across multiple VTS technology domains
• Collaborate with Product management, Platform Engineering, Customer Teams,
• Contribute to strategic partnerships and technical alliances in the VTS ecosystem.
  
  
  

Key qualifications

• 10+ years in software engineering, with 5+ years in engineering leadership roles, in context that focus on productizing software rather than custom software.
• Demonstrated success delivering mission-critical or safety-critical software systems is a plus (e.g., maritime, aerospace, transportation, defense, or others) .
• Proven experience leading multi-team engineering organizations in a SaaS or platform environment.
• Deep knowledge of real-time control systems, sensor integration, data streaming, and/or maritime communications (AIS, radar, etc.) preferred.
• Familiarity with secure software development practices and regulatory compliance.
  
  
  

Preferred Domain Experience (Highly Advantageous)

• Maritime VTS, coastal surveillance, or navigation technology solutions
• Sensor fusion and maritime situational awareness platforms
• Large-scale distributed systems or mission-critical SaaS products
  
  
  

Last application date: 05/02/2026 

At Wärtsilä we value, respect and embrace all our differences, and are committed to diversity, inclusion and equal employment opportunities; everyone can be their true self and succeed based on their job-relevant merits and abilities. 

Please note that according to Wärtsilä policy, voluntary consent for a security check may be required from candidates being considered for this position, depending on the applicable country.

This is Wärtsilä 

Wärtsilä is a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. Our team of 18,300 professionals, in more than 230 locations in 77 countries, shape the decarbonisation transformation of our industries across the globe. Read more on www.wartsila.com. 

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