Senior Director, Home Software Applications

The Senior Director, Home Software Applications is a senior engineering and product strategy leader responsible for defining, building, and scaling the software foundation that powers Generac’s connected home energy ecosystem. This role carries dual responsibility: leading dealer‑facing software applications while owning the platform teams that support consumer‑facing experiences. The scope spans feature teams across PWRcell Battery Storage, PWRmicro Solar Microinverter, Home Standby (HSB) Generator, Load Management, and the Home Energy Management System (HEMS), working in close partnership with the broader platform organization. Feature teams for Smart Thermostat and Security remain embedded within their respective business units, requiring strong collaboration and alignment across the enterprise.This leader is both a builder and a transformer. Generac’s Home Software organization is in the midst of a significant evolution, reshaping how software is designed, developed, and delivered in an increasingly AI‑native world. The Senior Director will accelerate this transformation by embedding AI‑assisted development practices across teams, evolving team topologies to maximize scale and leverage, and delivering intelligent, data‑driven features across every customer touchpoint. Success in this role requires hands‑on experience deploying large language models in production—specifically Claude Code—paired with the ability to partner closely with Platform Product Management, Software Platform leadership, business unit leaders, engineering, design, hardware, and go‑to‑market teams to define and execute platform strategy at scale.This role is on-site, preferably in Oakland, CA or Toronto.ResponsibilitiesOwn and drive the technical and product strategy for the Home Software Applications across its full scope:Ownership of dealer-facing software platforms (portals, commissioning tools, remote diagnostics, field service applications)Platform team ownership for consumer-facing mobile and cloud applications; direct feature team ownership for PWRcell, PWRmicro, HSB Generator, Load Management, and HEMSAccelerate the ongoing AI transformation of the software engineering organization, embed AI-assisted development practices, retool workflows, evolve team topologies, and build a culture of continuous learning; leverage hands-on experience with Claude via Amazon Bedrock to lead credibly and drive product innovationLead, grow, and develop a high-performing engineering organization of 25–50 engineers across multiple squads and disciplines; establish clear career paths, talent development programs, and a strong engineering culturePartner with the CTO, Home to define multi-year platform architecture and technology strategy; ensure alignment with Generac's broader corporate strategy and Home business objectivesDrive platform reliability, scalability, and security across all software components; establish engineering standards, best practices, and quality frameworks appropriate for connected home energy systemsCollaborate with Platform Product Management to define and evolve the platform roadmap, ensuring shared infrastructure capabilities enable and accelerate all business unit feature teamsPartner closely with Business Unit leaders and Business Unit Engineering leaders to align platform capabilities with product line needs, clarify ownership boundaries, and resolve cross-team dependencies efficientlyCollaborate with the UI/UX Design and Research team to ensure customer and dealer-facing experiences are informed by deep user insight and meet Generac's quality standards for usability and accessibilityLead the engineering strategy for intelligent home energy features — including predictive load management, AI-driven energy optimization, demand response, and personalized energy insightsManage platform-level technology partnerships and third-party integrations, including consumer ecosystem platforms, utility APIs, grid operators, and OEM technology providersEstablish and track KPIs for platform health, engineering productivity, and product quality; present progress and strategic updates to CTO and executive leadershipDrive substantial business growth as a direct result of platform capabilities, enabling new business models, unlocking new market segments, and accelerating time-to-market for new productsCollaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, Sales, and Service to ensure platform capabilities are well-understood commercially and support the full customer and dealer lifecycleBasic QualificationsBachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline15+ years of progressive software engineering experience, with at least 5 years in a senior engineering leadership role (Director or above) managing large, multi-disciplinary software teamsDemonstrated experience delivering software products across mobile (iOS/Android), and cloud/backend servicesHands-on, practitioner-level experience building or deploying AI/LLM-powered applications using Claude Code or equivalent LLMProven experience leading or actively participating in an AI-driven engineering transformation, including adopting AI-assisted development tooling, restructuring team workflows, and evolving engineering culturePreferred QualificationsMaster's or PhD in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related disciplineExperience scaling software engineering organizations in the 25–50+ engineer range, including organizational design, hiring strategy, and talent developmentDeep familiarity with AI/ML product development, including cloud-based ML pipelines, predictive energy algorithms, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and LLM-powered user experiencesExperience deploying AI-native developer tooling (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude, internal LLM toolchains) at scale to measurably accelerate engineering velocityBackground in IoT or connected home energy products; strong understanding of device-to-cloud architecture, embedded gateway firmware, OTA update strategies, and edge/cloud data flowsExperience with Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS), demand response, grid services, or utility API integrationsExperience leading full-stack development of dealer or field-technician-facing software platforms, including web portals, commissioning tools, and remote diagnosticsStrong product strategy instincts, ability to synthesize market trends, customer insights, and technical feasibility into a compelling, prioritized platform roadmapDemonstrated experience collaborating deeply with UI/UX Design and User Research teams to translate user insights into high-quality software experiencesTrack record of successfully shipping high-quality consumer-facing and dealer-facing software products with measurable business impactExceptional communication skills, able to translate complex technical strategy into clear narratives for executive audiences, business unit leaders, and external partnersLevel of IndependenceOperates with significant autonomy; sets direction for a large, complex software organization with minimal supervisionRecognized as a senior technical and organizational leader within Generac and externally in the connected home energy software communityAnticipates long-horizon technical and market shifts; proactively shapes platform strategy to position Generac ahead of competitive trendsMakes high-impact decisions on platform architecture, build/buy/partner tradeoffs, AI tooling adoption, and organizational designContributes directly to the development of the Home business unit's functional and technology strategyCoaches, mentors, and develops Directors and Senior Engineering Managers; builds organizational capability for the long termGenerates intellectual capital through thought leadership — internally via standards, frameworks, and engineering practices; externally via industry participationExcellent systems thinking and ability to manage complexity across technology, product, and people dimensions simultaneouslyAdaptable and resilient — able to thrive and lead effectively in a mid-transformation environment where practices, tools, and team structures are actively evolvingGenerac is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The salary range for this role based in (California) is $239,000 – $323,000. This compensation will ultimately be in line with the location in which the position is filled. Final compensation for this role will be determined by various factors such as a candidate’s relevant work experience, skills, certifications and geographic location. This role is eligible for variable compensation including short term and long-term incentives.US "This position includes a comprehensive benefit package that includes medical, dental and vision plans; life, long-term disability, flexible spending and health savings accounts, accrued paid time off, 8 paid Holidays and 401(k) retirement benefits."Can This position includes a comprehensive benefit package that includes medical, dental and vision plans; life, long-term disability, flexible spending and health savings accounts, accrued paid time off, paid Holidays (10 for Ontario, 11 for British Columbia) and RRSP retirement benefits."