SMC Squared - Vice President - Application Engineering

Job Title: VP, Application Engineering

Location: Hyderabad

Experience: 15+ Years

Job Type: Full time/Permanent

Notice Period: Immediate to 60 days

Job Description:

SMC is seeking a Vice President, Head of Application Engineering to lead our application engineering organization from our Hyderabad GCC. Reporting to the Head of Engineering, this executive will play a critical role in building and scaling a high-caliber, globally distributed engineering organization spanning India and the United States.

This role combines enterprise-scale engineering leadership with GCC build-out expertise owning both the development of our application ecosystem and the establishment of Hyderabad as a world-class engineering hub.

You will lead teams delivering experiences for a diverse set of users including financial advisors, investors, operations teams, and institutional partners while shaping how work is executed across geographies.

Success in this role requires deep experience leading US-based stakeholders and teams from India, building high-trust cross-border collaboration, and creating a unified engineering culture. At SMC, Product and Engineering operate as one team.

This role is a core partner to Product and Design leadership, helping define strategy, roadmap, and execution while ensuring we deliver scalable, elegant, and commercially impactful solutions.

Key Responsibilities GCC Leadership & Build-Out:

- Establish and scale SMCs Hyderabad GCC as a strategic engineering hub

- Build a high-performing local leadership team and engineering organization from the ground up

- Define and embed operating models that enable seamless collaboration between India and US teams

- Champion a strong, inclusive culture in India that aligns with SMCs global values while reflecting local strengths

- Create a compelling employee value proposition to attract, engage, and retain top engineering talent in the region

Global Team Leadership:

- Lead and scale distributed engineering teams across India and the United States

- Demonstrate proven ability to manage US-based teams and stakeholders from India with high effectiveness and trust

- Drive alignment across time zones, ensuring clarity in priorities, communication, and execution

- Ability to regularly travel back and forth to the U.S. to build relationship and depth and drive a cohesive culture across geographies

- Build a cohesive one team culture across geographies

Application Engineering Vision & Strategy:

- Define and execute the engineering vision for SMCs application layer, including front-end systems and application services

- Partner with Product and Design to shape a cohesive, forward-looking roadmap

- Drive architectural decisions that balance rapid iteration with long-term scalability

Product & Commercial Partnership:

- Act as a true partner to Product leadership in shaping product strategy and prioritization

- Bring strong commercial judgment to engineering decisions, aligning technology investments with business outcomes

- Engage deeply in product design, workflows, and user experience decisions

Engineering Excellence & Craft:

- Champion engineering craftsmanship, quality, and continuous improvement across teams

- Establish best practices in application development, including architecture, testing, performance, and observability

- Build an environment where engineers can thrive and do their best work

Talent Development & Apprenticeship:

- Recruit, develop, and retain exceptional engineering talent in India

- Build strong pipelines with a focus on early-career and emerging talent

- Foster an apprenticeship culture with clear growth paths for engineers and leaders

- Coach and develop leaders across both India and US teams

AI-Driven Engineering Transformation:

- Lead adoption of AI-assisted development practices across the organization

- Implement modern tooling and workflows to improve productivity, quality, and velocity

- Champion AI-enabled engineering practices across global teams

Execution & Delivery:

- Drive high-quality, predictable delivery across multiple teams and products

- Ensure strong alignment between roadmap, execution, and business outcomes

- Balance speed-to-market with architectural integrity

What We are Looking For:

- 15+ years of engineering leadership experience, including building and scaling large application engineering organizations

- Proven experience building or scaling an engineering team in a GCC environment in India, ideally from early stages

- Demonstrated success leading US-based teams and stakeholders from India, with strong cross-cultural leadership skills

- Strong track record in recruiting and developing top-tier engineering talent in India, including building local leadership benches

- Experience creating high-performance, globally distributed teams with aligned culture and operating models

- Deep expertise in modern application architecture and large-scale user-facing systems

- Strong partnership mindset with Product and Design, with the ability to influence strategy and roadmap

- Passion for talent development, mentorship, and building an apprenticeship culture

- Hands-on experience driving adoption of AI in the software development lifecycle at scale

- Experience in complex domains such as fintech, enterprise SaaS, or regulated industries

- Strong executive presence and ability to influence across global leadership teams

Leadership Capabilities:

- Global Talent Builder: Proven ability to attract, develop, and retain top talent across geographies

- GCC Operator: Experience building and scaling India-based engineering centers with strong cultural foundations

- Cross-Cultural Leader: Skilled at leading and aligning distributed teams across India and the US

- Craft-Oriented Leader: Deep commitment to engineering excellence and continuous improvement

- Commercial Mindset: Connects engineering decisions to business outcomes

- Collaborative Partner: Thrives in close partnership with Product, Design, and Platform teams

- Strategic & Pragmatic: Balances long-term vision with execution

Why Join SMC?:

- Build and lead a strategic GCC in Hyderabad from the ground up

- Play a pivotal role in shaping a globally distributed engineering organization

- Create meaningful impact by developing top-tier engineering talent in India

- Partner with world-class Product, Design, and Platform leaders

- Drive innovation in wealth management technology at scale

- Help define the future of engineering at SMC, including AI-driven development

Be part of a mission-driven company focused on empowering financial advisors and their clients

About SMC Squared:

At SMC Squared, people are the foundation of our success. We help leading US and multinational companies accelerate digital transformation by building and managing Global Capability Centres with fully integrated, strategically aligned, and valued teams. Our people-first approach creates opportunities for talented professionals to grow, contribute, and thrive, while enabling organizations to scale intelligently.

As part of Hexaware Technologies a global leader in IT, BPO, and consulting we deliver greater value through enhanced digital capabilities, automation platforms, and a shared commitment to people-centric transformation. Join us and be part of a purpose-driven company where your ideas matter, your work makes a global impact, and your career can reach new heights. Join us and be part of a purpose-driven company where your ideas matter, your work has a global impact, and your career can reach new heights.