Head of Software Engineering

Location : Mumbai (Hybrid)

Company : Miko AI Robotics for Kids

Company Overview :

Founded in 2015 by IIT Bombay alumni, Miko is a consumer robotics innovation lab passionate about transforming how children learn through technology.

With a mission to bring AI and robotics to every home, Miko combines the strengths of over 200+ interdisciplinary professionals across software engineering, robotics, AI, design, child psychology, and content development.

Our flagship product, Miko 3, is an AI-powered intelligent robot for children aged 510 years.

Designed to educate, entertain, and engage through conversational learning, Miko 3 is powered by proprietary emotional intelligence, multilingual AI, vision & speech recognition, and a dynamic personality engine.

With a presence in over 140+ countries and offices in Mumbai, Silicon Valley, and London, Miko is redefining home learning with the worlds first content on subscription hardware platform for kids.

Role Summary :

As Head of Software Engineering, you will be a core member of Mikos leadership team.

This role is responsible for defining and executing the software architecture vision, managing cross-functional teams, and delivering scalable, secure, high-quality software for our AI-powered robots.

We are looking for a hands-on leader who thrives in fast-paced environments, brings technical depth, leads by example, and is capable of nurturing and scaling high-performing engineering teams.

Key Responsibilities :

Technical Strategy & Architecture :

- Define and execute shortand long-term software architecture roadmaps for Mikos product suite.

- Drive the end-to-end software development lifecyclefrom ideation, design, implementation to deployment and maintenance.

- Collaborate with AI, Embedded, Product, and UX teams to deliver integrated experiences that delight end-users.

Team Leadership :

- Lead and mentor a team of 810+ full-stack engineers (and multiple sub-teams) across backend, frontend, DevOps, and test automation.

- Hire top-tier talent, manage team performance, and facilitate career growth through structured feedback and mentorship.

- Promote a strong engineering culture focused on innovation, quality, and ownership.

Development & Execution :

- Build and maintain robust, low-latency, scalable systems across cloud, mobile, embedded, and Android platforms.

- Guide architectural choices across tech stacks : Java, Spring Boot, MySQL, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, Reactive frameworks (WebFlux/Vert.x), and modern frontend/backend systems.

- Champion DevOps practicesensuring high availability, performance monitoring, and automated testing.

Cross-Functional Collaboration :

- Work with founders, product managers, AI researchers, and designers to align engineering roadmaps with business goals.

- Contribute to product innovation and user experience decisions with a builder's mindset.

Operational Excellence :

- Report on engineering KPIs, delivery milestones, system reliability, and tech debt to executive leadership.

- Continuously improve engineering processes to support high-velocity product development while maintaining code quality.

Requirements :

- 8+ years of software development experience with 3+ years in a senior leadership/architect role.

- Expertise in Full Stack development, especially in enterprise-grade Java-based backends, Spring Boot, RESTful APIs, microservices, SQL databases (MySQL), and CI/CD practices.

- Strong architectural understanding across mobile, embedded, and cloud platforms.

- Experience building complex distributed systems, working with technologies like Docker, Kubernetes, Android, Reactive frameworks, and cloud-native solutions.

- Ability to break down complex problems, provide clear technical direction, and deliver results in an agile environment.

- Exceptional communication and people leadership skills with a proven track record of growing and inspiring engineering teams.

- Passionate about working in a multidisciplinary setup and contributing to impactful products for global consumers.

Why Join Miko?

- Build for impact : Shape the future of consumer robotics for millions of children globally.

- Be part of a visionary team : Work alongside top engineers, scientists, psychologists, and creatives.

- Continuous innovation : Work on proprietary technologies in AI, robotics, emotional intelligence, and adaptive learning.

- Culture of growth : Participate in cross-functional learning, knowledge-sharing sessions, and fast-track career opportunities in a startup environment.

- Diverse and global exposure : Collaborate across borders and backgrounds, with teammates from India, the US, and the UK.