Head of Software - Mandarin Speaking

Head of Software, Mandarin Speaking Essential Fully remote (UK) · Travel to China as required Salary up to £80,000 + Benefits KO2 is working exclusively with a growing UK business on this search for a new Head of Software. They run connected devices, apps and payments across the UK and international markets. They want a hands-on Head of Software to own their software, systems and the China-based development team behind them. The successful candidate will personally review and amend code where needed, configure systems, test changes and resolve technical issues, alongside managing development priorities and team performance. Work closely with Operations, Customer Service, Sales, Finance and international partners to turn business needs into clear requirements and ensure solutions work in practice. An initial priority is to assess the existing software team, architecture, development practices and costs, then recommend the resources and improvements needed to deliver reliable systems and value for money. This is not a leadership job where you stop coding. You'll review and change code yourself, test releases, chase down faults and lead the team. You'll be the link between the UK business and the engineers in China. Nice to have: experience with China-based teams, IoT or connected devices, Android or embedded systems, payment integrations, Zoho CRM, or restructuring a software function. Tech environment: Swift, Kotlin, React Native, JavaScript, Vue.js, Java, Spring Boot, C, MySQL. Why this role? You'll have real ownership. You'll set the software roadmap, shape the team and report directly to the senior leadership team. You'll make a visible difference early. The first job is to assess the team, architecture and costs, then recommend changes and see them through. It's varied. You'll work across apps, IoT devices, payments, CRM and internal systems. It's fully remote in the UK, with trips to China to work alongside the development team.What you'll do Lead the China-based development team. Set priorities, hold the team to delivery and quality, and decide where resources should be kept, built up or restructured. Take over from the outgoing lead and check the handover. Secure access to code, systems and suppliers, and bring all repositories, hosting and accounts under UK ownership. Review the architecture, code, databases and integrations, and put proper testing, release, security and backup controls in place. Turn business needs into clear specs, run a shared roadmap and report progress and spend to the senior leadership team every month. Support Operations, Customer Service, Sales and international partners. Own the issue log and fix recurring problems at the source. Manage internal systems, including the CRM setup and upgradesWhat you'll bring Fluent spoken and written Mandarin and English. This is essential. You'll be leading detailed technical discussions in both. Willingness to travel to China for team assessment, development and testing. Experience in software engineering, including experience leading developers or technical delivery. Current, practical skills in debugging, code review and systems troubleshooting. Experience managing remote or overseas teams and judging architecture, estimates and spend. Solid knowledge of cloud infrastructure, databases, APIs and integrations. Good commercial judgement, clear communication and practical use of AI tools in your work.Interested? This role is handled exclusively by KO2. To apply or have a confidential conversation, contact Laurence Powell or Andrew Knight at KO2 today