THE ROLE

We are looking for a versatile Technical Lead with expertise spanning software engineering, embedded hardware integration, and creative technologies. Reporting to the Director of Technology Development, you will act as the architectural steward bridging complex systems engineering and cutting-edge artistic applications.

You will take on a technical leadership role focused on product management, validation, integration, and software quality within a multidisciplinary ecosystem of developers, researchers, and integrators working with a highly specialized technology stack: modern C++, QtQuick / QML, web technologies, and numerous open-source tools such as ossia score, GStreamer, and Godot.

If you are passionate about managing open-source software projects, conducting code reviews, coordinating development tasks across a diverse team, and tackling advanced challenges such as high-performance AI model inference in C++ using ONNX Runtime, ultra-low-latency signal processing algorithms, optimization for ARM platforms, or real-time 3D pipeline design, all with the goal of creating tools that use technology to amplify human connection, this position is for you.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Architecture and technical product management: Define, validate with the Director of Technology Development, and evolve high-performance, modular software architectures in modern C++, ensuring ultra-low-latency execution for audiovisual rendering and the processing of inputs, outputs, and sensors across our tools. You will serve as the technical reference for system consistency, robustness, and efficiency while guiding implementation choices in line with our interoperability and openness objectives.
• Contribute to the technical roadmap: Play an active role in defining the technical roadmap for the software and hardware tools developed at the SAT. Help translate stakeholder needs into requirements aligned with the architecture of our tools.
• Hardware integration and edge computing: Lead the lifecycle of physical computing systems. You will oversee the integration of embedded Linux systems, custom sensor arrays, and Single Board Computers (SBCs), ensuring seamless communication using protocols such as OSC, Art-Net, and MIDI. You will lead the development of new open-source protocols for high-performance intermedia applications, particularly for inter-thread communication and heterogeneous computing use cases (CPU ↔ GPU, GPU ↔ GPU, accelerators, etc.). A strong understanding of audio and video encoding challenges, as well as communication protocols used in intermedia systems, is required.
• Cross-platform and engine development: Guide the development of cross-platform human-machine interfaces (HMIs) using Qt and QML. Support the integration of our algorithms into a wide range of software environments, including Max/MSP, TouchDesigner, Python, Godot, Unity / Unreal, and others.
• Open-source management: Act as the primary maintainer of our public repositories on https://github.com/sat-mtl and https://gitlab.com/sat-mtl/. You will manage contributions, conduct rigorous code reviews, and prioritize feature requests from the community, our service projects, and our artist-research residents. You will also represent the SAT at international technology and open-source conferences.
• Technical mentorship and development practices: Support and guide a multidisciplinary team of software developers, embedded systems engineers, and technical artists, ensuring code quality, architectural consistency, and efficient pipelines. You will contribute to implementing Agile methodologies adapted to the iterative and exploratory cycles of research-creation, with a strong focus on code review, solution validation, and the optimization of technical workflows.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience: 5 years of professional experience in software engineering, including at least 3 years in a technical leadership, engineering management, or lead architect role.
• Technology project management tools: Proficiency with tools such as ClickUp, Asana, or Jira, or the project management features available in GitHub or GitLab. Experience managing Agile backlogs across multiple time horizons, from short-term and immediate needs such as one-off events, to service projects lasting several months and multi-year research projects.
• Systems expertise: Expert-level proficiency in modern C++ (C++23), with a strong track record in memory management, concurrency, and performance optimization for real-time systems within complex codebases comprising several hundred thousand lines of code. Strong understanding of the development and deployment of native cross-platform applications, as well as continuous integration and continuous deployment automation best practices.
• Technology stack expertise: Demonstrated advanced professional or academic experience with Qt/QML and an in-depth understanding of game engine architectures. Experience with Godot is strongly preferred, although advanced expertise with Unreal, Unity, or other engines is transferable.
• Planning and code review tools: Strong familiarity with GitLab, GitHub, or a comparable software development platform.
• Hardware expertise: Hands-on experience integrating software with physical hardware, particularly embedded Linux systems, as well as firmware development or sensor integration on platforms such as ESP32, Teensy, or similar systems. Experience with PlatformIO is an asset.
• Open-source experience: A verifiable history of contributing to or maintaining significant open-source projects.
• Languages: Ability to work in a bilingual French and English environment.

ASSETS

• Experience managing technical and product teams, including Product Owner responsibilities.
• Experience with advanced multimedia routing pipelines such as GStreamer and FFmpeg.
• Knowledge of a language or platform optimized for GPU computing, such as CUDA or SYCL, or extensive experience with compute shaders.
• Familiarity with state machine-based sequencing, the ossia ecosystem, or another significant open-source project in the digital arts field.
• Familiarity with synchronization challenges in real-time systems.
• A demonstrated passion for digital arts, live performance technologies, or interactive museum exhibitions.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

• 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday
• Temporary 5-month contract
• Salary: $32/hour
• Start date: November 15, 2026

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The SAT is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and fostering an inclusive workplace that reflects the diversity of its audiences and communities. We encourage women, members of LGBTQ+ communities, members of visible and ethnic minorities, Indigenous peoples, and persons with disabilities to apply.

HOW TO APPLY

Please send your CV, cover letter and/or portfolio by email to [email protected], with “Tech Lead” in the subject line.

Please note that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.