Dominic Townsend

Lead multiple product teams delivering planning, reporting, and AI-assisted insights, with a focus on outcome-driven delivery and developer empowerment.

• Coached and supported three cross-functional teams operating under an Inspired product operating model.
• Partnered closely with Product Managers to shape priorities, clarify outcomes, and sustain healthy team dynamics.
• Developed engineers from Graduate to Principal through regular feedback, growth plans, and targeted coaching.
• Led an AI capability stream delivering customer-facing AI features, including experimentation with smaller, task-specific LLMs.
• Improved delivery throughput by promoting pragmatic automation and adoption of AI tooling for day-to-day engineering work.

Owned strategy and delivery for the Compliance business unit, aligning product, engineering, and quality outcomes across globally distributed teams.

• Led multiple autonomous teams responsible for compliance and ELD products connecting over 1M vehicles.
• Planned and delivered large initiatives using Kanban and Lean principles, with progress measured via Hoshin/OKRs and DORA metrics.
• Drove a transition toward Continuous Delivery by investing in build, deployment, and test automation.
• Guided architectural decisions for scalability, reliability, and regulatory certification across hardware and software.
• Built high-performing teams through coaching, mentoring, and succession planning across engineering and test disciplines.

Headed the software and testing practice, strengthening delivery capability and raising the quality bar through automation and clear engineering standards.

• Built and led a team of software engineers and automation testers across four squads.
• Established a testing practice with a focus on automation-first approaches and reliable release quality.
• Delivered and maintained internal web services supporting broadband and communications provisioning across NZ and the Philippines.
• Implemented fit-for-purpose agile ways of working aligned to enterprise architecture and commercial constraints.
• Role-modelled company values while coaching engineers, setting goals, and supporting career growth.

Led agile delivery and continuous improvement across consulting and managed services, helping teams deliver value earlier, improve predictability, and focus investment on outcomes.

• Provided delivery leadership across cloud and transformation engagements, tailoring methods to context while keeping a value-first cadence.
• Served as Scrum Master / Project Manager / Product Owner as needed, coordinating dependencies, risks, and stakeholder communications.
• Established the Principal Continual Service Improvement (CSI) function, creating governance and a portfolio approach to ROI-led initiatives.
• Coached teams in Lean, Agile, and DevOps practices; facilitated ceremonies, retrospectives, and continuous improvement loops.
• Built bridges between CSI, Problem Management, and Service teams to form a more integrated operating model.

Directed multidisciplinary engineering delivery in a regulated medical-device environment, strengthening collaboration while recovering delivery timelines on key product work.

• Led software, electronics, firmware, research, and testing functions; contributed as a senior leader across the organisation.
• Created clear plans and accountability to move delayed product work to market within ~2 months.
• Improved cross-disciplinary alignment between engineering, production, marketing, and sales to meet market needs.
• Owned engineering operational planning and budget responsibilities, including resourcing and performance management.
• Maintained compliance with quality system requirements and stage-gate governance while accelerating delivery.

Led a controls engineering team delivering industrial automation solutions for vacuum-based mooring systems, improving engineering effectiveness through process and tooling.

• Managed and mentored 8–12 controls engineers, supporting performance, development, and delivery outcomes.
• Oversaw PLC programming, networking, HMI design, electrical specifications, and end-to-end systems execution.
• Introduced leaner ways of working (including JIRA adoption) to reduce rework and improve delivery predictability.
• Supported FAT/SAT and on-site commissioning internationally; partnered directly with customers through warranty and lifecycle support.
• Drove standardisation of the HMI offering and moved toward more continuous PLC/HMI release practices.

Managed radio firmware teams delivering control firmware for Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth subsystems, balancing deep technical leadership with predictable delivery across multiple sites.

• Led multi-disciplinary firmware, host software, and test capability across regions, including contractors and secondments.
• Improved delivery practices by refining agile procedures, issue tracking, and release/branching approaches.
• Accountable for work assignment, milestones, and technical direction across Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth radio firmware.
• Invested in development and test infrastructure to raise quality and accelerate bring-up and productisation.
• Supported organisational change during the CSR → Samsung transition, including employee-representative responsibilities.

Provided technical leadership for embedded software and electronics, lifting a start-up capability into a more mature engineering function and improving testability of safety-critical systems.

• Led a multi-disciplinary team delivering control electronics and embedded software for micro‑CHP products.
• Introduced issue tracking and structured workflows to improve predictability and engineering maturity.
• Re-architected safety-critical firmware to address quality risks and strengthen verification confidence.
• Built a PC-based test harness and virtual-engine simulation to accelerate failure-mode testing and reduce cycle time.
• Aligned hardware and software release processes in partnership with QA and other engineering disciplines.

Progressed from senior engineer to department leadership, responsible for delivery, people leadership, and operational improvement across multiple embedded firmware teams.

• Led up to seven team managers and ~65 engineers delivering embedded networking software for global markets.
• Introduced and expanded iterative/agile development practices to improve delivery cadence and transparency.
• Owned department budgeting, resourcing, and strategic planning; supported product roadmap and portfolio decisions.
• Managed customer relationships and support escalations while maintaining delivery focus for new features and products.
• Recovered and delivered failing products on time and budget through tighter planning, prioritisation, and execution discipline.

Delivered applied R&D projects for industry and research partners, combining technical delivery with client-facing engagement and small-team leadership.

• Led small teams on multi-year, high-uncertainty R&D programmes from concept through prototyping and delivery.
• Managed project planning, risk, and stakeholder expectations while operating at the edge of available technology.
• Designed and delivered electronic devices for agriculture and industrial applications, including field deployment support.
• Supported business development through technical meetings, demos, and marketing material creation.
• Contributed to development of an image-based sensor solution using CMOS cameras and DSP technology, generating valuable IP.