Head of Research & Development (Canada)

TAG Software Group is looking for a Head of Research & Development (R&D) to support our EHSQ portfolio of companies. This group leads product innovation, architecture modernization, and AI integration across the portfolio, delivering scalable, cloud-ready solutions and driving technology strategy to maintain market leadership in compliance and risk software.

ABOUT TAG:

TAG Software Group is a team of experienced investors and operators dedicated to acquiring, enhancing, and growing mission-critical software companies serving SMB, enterprise, and public sector customers.

Founded as part of Valsoft Corporation, TAG provides a permanent home for software companies, we don’t buy to sell. Our focus is on long-term partnerships that protect your legacy, employees, and customers.

Our in-house team delivers an efficient, transparent, and seller-friendly process, ensuring speed and certainty of close. Once part of TAG, your company gains access to proven best practices, dedicated value-creation resources, and the extended ecosystem of our sister companies, including proprietary in-house technology including ValPay and Sadie AI — helping your business reach the next level.

INVESTMENT APPROACH:

Unlike private equity and venture capital firms, we are Entrepreneurs who Buy, Enhance and Grow Software Businesses. That’s right; we don’t sell businesses. We form a strategic alliance with existing management teams. We recognize the dedication and perseverance required to create a firm and place a premium on customers’ and workers’ well-being over short-term goals.  

CULTURE:

Valsoft is more than just a place to work; we’re a team. We mean it when we say people are our greatest assets, so investing in them is our number one priority. We create an environment where our employees feel first-day-on-the-job excitement, day after day, creating a culture of high performers and collaboration. We celebrate our milestones, and we’re proud of them. We Dream Big, Stay Humble and Stay Hungry. 

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The Head of Research & Development (R&D) for the EHSQ (Environment, Health, Safety & Quality) Group is a strategic and technical leadership role responsible for driving the next generation of EHSQ software platforms across our portfolio. This executive oversees product innovation, architecture modernization, AI-powered capabilities, and the transformation of legacy product lines into modern, scalable, secure, and cloud-ready solutions. This role partners closely with Professional Services, Customer Success, Sales, Marketing and Executive Leadership to ensure our roadmap, technology stack, and delivery model position the EHSQ group as the market leader in compliance, risk management, operations excellence, and audit/reporting technologies.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Define and execute the long-term R&D vision, technology strategy, and product roadmap for the EHSQ portfolio.
• Lead modernization of legacy systems (Delphi, .NET Framework, legacy SQL Server schemas, jQuery/Kendo) into scalable, modern architectures (.NET 10, Blazor, Angular 18–21, MAUI, containerized cloud environments).
• Establish and enforce engineering standards, coding best practices, QA automation strategies, and DevOps pipelines across multiple product lines.
• Champion cloud transformation initiatives, including containerization, Linux support, horizontal scaling, multi-tenant architecture, and cost-efficient hosting models.
• Drive AI and machine learning adoption across the EHSQ suite to enhance compliance, risk, and operational workflows.
• Lead implementation of AI-powered capabilities including natural-language-to-SQL query generation, compliance gap detection, workflow automation, metadata intelligence, and embedded analytics.
• Guide development of new AI-enhanced products and integrations, including Guardian AI integrations, NL→SQL tools, and advanced analytics solutions.
• Own the end-to-end product lifecycle, from vision and strategy through delivery and continuous improvement.
• Align product prioritization and investment decisions with company objectives and evolving customer needs.
• Oversee all R&D functions, including platform, modules, integrations, mobile, cloud, and analytics development.
• Ensure predictable, high-quality delivery through effective sprint planning, backlog governance, architectural oversight, and release management.
• Partner cross-functionally with Professional Services, QA, and Support to improve scalability, reduce cost of goods sold (COGS), and enhance customer success.
• Build and scale high-performing engineering teams through structured hiring, mentoring, and organisational design.
• Own the technical strategy for security, data privacy, GDPR, SOC2, and operational risk compliance.
• Establish code review standards, architectural governance frameworks, and long-term maintainability practices.
• Drive performance optimisation, scalability planning, and systematic reduction of technical debt.
• Partner with product leadership and key enterprise customers to align R&D priorities with market demands.
• Act as a senior technical representative in customer engagements, roadmap discussions, and enterprise sales cycles.
• Collaborate with central engineering and AI teams to leverage shared platforms, tooling, and strategic investments

Requirements:
• 10+ years progressive software leadership experience, including leading multiple product teams or R&D organizations.
• Proven track record modernizing enterprise software into modern architectures (cloud, containerization, microservices, modular design, modern UI frameworks).
• Experience developing and owning the product vision and lifecycle management, including building deep customer insights.
• Extensive experience with Microsoft and/or mixed-stack environments (.NET Core/8/10, SQL Server, Angular, Blazor, MAUI, REST APIs).
• Demonstrated ability to drive complex roadmap execution across distributed teams and multiple product lines.

ADDITIONAL or PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience building AI-augmented products or integrating AI into enterprise workflows.
• Strong understanding of EHSQ, compliance management, risk management, audit, incident, or related operational domains (preferred, but not required).

Benefits:
• Fully remote, outcome-driven work environment
• Opportunity to collaborate across a global portfolio of high-growth software businesses

Ready to join a collaborative and innovative team where you can make an immediate impact?