Lankesh Shivanna

Summary

As a seasoned leader with over a decade of experience in software engineering and management, I have a proven track record of delivering high-performance, independent domain teams and building scalable employee engagement solutions. Currently serving as Vice President of Software Engineering at a 700+ person organization, I lead a portfolio of 10 feature teams, each focused on driving innovation and growth for enterprise clients.

My approach is grounded in servant leadership, where empowering teams, fostering collaboration, and enabling autonomy are central to our success. By aligning business metrics with agile product development, I drive results that contribute directly to customer and business value.

I am passionate about creating environments where software delivery is accelerated, and teams are empowered to consistently deliver meaningful outcomes. Throughout my career, I’ve remained committed to developing scalable solutions that not only meet but exceed client expectations.

Experience

Vice President of Engineering

Achievers

Jan 2024 – Present (1 yr 7 mos)

Lead a portfolio of 10 cross-functional feature teams, delivering innovative solutions for enterprise clients.
Define and execute engineering strategy aligned with company vision and long-term business goals.
Foster a culture of innovation, psychological safety, and continuous improvement.
Ensure delivery of scalable, secure, and high-quality software products.
Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion across the engineering organization.
Partner with executive leadership to influence company-wide technology and product direction.
Drive operational excellence through metrics, automation, and process optimization.
Represent engineering in board-level discussions and strategic planning.

Senior Director of Software Engineering

Achievers

Mar 2022 – Jan 2024 (1 yr 11 mos)

Developed and executed strategic technology roadmaps in alignment with business objectives.
Mentored and scaled engineering leadership, including directors and senior managers.
Cultivated a high-performance, collaborative, and psychologically safe engineering culture.
Established engineering OKRs and KPIs to measure success and drive accountability.
Advocated for technical excellence, modern architecture, and DevOps best practices.
Partnered with Product and Design to accelerate delivery and innovation.
Led organizational transformation initiatives, including reorgs and process redesign.

Director of Software Development

Achievers

Nov 2020 – Apr 2022 (1 yr 6 mos)

Translated strategic business goals into actionable engineering plans and roadmaps.
Empowered teams to deliver autonomously while maintaining alignment and accountability.
Implemented scalable processes for code quality, CI/CD, and release management.
Drove cross-functional collaboration across Product, Design, and Customer Success.
Measured and improved team productivity, engagement, and delivery velocity.
Introduced engineering metrics dashboards and continuous feedback loops.

Senior Manager, Software Development

Achievers

Jan 2019 – Nov 2020 (1 yr 11 mos)

Coached engineering managers and team leads to grow leadership capabilities.
Set clear performance expectations and provided regular, actionable feedback.
Ensured consistent delivery of high-quality software across multiple teams.
Promoted a culture of learning, experimentation, and professional development.
Resolved team conflicts and removed organizational blockers to success.
Led hiring and onboarding strategies to scale the engineering team.

Manager, Software Development

Achievers

Jan 2016 – Jan 2019 (3 yrs 1 mo)

Led agile teams in delivering high-impact features with speed and quality.
Facilitated sprint planning, retrospectives, and agile ceremonies to drive team effectiveness.
Supported career development and well-being of engineers through coaching and mentorship.
Collaborated with stakeholders to align on priorities and manage expectations.
Championed engineering excellence through code reviews, testing, and documentation.

Team Lead, Software Development

Achievers

Jan 2014 – Jan 2016 (2 yrs 1 mo)

Led the design and implementation of scalable MySQL database solutions.
Drove architectural decisions to ensure system performance, security, and maintainability.
Mentored developers and fostered a collaborative, growth-oriented team culture.
Delivered complex backend features in PHP 5 and contributed to frontend development.
Partnered with Product Managers to plan and prioritize feature development.

Senior Software Developer

Achievers

Nov 2011 – Nov 2014 (3 yrs 1 mo)

Developed robust backend features using PHP 5 and modern frontend technologies.
Led production deployments and managed staging environments.
Participated in architecture discussions and contributed to high-level design.
Designed and optimized MySQL database schemas and queries.
Actively contributed to Agile ceremonies and cross-functional collaboration.

Technical Associate

Tech Mahindra

Jun 2007 – Jun 2010 (3 yrs 1 mo)

Worked on the OpenReach Siebel CRM application for UK telecom clients.
Designed and implemented workflows, scripts, and EAI integrations in Siebel 7.7.
Delivered technical documentation and conducted knowledge transfer sessions.
Supported performance testing and collaborated with QA teams.
Gained hands-on experience with Oracle 9i, SQL Plus, and Windows 2000 environments.

Summary

Experience

Education

Skills

Certifications

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