Manager Application Software Engineering, Enschede

Do you get energized by building high-performing teams and delivering systems that work in the real world? Do you combine strong programming skills with the ability to lead, scale, and drive execution? Are you excited to contribute to a technology inflection at the intersection of AI, real-time systems, and human motion - with applications ranging from health and sports to next‑generation robotics? We’d love to have you!

Who is Xsens Xsens is a leading full‑stack provider of sensors, software, and analytics that enable the digitization of movement. Xsens serves the entertainment, humanoid robotics, health&sports and automation&mobility markets. By turning complex motion data into actionable insight, we help our partners accelerate development, improve control and learning, and bring physically intelligent systems to life. We collaborate with leading global innovators including Boston Dynamics, Toyota, Siemens, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Netflix, and 20th Century Studios, alongside more than 1,000 research institutions, humanoid robotics companies and universities worldwide.

Your role as Manager Application Software Engineering at Xsens As Manager Application Software Engineering, you lead and empower a focused, high‑impact team building applications on top of Xsens’ motion platform. Your team develops applications that capture, process, and visualize human motion data, leveraging the Motion Engine as the core platform via the MVN SDK. These applications are central to Xsens’ product offering and have direct impact across health, sports, research, and emerging robotics use cases.

You combine technical leadership, hands‑on engineering, and strong execution. You remain deeply involved in critical parts of the system, leading by example in architecture, performance, and complex problem‑solving. You drive predictable delivery, foster AI‑augmented engineering as a structural advantage, and build a culture of ownership, focus, and continuous improvement.

Your team operates in an Agile, Kanban‑based environment, focused on continuous flow and a predictable monthly release cadence across applications, SDKs, and platforms. You work closely with the Software Architect and senior engineers driving platform evolution, ensuring that application development remains aligned, stable, and focused while platform changes are introduced. You will work on a mature and widely used software platform that has evolved over many years and continues to grow in capability and scale.

Together with senior engineers driving platform evolution, you will ensure that ongoing development remains stable, predictable, and focused, while the system is continuously improved and modernized. You will play a key role in shaping the next generation of motion technology, at the intersection of real‑time systems, AI, and human motion.

Key challenges:

Inspire, coach, and develop the Application Software team, fostering a culture of ownership, accountability, and technical excellence

Drive end‑to‑end delivery of production‑ready systems, ensuring solutions work reliably in real‑world environments

Take ownership of day‑to‑day execution, ensuring work progresses consistently, priorities are clear, and blockers are actively resolved

Own and drive a predictable monthly release cadence, ensuring the team consistently meets delivery commitments with high quality

Lead and evolve a Kanban‑based workflow, optimizing flow, reducing bottlenecks, and improving cycle time and predictability, while working closely with Product Management to ensure clear priorities, planning alignment, and delivery commitments

Protect the focus of key contributors by reducing interruptions, managing priorities, and preventing unnecessary context switching

Balance ongoing platform evolution with feature delivery, ensuring improvements do not negatively impact delivery commitments

Reduce regressions and unintended side effects by strengthening testing, integration practices, and engineering discipline in a complex codebase

Drive system‑level integration across applications, MVN SDK, Motion Engine, and embedded/hardware components

Leverage AI as a force multiplier for engineering output, accelerating development, improving quality, and reducing cycle time

Improve engineering excellence by enhancing CI/CD pipelines, test automation, code quality and maintainability

Increase the team’s delivery capability and output by improving systems, focus, and developer productivity — without increasing team size

Xsens is looking for a pragmatic, hands‑on, and result‑driven leader with a strong “get things done” mentality, who combines technical depth with a focus on execution and delivery.

7+ years of experience in Application Software Engineering

5+ years of experience leading engineering teams

Proven ability to drive execution, delivery, and team performance

Strong hands‑on programming skills in C++ (modern C++17/20), ideally in performance‑critical systems

Strong understanding of software architecture and system design

Experience building complex, real‑world software systems

Ability to collaborate effectively with senior architects and domain experts, balancing long‑term architectural improvements with short‑term delivery needs

Experience with Agile methodologies, preferably Kanban and flow‑based development

Experience with AI‑assisted development tools and workflows

Bachelor / Master’s degree in Computer Science or related

Excellent communication and leadership skills

High proficiency in English and preferably in Dutch

Working at Xsens We value

ingenious

ideas, no matter where they come from. We believe

diverse

thoughts, voices, and backgrounds make us stronger as a company. We know that it is through

collaboration

with people from all walks of life that we make the most positive

impact

as an organization.

Join Xsens’ innovative, ambitious, and international team, where your ideas and talents make an impact. Along with a competitive compensation package, we offer a range of benefits designed to support your well‑being and help you thrive.

28 paid vacation days

with an option to buy, sell, or carry over days, giving you flexibility to manage your time off as appropriate to your situation

Tax perks

for your sports memberships and bicycle purchase; so staying active is easier than ever.

Flexible working hours

and the option to work from home, helping you balance life and work

Paid volunteer time

Through our partnership with Stichting Present, you have the opportunity to give back to the community during office hours

Fuel up with

complimentary fresh fruit in the office

to keep you energized throughout the day

Our partnership with Equip gives you

on‑demand access to a dedicated financial planner

who provides clear guidance and a concrete plan for wealth building, pensions, and major life events.

Enjoy

company social events

as well as

fun, informal activities

organized by our staff association. From movie nights and sports clinics to cooking classes and LAN parties, there’s always something happening to connect and have fun

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