Head of Engineering

First Abu Dhabi Bank; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading bank in the UAE is seeking an experienced engineering leader to drive modern engineering practices and foster innovation. You will oversee engineering teams, ensuring quality technology solutions that align with business priorities. Ideal candidates will have a proven background in software engineering leadership, expertise in agile and DevSecOps, and strong skills in talent development. This role offers a dynamic work environment with opportunities for growth.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading large-scale engineering teams across multiple domains.
• Deep understanding of agile delivery models, CI/CD pipelines, and secure coding practices.
• Experience with microservices, containerization, and cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP).
• Ability to collaborate with enterprise architects to ensure technical integrity and scalability.
• Strong focus on coaching, mentoring, and building high-performing engineering teams.
• Effective communication with product owners, delivery managers, and business leaders.

Responsibilities

• Lead the engineering function across the enterprise.
• Drive adoption of modern engineering practices including agile, DevSecOps, and cloud-native development.
• Align engineering capabilities with business priorities and enterprise architecture.
• Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
• Provide leadership and direction to engineering chapters and squads.
• Track and report on engineering KPIs including velocity, quality, and incident rates.

Skills

Software Engineering Leadership

Agile & DevSecOps Expertise

Cloud-Native Development

Architecture Alignment

Talent Development

Stakeholder Collaboration

Job description

Company Description

Join the UAE’s largest bank and one of the world’s largest and safest financial institutions. Our focus is to create value for our employees, customers, shareholders and communities to grow through differentiation, agility and innovation.

We are looking for top talent and your success is our success. Accelerate your growth as you help us reach our goals and advance your career. Be ready to make your mark a top company, in an exciting and dynamic industry.

Job Description

• Lead the engineering function across the enterprise, ensuring delivery of scalable, secure, and high-quality technology solutions.
• Drive adoption of modern engineering practices including agile, DevSecOps, and cloud-native development.
• Align engineering capabilities with business priorities and enterprise architecture.
• Foster a culture of innovation, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure engineering teams are equipped with the right tools, frameworks, and skills to deliver value at speed.
• Provide leadership and direction to engineering chapters and squads.
• Ensure alignment with enterprise architecture, security, and infrastructure teams.
• Promote a culture of innovation, agility, and technical excellence.
• Track and report on engineering KPIs including velocity, quality, and incident rates.
• Support talent acquisition, retention, and career development within engineering
• Define and implement engineering strategy, standards, and frameworks across the organization.
• Lead the adoption of modern engineering tools and practices including CI/CD, test automation, and infrastructure as code.
• Collaborate with product and delivery teams to ensure timely and high-quality releases.
• Drive engineering maturity through capability building, metrics, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure engineering solutions meet security, compliance, and performance requirements.

Qualifications

• Software Engineering Leadership– Proven experience leading large-scale engineering teams across multiple domains.
• Agile & DevSecOps Expertise– Deep understanding of agile delivery models, CI/CD pipelines, and secure coding practices.
• Cloud-Native Development– Experience with microservices, containerization, and cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP).
• Architecture Alignment– Ability to collaborate with enterprise architects to ensure technical integrity and scalability.
• Talent Development– Strong focus on coaching, mentoring, and building high-performing engineering teams.
• Stakeholder Collaboration– Effective communication with product owners, delivery managers, and business leaders.