Head of Engineering

Map Talent Group; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Map Talent Group is seeking a Head of Engineering to lead a sizeable engineering function and evolve its maturity. You will set direction, build capability, and champion modern practices across Product, Architecture, Technology and business stakeholders.

Reporting to CIO, you will influence delivery performance and engineering discipline. You will manage 40–50 engineers with 5–6 direct reports, fostering a high-performing culture, improving velocity and reliability while aligning technology with

Qualifications

• 10+ years’ experience across IT/software engineering, including large-scale and mission-critical environments.
• Experience leading engineering teams and technology professionals (5+ years).
• Strong knowledge of modern cloud, SaaS and service-based architectures.

Responsibilities

• Set and execute the engineering strategy aligned to technology and business objectives.
• Lead, develop and engage a substantial engineering function, attracting and retaining talent.
• Build a strong engineering culture centred on accountability, collaboration, quality and continuous improvement.

Skills

Engineering leadership

People management

Cloud technologies

CI/CD

Agile practices

Stakeholder collaboration

Job description

Head of Engineering

We are partnering with an established and ambitious organisation seeking an accomplished Head of Engineering to lead and evolve a sizeable engineering function through its next stage of maturity.

This is a genuine leadership role with responsibility for the people, engineering practices, technology capability and delivery performance that sit behind critical digital platforms and services.

Reporting to the CIO, you will lead a broad engineering function of approximately 40–50 people, including 5–6 direct reports, and play an influential role in shaping how technology is designed, built and delivered across the organisation.

The Opportunity

The mandate is broader than simply managing software delivery.

You will set the direction for engineering, build a high-performing culture and establish the tools, methods, standards and ways of working that enable teams to deliver quality technology at pace.

You will work closely with Product, Architecture, Technology and business stakeholders to ensure engineering priorities are aligned to broader organisational strategy, while continually improving engineering velocity, reliability and operational resilience.

A key part of the opportunity is creating an environment where talented engineers can do their best work - providing strong leadership, developing capability and encouraging innovation while maintaining appropriate engineering discipline.

You will be responsible for:

• Setting and executing the engineering strategy, aligned to the organisation’s broader technology and business objectives.
• Leading, developing and engaging a substantial engineering function, including attracting and retaining exceptional engineering talent.
• Building a strong engineering culture centred on accountability, collaboration, quality and continuous improvement.
• Establishing and evolving engineering standards, methods, processes, tooling and ways of working.
• Driving greater engineering velocity and reliability across the software development lifecycle.
• Championing modern Agile engineering practices and improving how technology teams work together.
• Partnering closely with Product to ensure technology delivery supports strategic priorities and customer outcomes.
• Driving the adoption of appropriate cloud, SaaS and service-based architectures.
• Strengthening continuous integration and continuous delivery practices.
• Improving operational resilience, including reducing production defects and incident support requirements.
• Ensuring engineering remains aligned with enterprise architecture, internal standards and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Keeping the organisation current with emerging technologies and identifying where new approaches can deliver meaningful value.

About You

You are an experienced technology leader who combines engineering credibility with strong people leadership and commercial judgement.

You understand modern software engineering deeply enough to challenge, coach and guide senior technical teams, but your impact comes from creating clarity, setting direction and enabling others to perform.

You are likely to bring:

• 10+ years’ experience across IT/software engineering, including large-scale and mission-critical environments.
• At least 5 years’ experience leading engineering teams and technology professionals.
• Strong experience with cloud technologies and modern application environments.
• Practical understanding of front-end, back-end and service-based development.
• Significant experience with modern cloud, SaaS and service-oriented architectures.
• Experience across Solution and Data Architecture.
• Strong knowledge of CI/CD and contemporary software engineering practices.
• Demonstrated experience implementing and embedding Agile ways of working.
• Experience partnering with senior business stakeholders, architects, product teams and project/delivery functions.
• A track record of developing high-performing teams and lifting engineering capability.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.

Why This Role?

This is an opportunity to take ownership of a significant engineering function and have a tangible impact on both technology and culture.

The organisation is looking for someone who can move comfortably between strategy, people and execution - someone capable of setting a clear engineering vision while ensuring that vision translates into better delivery, stronger teams and more resilient technology.

For a senior engineering leader who enjoys building capability, modernising ways of working and creating an environment where engineering teams can excel, this represents a compelling leadership opportunity.