Head of Software & Digital Engineering

Flip Australia; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Flip Australia is seeking a Head of Software & Digital Engineering to lead our software engineering function, architecture, and delivery across cloud platforms. The role combines technical leadership, people management, and stakeholder coordination to ensure scalable, secure platforms aligned with business goals.

The role requires significant leadership experience, backend/API focus, and a strong grasp of AWS infrastructure, security practices, and CI/CD. On-site, Maroubra, NSW, Australia.

Qualifications

• Significant commercial software engineering leadership experience.
• Strong experience in backend development and API architecture.
• Proven ability to design scalable, secure systems and lead multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end SDLC across Flip's software platforms and manage delivery.
• Define architecture, data models, and engineering standards for the team.
• Lead AWS workloads (EC2, Lambda, API Gateway, RDS, S3, CloudFront, IAM).
• Embed security throughout the software lifecycle with OWASP-aligned controls.
• Lead and mentor software engineers, setting objectives and developing talent.
• Translate business requirements into practical technical delivery plans.

Skills

Software Engineering

Team Leadership

Backend Development

API Architecture

Relational Databases

AWS

Security Practices

CI/CD

Incident Management

Solution Design

Tools

AWS

Job description

Position: Head of Software & Digital Engineering

Nature of employment: Full-time, permanent (38 hours per week, Monday to Friday)

Location: Maroubra, NSW On-site

Reports to: General Manager

Experience required: Min 3 years experience

About the role

The Head of Software & Digital Engineering is responsible for leading Flip's software engineering function, technical architecture, digital platforms, engineering standards, and technology delivery. The role combines technical leadership, people management, software architecture, hands-on engineering, cloud/platform ownership, security, and stakeholder management. The position is accountable for ensuring Flip's technology platforms are secure, reliable, scalable, maintainable, and aligned with business objectives. The role is expected to operate across three levels: Strategic – technology direction, architecture, engineering standards, platform strategy, and technical roadmap. Managerial – people leadership, delivery management, resource planning, mentoring, stakeholder coordination, and team development. Technical – solution design, code reviews, production development, troubleshooting, platform operations, and technical decision-making.

Key responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end Software Development Lifecycle across Flip's software platforms, including planning, requirements clarification, backlog grooming, estimation, development, testing, deployment, release management, and post-release validation
• Define and maintain application, integration, data, and platform architecture, and set technical direction and engineering standards across the development team
• Remain technically engaged in the design and development of production systems, including developing and maintaining applications, APIs, integrations, background workers, and business logic
• Lead the design and operation of workloads hosted within AWS, managing and optimising services including EC2, Lambda, API Gateway, RDS, S3, CloudFront, IAM, networking, and monitoring services
• Embed security practices throughout the engineering lifecycle, including conducting application security reviews, implementing OWASP-aligned controls, and coordinating vulnerability management and penetration testing
• Design and maintain data models, schemas, migrations, and integration processes, and review and optimise database queries and data-access patterns
• Establish and continuously improve build, test, and deployment processes, promoting automated testing and maintaining appropriate pull request, branching, and code-review standards
• Lead, manage, mentor, and develop software engineers, setting clear objectives and supporting professional development
• Lead multiple software and technology projects concurrently, translating business requirements into clear technical delivery plans and managing delivery risks and dependencies
• Work closely with executive management and business stakeholders, translating business requirements into practical technical solutions and communicating technical risks and opportunities

About you

• Significant commercial software engineering experience
• Demonstrated experience leading software engineering teams
• Strong experience with backend development and API architecture
• Strong understanding of relational databases and data modelling
• Experience designing and operating AWS-based infrastructure
• Strong understanding of secure software development practices
• Experience with CI/CD, automated testing, code review, and release management
• Experience managing production incidents and conducting Root Cause Analysis
• Strong architecture and solution-design capability