Director Of Engineering/Site Lead

Ocho People; Belfast; Hybrid; GBP 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A global trading firm in Belfast is seeking a Technical Site Lead / Director of Engineering to establish a new engineering hub. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience in software engineering, particularly within fintech. Responsibilities include leading the setup, recruitment, and defining the technical roadmap. The role offers an excellent package, bonus, and a chance to shape the company's engineering culture.

Benefits

Excellent package

Long-term growth opportunities

Flexibility in work

Direct collaboration with senior executives

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering experience with a proven record of leading teams.
• Strong background in fintech or trading systems development.
• Deep technical expertise in cloud environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the setup and technical direction of the new engineering site.
• Recruit, develop, and mentor software engineers.
• Define and drive the technical roadmap for systems.

Skills

Software engineering leadership

Backend systems development

Cloud environments expertise

Communication skills

Team scaling experience

Education

Degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

Java/Spring Boot

Python

Rust

Go

AWS

Job description

Technical Site Lead / Director of Engineering - Belfast

Salary: Up to £200K + package (Hybrid role)

About the Company

Our client is a global trading and technology firm establishing a new engineering hub in Belfast. Founded by a team of market technologists and financial engineers, the business builds and operates complex, high-performance systems that power trading, risk management, and portfolio analytics across multiple asset classes.

Having grown rapidly across Asia and Europe, the company is now investing in a strategic expansion into Northern Ireland to build a world‑class engineering function that will drive the next phase of product and platform development.

The Role

As the Technical Site Lead / Director of Engineering, you will be responsible for leading the establishment and growth of the firm's Belfast engineering centre. You'll combine deep technical expertise with proven leadership in scaling high‑performing engineering teams.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the long‑term technology vision, architecture, and engineering culture for a global fintech organisation – while remaining hands‑on enough to guide complex technical decisions across backend systems, trading infrastructure, and cloud‑native services.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the setup and technical direction of the new Belfast engineering site.
• Recruit, develop, and mentor high‑performing software engineers and technical leads.
• Define and drive the technical roadmap for backend and enterprise platform systems.
• Partner closely with global heads of technology, trading, and risk to deliver strategic software solutions.
• Oversee the architecture, scalability, and operational resilience of core trading and risk systems.
• Foster a culture of engineering excellence, continuous improvement, and accountability.
• Represent the Belfast site at a global leadership level, ensuring alignment with the firm's wider product and technology strategy.

Essential Criteria

• 10+ years of software engineering experience with a proven record of leading teams or engineering organisations.
• Strong background in backend or distributed systems development within fintech, trading, or financial markets.
• Deep technical expertise in cloud environments (AWS or similar).
• Excellent understanding of software architecture, design patterns, and high‑performance systems.
• Experience building or scaling engineering teams from the ground up.
• Strong communication and leadership skills, capable of influencing senior stakeholders globally.
• Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (postgraduate qualification a plus).

Desirable Experience

• Prior experience in a global trading or investment platform environment.
• Knowledge of modern backend stacks such as Java/Spring Boot, Python, Rust or Go.
• Exposure to data‑driven architectures and real‑time event processing systems.

Why Join

• Build and lead a new engineering hub for a global fintech firm from day one.
• Work directly with senior executives and technology leaders shaping the company's strategic direction.
• Autonomy to define processes, culture, and best practices from the ground up.
• Excellent package, bonus, and flexibility – plus long‑term growth into a senior global leadership role.

How to Apply

If you're an experienced technical leader ready to establish and grow a world‑class engineering function in Belfast, we'd love to hear from you. Please apply via this link or contact Phil Gamble directly for a confidential conversation via LinkedIn or WhatsApp.

About Phil Gamble

Phil Gamble has over 20 years of experience in the Tech recruitment industry, successfully delivering on challenging IT leadership recruitment campaigns in global fintech and software organisations across the US, UK, and Ireland.

Recent LinkedIn Testimonials:
“Phil was by far the best recruiter I have ever dealt with… I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Phil to my friends or colleagues.”
“Phil has helped me find new roles more than once… Phil takes the time to understand what it is I'm looking for…”
“I cannot recommend Phil and Ocho enough… Phil is a professional who does not treat his candidates as resources.”