Director of Software Engineering

capitalone; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Capital One UK is seeking a Director of Software Engineering to lead 50+ engineers in a hybrid London role. You will partner with business leaders, drive technical rigor, and align engineering with enterprise roadmaps to deliver measurable outcomes.

You will guide performance, mentor talent, and coordinate with US-based stakeholders while maintaining governance and regulatory compliance in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Proven track record leading large software engineering teams.
• Ability to drive high performance across people, processes and technology.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of 50+ software engineers and architects delivering at-scale engineering in a regulated environment.
• Collaborate with Product and Design to shape the roadmap for key business capabilities.
• Talent development, performance management and establishing patterns and practices for engineering teams.
• Engage enterprise stakeholders, including US-based partners, on cost and risk trade-offs.
• Provide strategic technical direction and contribute to design reviews.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Communication

AWS knowledge

Regulatory awareness

Tools

AWS

Job description

White Collar Factory (95009), United Kingdom, London, LondonDirector of Software Engineering

Job Title: Director of Software Engineering

Location: London - Hybrid

Working Pattern: 3 days in-office (Tuesday-Thursday) and 2 days remote.

Our Mission

We’re on a mission to be a force for good in lending. Throughout our almost 30-year history, we’ve consistently been recognised as a great place to work; in 2026, Capital One was officially ranked 9th in the UK’s Best Workplaces™ list. Hear from our team about what it’s like working at Capital One UK.

About this role

We are looking for a Director of Software Engineering to lead a team of 50+ engineers. We’re looking for someone who is results-oriented, able to partner with business leaders and go toe-to-toe with the best engineers on technical rigour.

You’ll be responsible for all the technologists within a series of our ‘outcome teams’: established to drive forward business outcomes. You’ll be an excellent leader of people and communicator. You’ll be able to seamlessly switch from executive-level progress conversations, to diving deep into solutions, to contributing to strategic discussions around roadmaps. You’ll be able to provide clear thinking and direction to cut through ambiguity.

You’ll be able to partner well with the local business leadership team and with enterprise stakeholders; providing objective assessments of the likely cost and risk trade-offs for different solutions, and clear paths forward.

What you’ll do

• Leadership of a team of 50+ technologists (Software Engineers and Architects): operating engineering at scale within a complex regulated environment
• Work together with Product and Design teams on the overall product roadmap for key business capabilities and goals
• Elevate great talent and ensure you have a clear agenda for development in the team. Actively manage performance across the team to develop talent over time
• Drive for effective delivery with pace and precision across the different outcome teams
• Liaising with and managing enterprise stakeholders primarily based in the US, who often have deep expertise on particular domains
• Manage a team with a blend of associates and third party engineers, and ensure effective oversight of the relevant third parties within the domain.
• Seek and share the context of the wider organisation, its purpose, commitments and opportunities to enable and engage your team with customer and organisational outcomes
• Stay up to date with the latest relevant changes in regulation and enterprise process
• Maintain broad knowledge and awareness of the latest relevant technologies and engineering practices
• Be a key voice in technical design reviews - ensuring a clear and consistent approach to engineering practices
• Support the career growth and development of the team

What we’re looking for

• You’ll have a clear track record of leading large software engineering teams, and a proven track record of driving high performance
• You’ll be able to solve complex challenges across people, process and technology. A high level of intellectual curiosity and comfort with ambiguity is essential. You will have the ability to deep dive on different technology options quickly and provide recommendations on a path forward.
• You will have excellent critical thinking skills and be able to provide thoughtful and effective counsel to leaders across the business
• You’re passionate about recruiting and developing great engineering talent
• You’ll be able to drive results quickly individually, whilst enabling others through the establishing of clear patterns and practices for engineering teams.
• You’ll possess excellent communication skills, with an ability to adapt and communicate compellingly and with authenticity to any audience (including internal and external stakeholders)
• You’ll be aware of the latest native developments within AWS and have real world experience
• You’ll have an understanding of the latest cybersecurity trends and how they impact engineering practice
• You’ll be able to work within enterprise policies/guidelines while customising to fit the UK to strike the right balance
• You’re comfortable in reaching pragmatic outcomes between short-term and long-term business needs

Where and how you'll work

This is a permanent position based in our London office.

We embrace a hybrid approach to work. You'll spend three days a week in the office (Tuesday-Thursday), with Monday and Friday being dedicated work-from-home days.

Our offices are designed to inspire and support you. At our Nottingham head office, you'll find an on-site gym, restaurant and dedicated Learning Loft. Our London office boasts a rooftop running track and coffee bar.

What’s in it for you

We invest in the growth of our people alongside our business. You will have extensive opportunities to learn and develop your career, including access to up to £5,000 in funding for external qualifications.

In addition to career development, our comprehensive benefits package is designed to grow with you, ensuring your wellbeing is prioritised at every stage of your career:

• Wealth & Future: Competitive pension and performance-based bonus schemes
• Holidays: Start with 25 days of annual leave, increasing with tenure. Need more? You have the option to buy 5 additional days.
• Health: Access premium care through our private medical insurance.
• Family Support: We champion your milestones with enhanced parental leave.

A full list of our benefits is available here.

What you should know about how we recruit

We pride ourselves on hiring the best people, not the same people. Building diverse and inclusive teams is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do. We want to work with top talent: whoever you are, whatever you look like, wherever you come from. We know it’s about what you do, not just what you say. That’s why we make our recruitment process fair and accessible. And we offer benefits that attract people at all ages and stages.

We value diversity, inclusion and belonging at our core. We empower our associates to do great work by creating an inclusive culture— one that values diverse perspectives, fosters collaboration and encourages innovative ideas—and a place where associates of all backgrounds can thrive by bringing their most authentic selves to work. We call this our Culture of Belonging, and it rests at the heart of our business.

Our associate-led Business Resource Groups were created to help support our diverse population and include over 10 groups across our offices. Because each Business Resource Group is as unique as the population it serves, they offer a range of activities, networking opportunities, special events and learning programs to associates.

Capital One is committed to diversity in the workplace.

If you require a reasonable adjustment, please contact [e-mail]. All information will be kept confidential and will only be used for the purpose of applying a reasonable adjustment.