Head of Application Engineering

Harvey Nash Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working environment

Competitive salary

Job summary

Harvey Nash Group is seeking an experienced Head of Application Engineering to lead a critical portfolio of business applications within a major digital transformation in the United Kingdom. You will balance strategic transformation with ownership of live, business‑critical systems, directing engineering teams and shaping the future application landscape.

The role requires strong Azure expertise, Agile delivery, DevOps/CI‑CD, vendor management and strong stakeholder communication.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading software development and application support teams.
• Strong background in Azure cloud environments.
• Experience delivering complex technology transformation programmes.
• Strong understanding of Agile delivery methodologies.
• Experience implementing DevOps and CI/CD best practices.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience managing vendors and third-party suppliers.
• Ability to lead both strategic initiatives and operational support functions.
• Background within financial services, banking, insurance or other regulated environments.
• Experience with CRM platforms, enterprise applications or large-scale integration environments.
• Exposure to AI, automation and modern engineering practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, support and continuous improvement of a portfolio of business-critical applications.
• Drive application modernisation and transformation programmes.
• Manage and mentor multidisciplinary technology teams.
• Own application performance, resilience, availability and service delivery.
• Work closely with business stakeholders to align technology solutions with organisational objectives.
• Champion Agile delivery, DevOps practices and continuous improvement.
• Manage third-party suppliers and technology partners.
• Identify opportunities to leverage automation, cloud technologies and AI-enabled solutions.

Skills

Leadership

Azure

Agile

DevOps

CI/CD

Stakeholder comms

Vendor management

Regulated domains

CRM/ERP

Tools

Azure DevOps

Job description

We're supporting a large-scale organisation undergoing significant digital transformation and looking for an experienced Head of Application Engineering to lead a critical portfolio of business applications.

This is an excellent opportunity for a technology leader who enjoys balancing strategic transformation work with the ownership of live, business-critical systems. You'll lead engineering teams, drive modern delivery practices, and play a key role in shaping the future application landscape.

The Role

• Lead the development, support and continuous improvement of a portfolio of business-critical applications.
• Drive application modernisation and transformation programmes.
• Manage and mentor multidisciplinary technology teams.
• Own application performance, resilience, availability and service delivery.
• Work closely with business stakeholders to align technology solutions with organisational objectives.
• Champion Agile delivery, DevOps practices and continuous improvement.
• Manage third-party suppliers and technology partners.
• Identify opportunities to leverage automation, cloud technologies and AI-enabled solutions.

Required Experience

• Proven experience leading software development and application support teams.
• Strong background in Azure cloud environments.
• Experience delivering complex technology transformation programmes.
• Strong understanding of Agile delivery methodologies.
• Experience implementing DevOps and CI/CD best practices.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience managing vendors and third-party suppliers.
• Ability to lead both strategic initiatives and operational support functions.
• Background within financial services, banking, insurance or other regulated environments.
• Experience with CRM platforms, enterprise applications or large-scale integration environments.
• Exposure to AI, automation and modern engineering practices.

What's on Offer

• Opportunity to lead a high-profile technology transformation.
• Significant ownership and influence across the technology estate.
• Hybrid working environment.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Clear opportunity to shape engineering standards, delivery capability and future technology strategy.