Head of Engineering

MCS Group; Belfast City District; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

35 days annual leave + birthday off

Private healthcare

Pension with 15% company match

Job summary

MCS Group in Belfast is seeking a Head of Engineering to lead the engineering function as the business grows and its pod-based delivery model takes shape. The role focuses on developing Technical Leads, improving quality, and guiding architectural decisions.

You'll partner with Product and Infrastructure leaders, manage multiple teams, and drive AI-enabled development while ensuring regulatory requirements are translated into practical engineering work.

Qualifications

• Experience leading engineering teams and developing tech leads.
• Proven ability to deliver across multiple pods/teams.
• Strong architectural decision-making with cloud knowledge.
• Experience applying AI in engineering projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead the engineering function and set quality standards.
• Oversee delivery across pods and releases.
• Collaborate with external partners and senior stakeholders.
• Translate regulatory requirements into engineering work and guide AI adoption.

Skills

Technical leadership

Delivery leadership

Architectural decisions

Cloud platforms

AI in engineering

Stakeholder communication

Job description

Head of Engineering

Belfast | Up to £80,000 + Bonus

After supporting this team with six hires this year, I'm delighted to be helping them appoint a Head of Engineering. It's a chance to lead the engineering function as the wider business grows and its new pod-based delivery model takes shape.

What you'll do

You’ll lead the engineering function, directly developing its Technical Leads and QA capability while taking accountability for delivery across the pods. You’ll set clear standards for architecture, code quality and testing, and help the teams put them into practice.

The remit extends beyond internal delivery. You’ll lead technical work with external partners, resolve issues that cut across teams, oversee releases and communicate progress and risks to senior stakeholders. You’ll also help turn regulatory requirements into practical engineering work and guide the adoption of AI‑assisted development.

This is a leadership position rather than a day‑to‑day coding role, but you’ll remain involved in architectural discussions and important technical trade‑offs.

What we’re looking for

You may be an Engineering Manager ready to step into a broader role, or an established engineering leader. What matters most is evidence that you can:

• Develop technical leaders and build a strong engineering culture.


• Take responsibility for delivery across multiple teams.


• Improve processes, testing or quality standards, with clear results.


• Bring engineers with you when introducing new ways of working.


• Communicate confidently with senior stakeholders and external partners.


• Make sound architectural decisions, with good knowledge of cloud platforms and practical experience using AI in engineering.

Why this opportunity is different

You’ll have the scope to shape a growing function at a point when its standards, leadership habits and delivery model are still being established. You’ll work alongside leaders in Product and Infrastructure, with the authority to improve how engineering operates across the business.

The package includes up to £80,000 base salary, a bonus, 35 days’ annual leave plus your birthday off, private healthcare and a pension with up to 15% employer matching. The usual office expectation is one day per week, with more time onsite initially.

MCS Group is committed to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion for all, being the first recruitment agency in NI to achieve Bronze Diversity Mark accreditation, if you have a disability which means you require a reasonable adjustment to be considered at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact us and we will endeavour to facilitate the request.