Head of Engineering

Explore Group; England; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A fast-growing AI company is seeking a Head of Engineering / VP of Engineering to lead the technical strategy and scale their engineering team. Candidates should have 8+ years of engineering leadership in B2B SaaS, strong technical skills in Python and cloud infrastructure (preferably Azure), and experience growing teams. This strategic role combines vision and execution, making it essential for candidates to thrive in dynamic environments where both execution and strategy matter.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of engineering leadership experience in B2B SaaS.
• Experience growing teams from start-up to scale-up.
• Strong technical foundation and familiarity with cloud infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical strategy and execution across core products.
• Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing engineering team.
• Oversee DevOps and ensure secure operations.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Python

Cloud infrastructure (Azure)

Agile practices

Team building

Machine learning exposure

Job description

Head of Engineering / VP of Engineering

I’m working with a fast-growing AI company at the forefront of real-time market intelligence, supporting some of the world’s leading financial institutions. They’re now looking for a Head of Engineering (or VP of Engineering) to lead their next stage of technical and team scale-up.

This is a strategic and hands-on leadership role, combining technical vision, team growth, and delivery across products powered by LLMs, forecasting models, and scalable API platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the technical strategy and execution across the company’s core products, including real-time APIs, data pipelines, and LLM-powered analytics.
• Collaborate closely with Product and Data Science to deliver a forward-thinking technology roadmap.
• Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing engineering team (currently ~10), nurturing a culture of ownership, speed, and technical excellence.
• Make key architectural decisions, ensuring system scalability and data infrastructure performance.
• Maintain high engineering standards while remaining close to critical technical choices.
• Recruit top talent and build a strong, inclusive team culture.
• Oversee DevOps, InfoSec, and internal IT, ensuring smooth and secure operations.
• Sit on the leadership team and act as a key bridge between engineering, product, and commercial.

What I’m Looking For

• 8+ years of engineering leadership within B2B SaaS, ideally in AI / ML or data-focused environments.
• Experience growing teams through start-up to scale-up (Series A / B); time in both early-stage and mature environments is a bonus.
• Strong technical foundation in Python, distributed systems, cloud infrastructure (Azure preferred), and modern scalable architectures.
• Solid grasp of Agile practices, continuous delivery, and high-performing lean teams.
• People-first leadership style, with a proven ability to build and nurture high-performing teams.
• Exposure to machine learning, NLP, or financial data products is highly advantageous.
• Comfortable working in fast-moving, ambiguous environments where both execution and strategic vision matter.

Additional Info