Head of Engineering

JSS; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

JSS is seeking an experienced Head of Engineering to lead a digital engineering function for a UK challenger bank. You will guide the design, delivery, and operation of customer-facing applications and microservices on Google Cloud, while mentoring teams and driving secure, scalable solutions.

You will stay hands-on, focus on delivering high-quality code, and foster an engineering culture that embraces automation and AI integration in digital journeys.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience in software or digital engineering teams.
• Extensive experience delivering cloud-native applications and microservices on Google Cloud Platform.
• Strong knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, Kubernetes deployment, GitOps practices, and ArgoCD.
• Excellent communication skills and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Ability to work effectively in agile, product-led environments.
• Prior experience with risk, security and regulatory controls in banking.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and operation of customer-facing apps, microservices, and digital platforms on Google Cloud.
• Oversee mobile, web, and API solutions built with modern frameworks and ensure security and reliability.

Skills

Leadership

GCP microservices

CI/CD & Kubernetes

Stakeholder comms

Agile methods

Banking security

Mentoring

Automation & AI

Tools

Kubernetes

ArgoCD

GitOps

Job description

Head of Engineering - Banking - FTC - London

An experienced engineering leader is required by a UK challenger bank to head up their Digital Engineering function and help shape the future of digital banking.

We are looking for an experienced Head of Digital Engineering to lead a number of teams in delivering innovative, secure, and scalable digital solutions that empower customers and drive the digital growth strategy.

This is a Player-Manager role - we need someone who is still hands-on coding and likes to lead from the front - an individual contributor who can inspire, mentor and manage cutting-edge engineering teams, work with the latest cloud-native technologies, and make a meaningful impact. However, it is more about managing the code than managing the people; getting good quality out of the door efficiently.

What's the Role?

As the Head of Engineering, you will be at the core of the technology transformation, responsible for guiding the development and operation of customer-facing applications, microservices, and digital platforms on Google Cloud.

Reporting directly to the Director of Engineering, you will lead teams to deliver mobile, web, and API solutions built with modern frameworks like Flutter, Next.js, and TypeScript, ensuring they meet high standards of security, performance, and reliability. Your strategic oversight will enable the bank to embed automation and AI into digital journeys, enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Proven leadership experience in software or digital engineering teams
• Extensive experience delivering cloud-native applications and microservices, particularly in Google Cloud Platform
• Strong knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, Kubernetes deployment, GitOps practices, and tools like ArgoCD
• Excellent communication skills and stakeholder engagement abilities
• Ability to work effectively in agile, product-led environments
• Prior experience with risk, security, and regulatory controls in the banking sector

Nice to Have Skills:

• Experience mentoring engineering teams and fostering a strong engineering culture
• Knowledge of automation and AI integration into digital apps

This is a 12 month FTC on a hybrid-working basis - 3 days per week in the London office.

If you're ready to lead innovative engineering teams at a forward-thinking organization, we want to hear from you.