Head of Engineering

Xpertise Recruitment; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Xpertise Recruitment seeks a Head of Product Engineering to lead the engineering organisation for a suite of AI-powered SaaS products in Manchester. You will shape strategy, develop leaders, and embed AI-native practices to scale delivery and quality.

Lead Agile product engineering across multiple teams, drive architecture decisions, and partner with senior stakeholders to align technology with business priorities in a fast-growing tech business.

Qualifications

• Extensive software engineering experience within SaaS environments.
• Proven track record leading and scaling engineering teams including Technical Leads and Engineering Managers.
• Strong background in technical strategy, architecture and governance.
• Experience leading Agile and modern product engineering practices across multiple teams.
• Experience delivering AI, machine learning, or LLM-enabled products and features.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the technical strategy and target architecture across the product portfolio.
• Build, coach, and develop engineering leaders and high-performing software teams.
• Drive AI-first engineering practices across design, development, testing, and operations.
• Own engineering delivery performance, focusing on predictability, quality, and efficiency.
• Establish scalable development standards, governance frameworks, and quality processes.
• Partner with Product and senior stakeholders to align technical delivery with business priorities.
• Manage engineering capacity planning, budgets, and resource forecasting.
• Communicate technical decisions and investment requirements clearly to senior leadership.

Skills

Software architecture

People leadership

Agile practices

AI-driven development

Azure

.NET

Tools

Azure

.NET

Cloud platforms

Job description

This is a transformational leadership opportunity to shape the future of AI-powered SaaS products. As Head of Product Engineering, you will lead the engineering organisation responsible for a suite of innovative software products, ensuring teams, technology, and delivery capabilities can scale alongside business growth.

You’ll play a key role in defining engineering strategy, developing future leaders, embedding AI-native ways of working, and creating an organisation capable of delivering high-quality software faster and more efficiently.

Our client is a fast-growing technology business investing heavily in product innovation, engineering excellence, and AI. With ambitious growth plans, they are building the foundations for long-term success through scalable technology, exceptional talent, and a culture of continuous improvement.

Why Join

• Lead the engineering strategy behind cutting-edge AI-powered software products.
• Shape and develop a growing engineering leadership team.
• Influence business and technology decisions at executive level.
• Join a company investing significantly in technology, innovation, and long-term growth.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the technical strategy and target architecture across the product portfolio.
• Build, coach, and develop engineering leaders and high-performing software teams.
• Drive AI-first engineering practices across design, development, testing, and operations.
• Own engineering delivery performance, focusing on predictability, quality, and efficiency.
• Establish scalable development standards, governance frameworks, and quality processes.
• Partner with Product and senior stakeholders to align technical delivery with business priorities.
• Manage engineering capacity planning, budgets, and resource forecasting.
• Communicate technical decisions and investment requirements clearly to senior leadership.

Requirements

• Extensive software engineering experience within SaaS environments.
• Proven success leading and scaling engineering teams, including Technical Leads and Engineering Managers.
• Strong background in technical strategy, architecture, and engineering governance.
• Experience leading Agile and modern product engineering practices across multiple teams.
• Track record of improving software delivery performance within a high-growth technology business.
• Practical experience leveraging AI tools to enhance software development and operational efficiency.
• Strong commercial awareness with experience managing budgets, planning, and stakeholder relationships.
• Experience working within PE-backed, high-growth, or scaling technology businesses.
• Background delivering cloud-native SaaS platforms, ideally within Azure and .NET environments.
• Exposure to multi-cloud environments and platform modernisation programmes.
• Experience delivering AI, machine learning, or LLM-enabled products and features.

Location: Manchester (Hybrid)

Working Pattern: Hybrid, Full-Time

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds. Our client is an equal opportunities employer.

At Xpertise, we keep things human. Your application will always be reviewed by a real person. We do not rely on AI or automated screening tools. Every candidate receives fair, considered attention from our team.

Right to work in the UK is required for this role.