Head of Engineering – AI, MLOps & Cloud Platforms

Ncounter; Reading; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Ncounter is seeking a Head of Engineering to lead AI, MLOps and cloud platform initiatives in a Senior Engineering Leadership role. The position focuses on delivering scalable, production-ready AI-enabled solutions and modern cloud-native engineering across National Security & Defence contexts.

You will blend hands-on DevOps and software engineering with people leadership, architectural ownership and commercial awareness, guiding technical decisions while shaping the company’s technical

Qualifications

• Experience leading engineering teams in a high‑output, security‑critical environment.
• Hands‑on background in DevOps, cloud platforms and software delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary team of software, platform and DevOps engineers.
• Define architecture and standards across cloud-native apps, AI/ML platforms and infra.
• Oversee design, development and deployment of production solutions for customers.
• Provide technical leadership across DevOps, CI/CD, infrastructure automation and MLOps.
• Ensure software quality, reliability, scalability and security throughout the lifecycle.
• Collaborate with senior stakeholders, delivery teams and partners to maintain high standards.
• Make informed architectural decisions on tech selection, cost and scalability.
• Contribute to broader business strategy, roadmaps and commercial discussions.

Skills

DevOps

Platform Engineering

Cloud Architect

Python

AI/ML/MLOps

Leadership

CI/CD

IaC

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

Azure

GCP

Security

Education

--

Tools

Terraform

Docker

Kubernetes

Git

Job description

Head of Engineering – AI, MLOps & Cloud Platforms

Salary: £120,000–£140,000

Permanent | Senior Engineering Leadership | National Security & Defence

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Head of Engineering to join a growing technology consultancy specialising in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and modern cloud-native engineering.

Working at the intersection of software engineering, DevOps and MLOps, the business helps organisations take innovative ideas from early-stage research and prototyping through to scalable, production-ready technology solutions within the National Security & Defence industry.

We're looking for a technically credible engineering leader who can combine hands‑on DevOps and software engineering expertise with strong people leadership, architectural ownership and commercial awareness.

This isn't a purely strategic leadership position. You'll remain close to the technology, guiding engineering decisions, solving complex delivery challenges and helping shape the company's longer‑term technical direction.

For someone with broader CTO-level experience, there is significant scope to influence technology strategy and the future growth of the engineering function.

You'll take responsibility for engineering delivery, technical standards and the continued development of a growing engineering capability.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading, mentoring and developing a multidisciplinary team of software, platform and DevOps engineers.
• Defining technical architecture and engineering standards across cloud-native applications, AI/ML platforms and supporting infrastructure.
• Overseeing the design, development and deployment of production‑grade solutions into customer environments.
• Providing technical leadership across DevOps, CI/CD, infrastructure automation, application development and MLOps.
• Ensuring software quality, reliability, scalability and security throughout the development lifecycle.
• Collaborating with senior stakeholders, delivery teams and external engineering partners to maintain high technical standards.
• Making informed architectural decisions around technology selection, build-versus-buy, performance, cost and scalability.
• Contributing to broader business strategy, technical roadmaps and commercial discussions.

Technical Experience

We're particularly interested in engineering leaders with a strong foundation in DevOps, cloud infrastructure and modern software development.

Relevant experience includes:

• DevOps & Platform Engineering: CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes and cloud-native deployment practices.
• Cloud Technologies: AWS, Azure or GCP, including architecture, infrastructure automation and production operations.
• Software Engineering: Python, APIs, modern development frameworks, Git, automated testing and software delivery best practices.
• AI / ML / MLOps: Experience supporting or delivering machine learning platforms, model deployment, ML pipelines or production AI applications.
• Architecture: Designing scalable, secure and reliable solutions across software, infrastructure and data platforms.
• Engineering Leadership: Managing engineers, establishing development standards, mentoring technical teams and taking ownership of delivery.

Exposure to Large Language Models, retrieval‑augmented generation, model orchestration or other emerging AI technologies would be advantageous.

About You

We're looking for someone who has progressed from a strong technical engineering background into a leadership role, without losing their enthusiasm for hands‑on technology.

You’ll ideally bring:

• SC or DV Clearance,
• Experience working within Defence or National Security.
• Proven experience leading engineering teams and taking responsibility for technical delivery.
• A strong practical understanding of DevOps and the challenges of deploying and operating software in production.
• The ability to move comfortably between detailed technical discussions and senior management conversations.
• Experience collaborating with customers, product teams and commercial stakeholders.
• Confidence making architectural decisions and challenging technical approaches where necessary.
• An entrepreneurial mindset and enthusiasm for helping a growing technology business scale.

You might currently be a Head of Engineering, Engineering Manager, Head of DevOps, Platform Engineering Lead, Technical Director or hands‑on CTO.

We're equally interested in experienced technical leaders who are ready to take the next step into broader engineering ownership.

A hands‑on leadership position offering both technical depth and strategic responsibility.

If you're an engineering leader who enjoys remaining close to the technology while building teams, improving delivery and shaping technical strategy, we'd be keen to hear from you.