Head of Platform Engineering

CamWebDir; Cambridge; Remote; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Cellular Origins seeks a hands-on platform engineering leader to translate strategy into a clear, actionable roadmap, guiding software, hardware, electronics, firmware, robotics and systems integration.

You will lead experienced specialists, set engineering standards and balance architecture with product needs, while partnering with product, operations and customer delivery to ensure reliable, scalable platforms.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Experience with integrated automation, robotics and electromechanical systems.
• Ability to balance architecture, modularity and lifecycle needs.
• Strong communication with senior stakeholders.
• Experience in regulated/high-reliability environments is valuable.

Responsibilities

• Set direction and priorities translating strategy into a platform engineering roadmap.
• Lead and develop team leaders across software, hardware, electronics, firmware, robotics and systems integration.
• Drive delivery by surfacing risk early and removing blockers to stay on plan.
• Set engineering standards for architecture, design review, verification and lifecycle support.
• Protect and evolve the platform balancing customer needs and technical debt.
• Collaborate with product, delivery and operations to convert priorities into executable plans.
• Represent platform engineering in external discussions with customers and partners.

Skills

Leadership

Systems thinking

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Stakeholder communication

Architecture design

Quality assurance

Project delivery

Regulated/high-reliability experience

Job description

What you will own

This is a hands-on organisational leadership role. You will get close enough to the work to understand what is really happening, ask incisive questions, resolve ambiguity, remove barriers and make sure decisions turn into action. You will need the breadth and judgement to lead experienced specialists and close cross-disciplinary decisions.

• Set direction and priorities. Translate company and product strategy into a clear platform-engineering strategy, a prioritised roadmap, and credible investment, capacity and resource choices.
• Leadership. Lead and develop the team leaders for software, hardware, electronics and firmware, robotics and systems integration. Set clear expectations, establish accountability, give direct feedback and build a strong succession plans.
• Drive delivery. Make priorities visible, demand realistic plans, use meaningful measures, surface risk early, resolve blockers and intervene decisively where work is drifting.
• Set engineering standards. Establish and continually improve the practices needed to engineer complex systems well, including architecture, design review, integration, verification and validation, configuration and change control, reliability, maintainability and lifecycle support.
• Protect and evolve the platform. Assure the coherence of the core technology platform and the quality of major technical decisions. Balance immediate customer needs with reuse, modularity, technical debt, product integrity and long-term scale.
• Make the matrix work. Partner with the Head of Product and Application Development to turn product and application priorities into executable platform plans; with Customer Delivery leadership on commitments, sequencing and resource trade-offs; and with Operations leadership on design for manufacture, supply, installation, service and support.
• Represent platform engineering externally. Lead critical technical conversations with customers, partners and suppliers, building confidence through clarity, sound judgement and reliable delivery.
• Build future capability. Work with others to evolve the department to meet the needs of the business, creating talent plans, skill strategy, professional development, knowledge sharing and succession so the department is ready for the next stage of the business.
• Leadership. Proven experience leading a substantial multidisciplinary engineering department through senior managers or discipline leaders, with clear evidence of improving delivery and organisational performance through coaching, setting a high bar, handling performance directly, shaping organisations, hiring well and building skills and succession.
• Relevant system complexity. Experience taking integrated automation, robotics, electromechanical systems or other complex capital equipment from concept through integration, deployment and support.
• Technical breadth and systems judgement. Credibility across software, embedded systems, electronics, hardware, controls, robotics and integration; able to challenge experts and close cross-disciplinary decisions .
• A platform mindset. Experience balancing architecture, modularity, reuse, technical debt and lifecycle needs with the immediate demands of products, applications and customer programmes.
• Engineering rigour. A practical command of quality, safety, design assurance, verification and validation, configuration and change, reliability and continuous improvement.
• Commercial and customer judgement. The ability to balance scope, cost, resources, timescales and technical risk, and to represent engineering credibly with customers, partners and suppliers.
• Clear communication and influence. The ability to create alignment across technical and non-technical groups, explain complex choices simply and build confidence with senior stakeholders.
• Useful context, not a narrow pedigree. Experience in a regulated, safety-critical or high-reliability environment would be valuable. Life sciences or GMP experience is helpful but not essential.

The leadership style we value

You listen widely, then decide. You are direct, fair, calm under pressure and low ego. You stay close enough to delivery to see reality and remove blockers, but you build leaders and systems that do not depend on you for every answer. You are proactive, curious and relentless about follow-through.

Cellular Origins is currently based on the TTP Campus, within purpose-built sustainable offices, labs and green surroundings, 10 miles south of Cambridge.

Our employee benefits include:

• Employer pension contribution of 10% of salary
• Private medical insurance for employees and dependants