Head of Software development

MW Recruitment Limited; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance-related bonus

Equity participation

Healthcare benefits

Pension plan

Job summary

MW Recruitment Limited is seeking a Head of Software Development to lead the software engineering function. This role involves strategic decision-making, managing distributed engineering teams, and ensuring alignment with business objectives. Candidates should have extensive software development experience, particularly in Java, and strong leadership skills. This position offers hybrid working and a competitive salary with performance-related bonuses. A clear career progression to the Deputy CTO role is also available.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in software development with strong Java expertise.
• Proven leadership experience managing engineering teams.
• Strong understanding of cloud, microservices, and modern architectures.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute software development strategy aligned to business objectives.
• Own end-to-end software delivery across platforms and products.
• Lead architectural decisions and ensure scalability of systems.

Skills

Java expertise

Leadership experience

Stakeholder management

Cloud architecture

Microservices

Experience with offshore teams

Agile methodologies

DevOps practices

Job description

Our client is a financial services institution seeking a Head of Software Development to join their Technology function in a senior leadership capacity. This is a high-impact role with a clear pathway to Deputy CTO

The Role

This is a strategic leadership position responsible for driving the software engineering function, owning the end-to-end development lifecycle, and shaping the organisation’s technology direction. The role combines hands-on technical expertise with senior stakeholder engagement and leadership of distributed engineering teams. There is a defined progression path into a Deputy CTO position, making this an excellent opportunity for an ambitious leader looking to step into executive-level responsibility.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute the software development strategy aligned to business objectives
• Partner with senior leadership to shape the technology roadmap
• Own end-to-end software delivery across platforms and products
• Lead architectural decisions and ensure the scalability of systems
• Drive best practice across Agile, DevOps and engineering standards
• Manage and develop offshore and distributed engineering teams
• Build a high-performance, collaborative engineering culture
• Oversee vendor relationships and offshore resource planning
• Contribute to governance, risk and compliance initiatives

Skills and Experience

• Extensive experience in software development with strong Java expertise
• Proven leadership experience managing engineering teams
• Experience overseeing the full software delivery lifecycle
• Background within financial services, ideally capital markets
• Strong understanding of cloud, microservices and modern architectures
• Experience working with offshore or distributed teams
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
• Ability to operate both strategically and hands-on
• (Desirable) Experience in a high-growth or scaling environment
• Exposure to AI or emerging technologies
• Knowledge of regulatory and security frameworks such as SOC2 or ISO
• Background in fintech, SaaS or enterprise platforms

Package

Competitive base salary and performance-related bonus

Equity participation aligned with seniority, Clear progression to Deputy CTO

Hybrid working model, comprehensive benefits package including healthcare and pension