Head of Software Engineering (Model and Platform Engineering)

Aurora Energy Research; Oxford; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Parental Support

Salary-Exchange Pension

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Local Oxford Discounts

Cycle-to-work Scheme

Flu Jabs

Job summary

Aurora Energy Research in Oxford, UK, is seeking a Head of Software Engineering to lead the team responsible for building and running the models that underpin our global analysis. You will guide an engineering organisation split between Oxford and São Paulo, shaping strategy, standards and delivery.

The role focuses on transforming model engineering with AI-enabled workflows, driving architecture, SDLC and performance, while developing people and partnering with Product, Modelling and Data

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading engineering organisations delivering complex software.
• Proven AI-native engineering leadership delivering productivity gains.
• Deep Agile delivery experience with data-driven improvements.
• Strong execution and leadership balancing priorities and quality.
• Experience with complex platforms, modelling or data-heavy domains.
• Ability to lead senior managers and architects while empowering others.
• Cloud-native platform experience on AWS and DevOps practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire a 35-person, five-squad engineering org across Oxford and São Paulo.
• Establish high-performance delivery culture to meet goals and align with roadmaps.
• Coach and develop people through career growth and performance management.
• Shape engineering strategy and roadmap with Product, Modelling, AI & Data teams.
• Lead model engineering transformation using modern SDLC and AI-enabled workflows.
• Drive engineering excellence with architecture, testing, security and metrics.
• Own budget, capacity planning and investment prioritisation.
• Contribute to wider technology strategy and platform direction.

Skills

Engineering leadership

AI leadership

Agile delivery

Technical leadership

Cloud platforms

Stakeholder management

People development

Strategic thinking

Job description

Description

Aurora's models and infrastructure provide the platform that enables governments, investors and utilities to make billion-dollar decisions on the journey to net zero. We are looking for an exceptional Head of Software Engineering to lead the organisation responsible for designing, building and running the models that underpin Aurora’s global analysis and software.

Department

Technology

Location

Oxford, UK

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire a growing 35‑person, five‑squad engineering organisation split between Oxford and São Paulo, setting direction, standards and a shared sense of purpose.
• Lead delivery excellence – Establish a high-performance delivery culture that consistently achieves business goals, delivers strategic initiatives on time and enables Aurora to execute effectively against its product and technology roadmap.
• Develop people and teams through hands‑on coaching, career development, training initiatives and effective performance management.
• Shape engineering strategy and roadmap in partnership with Product Management, Modelling, AI & Data Engineering and Product Engineering, balancing short-term delivery with long-term platform evolution.
• Lead Aurora's model engineering transformation, embedding modern software engineering practices, AI-enabled development workflows and continuous delivery approaches to improve quality, productivity and delivery speed of our models.
• Drive engineering excellence through strong architecture, testing, security, operational and delivery standards, supported by metrics and data‑driven decision making.
• Own organisational and financial performance, including budget management, capacity planning and investment prioritisation.
• Contribute to Aurora's wider technology strategy, helping shape the future direction of our modelling platforms, software products and engineering organisation.

Required Attributes

• Engineering leadership at scale – Significant experience leading high-performing engineering organisations delivering complex software products, platforms or technical programmes through periods of growth and organisational change.
• AI-native engineering leadership – Proven experience leading teams through the adoption of AI-assisted and agent-based software development practices, delivering measurable improvements in engineering productivity, quality and delivery outcomes.
• Agile delivery expertise – Deep experience building and running modern Agile engineering organisations using continuous delivery and data-driven continuous improvement.
• Strong execution and organisational leadership – Demonstrated track record of developing teams, building engineering capability and delivering complex technical initiatives while balancing business priorities, quality and long-term maintainability.
• Complex platform experience – Experience leading teams delivering sophisticated software platforms, ideally in modelling, optimisation, analytics, data-intensive or other technically complex domains.
• Technical leadership and credibility – A strong software engineering background with the ability to effectively lead senior engineering managers and architects, and challenge constructively when required, whilst empowering technical specialists and architects to lead on detailed design and implementation.
• Cloud and software engineering expertise – Experience leading the development and operation of cloud-native platforms, ideally on AWS, with a good understanding of modern software engineering, DevOps and operational excellence practices.
• People and stakeholder leadership – Exceptional coaching, communication and influencing skills, with the ability to align engineers, product leaders and executives around a shared vision and create a high-performance culture.

What we offer

• Private Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Parental Support
• Salary-Exchange Pension
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Local Oxford Discounts
• Cycle-to-work Scheme
• Flu Jabs

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Company is committed to the principle that no employee or job applicant shall receive unfavourable treatment on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, and maternity.