Head of Software Engineering Permanent

Itecopeople; Greater London; On-site; GBP 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Itecopeople is partnering with a large, complex organisation to appoint a Head of Engineering who will build and lead a new multidisciplinary function in a high‑impact environment.

You'll shape engineering strategy, governance and standards across software and integration engineering, champion modern cloud-native practices, DevOps, IaC and AI-enabled services, and mentor senior engineers to deliver scalable, reliable platforms at enterprise scale.

Qualifications

• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering functions
• Strong understanding of modern engineering practices and cloud-native environments
• Experience shaping engineering strategy, standards and governance
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders across technical and non-technical environments
• Experience balancing engineering quality, delivery, scalability and cost
• Collaborative leadership style with strong people leadership capability

Responsibilities

• Lead a broad engineering function spanning Software Engineering and Integration Engineering.
• Set engineering direction, standards and operating model across the function.
• Maintain close involvement with architecture, platform strategy and engineering decisions while managing managers and senior engineers.
• Foster modern cloud-native practices, DevOps, IaC and AI-enabled services across teams.
• Shape engineering culture, improve operational maturity and establish best-in-class practices at scale.

Job description

We're partnering with a large, complex and purpose-driven organisation undergoing a major technology and engineering transformation, and are looking to appoint an outstanding Head of Engineering to lead a newly formed multidisciplinary function.

This is a rare opportunity to shape and build a modern engineering capability from the ground up within an environment that combines real scale, complexity and societal impact.

The Role

Reporting into senior technology leadership, the Head of Engineering will lead a broad engineering function spanning:

• Software Engineering
• Integration Engineering

You’ll be responsible for setting the engineering direction, standards and operating model across the function, ensuring engineering quality, scalability, resilience and long-term technical health.

This role combines strategic leadership with deep technical credibility. You’ll remain close to architecture, engineering decisions and platform strategy while leading managers and senior engineers across multiple teams.

The environment is heavily focused on modern cloud-native engineering, with significant investment across:

• DevOps and CI/CD
• Infrastructure as Code
• Event-driven architecture
• Automation and AI-enabled services

You’ll also play a key role in shaping engineering culture, improving operational maturity and helping establish best-in-class engineering practices across a large-scale enterprise environment.

What We're Looking For.

We're looking for a senior engineering leader who has experience operating within large, complex organisations where technology underpins critical operational services.

• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering functions
• Strong understanding of modern engineering practices and cloud-native environments
• Experience shaping engineering strategy, standards and governance
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders across technical and non-technical environments
• Experience balancing engineering quality, delivery, scalability and cost
• A collaborative leadership style with strong people leadership capability

Experience within highly regulated or complex environments such as public sector, education, healthcare, financial services or similarly scaled organisations would be highly beneficial.

Why This Role?

This is an opportunity to genuinely shape the future of engineering within an organisation investing heavily in modern platforms, automation and digital capability.

The role offers:

• Significant strategic influence
• Modern cloud and platform engineering environment
• Strong investment in technology
• Excellent work-life balance and benefits
• Long-term career opportunity