Software Development, Engineering and QA Director

Holland America Line Inc; England; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading cruise company is seeking a Software Development, Engineering and QA Director in Southampton. This role is pivotal in transforming our technology department into a modern, product-led digital organization. The ideal candidate will have extensive leadership experience in software engineering and a strong strategic mindset. Enjoy a full-time position with hybrid work options, competitive benefits, and the chance to drive significant technology and business transformation.

Benefits

Annual bonus

Extensive learning and development opportunities

Company paid private medical and dental insurance

Employee Discounted Cruising

Minimum 25 days leave

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in software engineering leadership.
• Proven strategic delivery of complex projects.
• Deep understanding of Agile, Scrum, Kanban, DEVSECOPS, BSIMM.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead Software Development, Engineering & Quality Assurance function.
• Drive product-led development and accelerate delivery.
• Foster innovation with a security-first mindset.
• Provide strategic leadership and measurable value creation.

Skills

Software engineering leadership

Agile methodologies

Cross-functional collaboration

Innovation and strategic delivery

Job description

Software Development, Engineering and QA Director

SOUTHAMPTON, HAMPSHIRE, United Kingdom

Be the First to Apply

Job Description

Join us in shaping the future of unforgettable holiday happiness across our P&O Cruises and Cunard ships & Head Office as a key senior management person within our Technology Department. At Carnival UK, we believe in the power of diversity to drive success, valuing a blend of backgrounds, experiences, and skills. If you're a technology professional with a strategic mindset and a track record of overseeing a technology department, let's talk. We're not just looking for qualifications on paper; we're searching for someone who can bring fresh ideas and a new perspective to our team.

The Role

This role reports directly to our VP, Digital, making you a pivotal member of the Senior Leadership Team. At Carnival UK, we are in the middle of an extraordinary transformation journey; moving from a traditional legacy estate to a modern, product‑led digital organisation powered by microservices, CI/CD, and enterprise‑scale platform engineering.

We’ve already made huge strides in reshaping how technology fuels our business, delivering at pace, embedding agile ways of working, and building platforms that unlock real value. But there is so much more to do. We’re scaling fast, and this role is about bringing both the excitement of innovation and the wisdom of solid engineering foundations - someone who thrives in rapid change but knows how to build for stability, security, and long‑term growth.

This isn’t just about keeping the lights on, it’s about shaping how digital products are conceived, built, and delivered. You’ll define and lead the Software Development, Engineering & Quality Assurance function for CUK, creating the strategy, building the team, and elevating our engineering capability. You’ll bring thought leadership, hands‑on delivery experience, and the ability to craft platforms that enable our business to move faster, smarter, and with confidence.

Collaboration will be at the heart of your success. You’ll work in a cross‑functional, matrixed model across Digital & Technology, partnering with colleagues to unlock performance through data, insights, automation, and modern engineering practices.

Key accountabilities include:

• Defining and leading the function, setting strategy, building capability, and reshaping resources across software development, engineering, and QA.
• Driving product‑led development, embedding agile and DevOps practices, and accelerating delivery through modern engineering approaches.
• Fostering innovation with a security‑first mindset, ensuring application security is seamlessly embedded into our development lifecycle.
• Providing strategic leadership and measurable value creation, aligning software engineering practices to business outcomes.

This is a chance to be at the forefront of Carnival UK’s digital reinvention—driving not just technology change, but business transformation at scale.

Job Requirements

• Extensive experience in software engineering leadership.
• Proven strategic delivery of complex projects.
• Deep understanding of Agile, Scrum, Kanban, DEVSECOPS, BSIMM.
• Experience in cross‑functional collaboration and innovation.

About You:

• Speaks up and encourages open communication.
• Builds inclusive teams and protects wellbeing.
• Promotes collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Coaches others and fosters a high‑performance environment.

Why Join Us?

Positioned within our internal structure from CUK15 (entry level) to CUK1 (Brand President), this role is classified as a CUK05, offered as a full‑time position, on a permanent basis, with an offering of hybrid work including up to two days from home.

We're more than just a holiday company; we're a community that values work‑life balance, personal growth, and wellbeing. As part of our team, you'll enjoy:

• Annual bonus
• Extensive learning and development opportunities
• Company paid private medical and dental insurance
• Employee Discounted Cruising plus Friends and Family offers
• Minimum 25 days leave and holiday trading scheme

Application Note:

Due to the high volume of interest in our roles, we encourage early applications. This is your chance to contribute to a company that's setting the standard for holiday experiences. Apply today to be part of our journey to create joy and memories for our guests—and for you.

Don't let this opportunity sail away. Join us in making holiday dreams come true while advancing your career to new horizons.

About Us

Holidays are one of life’s greatest pleasures. Having the chance to relax, escape and explore is a magical thing. And there is no better holiday than a cruise.

No one knows cruising like Carnival UK, where talented people from across the globe come together to create unforgettable holiday happiness. As part of the world’s largest holiday travel and leisure company, we take enormous pride in bringing to life two of the most iconic brands from Britain’s rich seafaring heritage, P&O Cruises and Cunard. Collectively they have been delivering unbridled joy, boundless adventure and lifelong memories to millions of people for over 350 years. And in a multi‑million pound global holiday market, where cruising has barely scratched the surface, we have the opportunity to do that for many, many more people.

Our diverse yet tight knit teams share high standards, heartfelt values and passion for our purpose. Our Culture Essentials describe the expectations we have for ourselves and of each other, in building a culture that supports safe, sustainable, compliant operations and celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion.

It’s through the successful delivery of these extraordinary travel experiences for our target markets and our distinctive culture, that we hope to become Travel’s Employer of Choice.

Job Info

• Job Identification 11276
• Job Category IT
• Posting Date 10/31/2025, 10:24 AM
• Apply Before 11/10/2025, 05:25 PM
• Job Schedule Full time
• Locations Carnival House, Southampton, SO15 1ST, GB