SVP, Engineering

Sotheby's France; Greater London; On-site; GBP 200,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Sotheby’s is seeking a Senior VP of Engineering to lead and shape the health, direction, and output of its engineering organization. You will own the technical strategy underpinning our client-facing digital experiences and core transactional systems, while guiding a team of engineers and senior leads.

The role demands balancing long-term architectural vision with practical, measurable delivery. The ideal candidate thrives in handling legacy complexity, rapid growth, and a client base with very

Qualifications

• 15+ years in software development and architecture.
• Proficiency in one or more general purpose languages (JavaScript, Python, Go, or Java).
• Strong leadership, communication, and ability to align tech with business goals.

Responsibilities

• Own the engineering organization’s technology vision, strategy, and multi-year roadmap.
• Build and lead a high-performing engineering organization; hire, develop, and retain senior talent.
• Drive delivery of cross-functional programs spanning client platforms and core systems.
• Serve as senior technical decision-maker for architecture and platform choices.
• Partner with Product, Data, Design, Infosec and IT leadership to align engineering with business strategy.
• Establish engineering standards across code quality, testing, security, and reliability.
• Advocate Agile practices and modern delivery disciplines to maximize throughput.
• Represent engineering with executives and external partners.

Skills

15+ years software dev & architecture

Programming languages (JavaScript, Py,

Tools

AWS

GCP

Azure

CI/CD

Job description

ABOUT SOTHEBY’S

Established in 1744, Sotheby’s promotes access and ownership of exceptional art and luxury objects through auctions, private sales and retail. Our deep expertise across 70 selling categories is supported by a leading technology platform and a global network of specialists spanning 40 countries. Selling categories include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits and Design, as well as collectible cars and real estate through RM Sotheby’s and Concierge. Sotheby’s Financial Services is a leading art lender and provides capital solutions for collectors around the world, having originated more than $12 billion in loans since its inception. Sotheby’s new global headquarters is now open at the iconic Breuer building at 945 Madison Avenue in New York City.

THE ROLE

The SVP of Engineering is a senior leadership role responsible for the health, direction, and output of Sotheby’s engineering organization. Reporting into the Head of Product & Technology, you will own the technical strategy underpinning our platforms – from client-facing digital experiences to the core transactional and operational systems that run the business.

You will lead a team of engineers, engineering managers, and technical leads, setting a high bar for talent, culture, and delivery. The best candidate moves fluidly between setting direction and ensuring it lands – as comfortable debating architectural tradeoffs with a principal engineer as presenting a multi-year investment case to executive leadership.

You thrive where the problems are genuinely hard and can dig deep: legacy complexity, rapid growth, and a client base with exceptionally high expectations.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the engineering organization’s technology vision, strategy, and multi-year roadmap – translating business priorities into a coherent technical direction that enables scalable, client-centric products and platforms
• Build and lead a high-performing engineering organization: hire, develop, and retain senior talent; establish clear career paths; and foster a culture of accountability, craft, and continuous improvement
• Drive delivery of complex, cross-functional programs spanning client-facing platforms, internal operational systems, and core transactional infrastructure – with a bias toward shipping and measurable outcomes
• Serve as the senior technical decision-maker for architecture, platform, and build-vs-buy choices, balancing long-term scalability with pragmatic near-term execution
• Partner with Product, Data, Design, Infosec and IT leadership to ensure engineering operates as a unified force – not a downstream order-taker – in shaping product and technology decisions
• Establish and uphold engineering standards across code quality, automated testing, security, and operational reliability, including 24x7 availability of production systems
• Champion Agile practices and modern delivery disciplines (CI/CD, iterative planning, trunk-based development) to maximize team throughput and reduce cycle time
• Represent engineering credibly with executive leadership, the board, and external partners – communicating tradeoffs clearly and advocating for sustainable investment in the technical foundation

IDEAL EXPERIENCE & COMPETENCIES

• 15+ years of experience in software development and architecture
• Experience with one or more general purpose programming languages including but not limited to: JavaScript, Python, Go, or Java
  • Experience with front end technologies and/or front-end frameworks (React preferred)
• Great communicator capable of translating complex technical topics for business stakeholders
• Experience building extremely high volume and highly scalable web services
• Experience building highly available systems and operating 24x7 services
• Extensive Agile Development experience (leading Scrums, iteration planning, managing multiple work streams)
• Experience with continuous deployment and developing CI/CD pipelines
• Familiarity and prior experience with Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, or Azure technologies
• General experience with API design and enterprise integration patterns
• Experience with HTML5 and CSS3 web standards
• Experience with relational and non-relational databases
• Experience working with large scale data warehouses for analytics preferred
• Excellent communicator capable of translating complex technical topics for business stakeholders & experience consistently influencing teams to successful outcomes
• Ability to think creatively and critically and thrive in a fast-paced dynamic, and often ambiguous work environment
• Strong problem resolution and analytical skills; detail-oriented strategic thinker; solution-oriented mindset and work approach
• Charisma and a natural ability to connect with others; strong leadership and mentorship skills
• Agile and organized working style to manage and consistently prioritize key initiatives
• Intelligence, Leadership, & Humility

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The Company is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applicants for employment without regard to race (including, without limitation, traits historically associated with race, such as natural hair, hair texture, and protective and treated or untreated hairstyles), color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership/union status, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic predisposition, genetic information, reproductive health decision, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, alienage or citizenship status, domestic violence victim status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/province or local law. The Company complies with applicable state and local laws prohibiting discrimination in employment in every jurisdiction in which it operates.