Head of Engineering

Selby Jennings; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Selby Jennings in Amsterdam is seeking a Head of Engineering to shape the technology strategy for a leading payments & fintech scale-up. You will build and scale high-performing teams, drive architectural direction, and partner with product, data, and executive stakeholders to deliver secure, scalable payment platforms.

Based in Amsterdam with a flexible hybrid model, you will own engineering culture, metrics, and delivery frameworks, while attracting top engineering talent and shaping the

Qualifications

• Experience leading engineering organizations in fintech, payments, SaaS, or high-growth tech environments.
• Proven track record scaling engineering teams during significant business growth.
• Strong background in modern software architecture, distributed systems, cloud platforms, and high-availability environments.
• Experience managing engineering managers and multiple development teams.
• Ability to influence executive stakeholders and translate business strategy into technology execution.
• Strong commercial awareness and understanding of how technology drives business outcomes.
• Passion for developing engineering talent and building high-performance cultures.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the long-term engineering and technology strategy.
• Lead, mentor, and grow engineering managers, technical leads, and software engineers.
• Build a world-class engineering culture focused on ownership, delivery, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Partner closely with Product, Data, Operations, and Executive stakeholders to align technology initiatives with business goals.
• Drive platform scalability, resilience, security, and performance across critical payment systems.
• Oversee software architecture and engineering best practices across multiple development teams.
• Establish clear engineering metrics, KPIs, and delivery frameworks.
• Lead hiring and organizational growth initiatives to attract and retain exceptional engineering talent.
• Champion modern software development methodologies, DevOps practices, cloud technologies, and AI-driven engineering efficiencies.
• Manage engineering budgets, resource planning, and team scalability.

Skills

Engineering leadership

FinTech domain knowledge

Cloud platforms

Distributed systems

DevOps practices

Stakeholder management

Hiring & team growth

Job description

Amsterdam, Netherlands | Hybrid Leading Payments & FinTech Scale-Up

Shape the Future of Payments

We are partnering with one of the Netherlands' most innovative and rapidly growing payments and fintech organizations to appoint an exceptional Head of Engineering.

This is a unique opportunity to join a business at a pivotal stage of growth, where technology sits at the heart of the company's success. Processing millions of transactions and serving customers across multiple markets, the organization is investing heavily in its platform, engineering capabilities, and future product innovation.

As Head of Engineering, you will play a critical role in defining the technology strategy, scaling high-performing engineering teams, and building the next generation of payment solutions. You will work directly with executive leadership and product teams to drive technical excellence, foster innovation, and create an engineering culture capable of supporting ambitious growth plans.

The Opportunity

You will lead a talented engineering organization responsible for mission-critical platforms, customer-facing products, and scalable infrastructure. This role requires an experienced technology leader who can balance strategic thinking with operational execution while inspiring teams to deliver at the highest level.

You'll have the opportunity to influence company-wide decisions, drive architectural direction, and build an engineering function recognized as one of the best in the European fintech ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute the long-term engineering and technology strategy.
• Lead, mentor, and grow engineering managers, technical leads, and software engineers.
• Build a world-class engineering culture focused on ownership, delivery, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Partner closely with Product, Data, Operations, and Executive stakeholders to align technology initiatives with business goals.
• Drive platform scalability, resilience, security, and performance across critical payment systems.
• Oversee software architecture and engineering best practices across multiple development teams.
• Establish clear engineering metrics, KPIs, and delivery frameworks.
• Lead hiring and organizational growth initiatives to attract and retain exceptional engineering talent.
• Champion modern software development methodologies, DevOps practices, cloud technologies, and AI-driven engineering efficiencies.
• Manage engineering budgets, resource planning, and team scalability.

What We're Looking For

• Proven experience leading engineering organizations within fintech, payments, SaaS, or high-growth technology environments.
• Track record of scaling engineering teams through periods of significant business growth.
• Strong technical background in modern software architecture, distributed systems, cloud platforms, and high-availability environments.
• Experience managing engineering managers and multiple development teams.
• Ability to influence executive stakeholders and translate business strategy into technology execution.
• Strong commercial awareness and understanding of how technology drives business outcomes.
• Passion for developing engineering talent and building high-performance cultures.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

What Success Looks Like

Within your first 12 months, you will:

• Build a highly engaged and scalable engineering organization.
• Improve software delivery velocity while maintaining exceptional quality standards.
• Drive the evolution of a modern, secure, and resilient payments platform.
• Strengthen collaboration between Engineering, Product, and Business teams.
• Implement processes and frameworks that support sustained international growth.
• Establish a culture where innovation, accountability, and technical excellence thrive.

Why Join?

• Executive-level influence and visibility.
• Opportunity to shape the technology strategy of a leading fintech business.
• High-performing and ambitious leadership team.
• Significant investment in technology and product innovation.
• Fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment with genuine autonomy.
• Competitive compensation package, including bonus and long-term incentives.
• Amsterdam-based with flexible hybrid working.