Head of Engineering Amsterdam (flex)

Ex Machina Group; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Tools and equipment

Travel reimbursements

Challenging global projects

Training & development

Flat organization structure

Hybrid / flexible work from home

Office view over The IJ (NDSM)

Organic lunch daily from Landmarkt

Free coffee and snacks

Job summary

Ex Machina Group in Amsterdam is seeking a Head of Engineering to lead the backend and platform development, shaping technology and team culture while delivering scalable, real‑time experiences for broadcasters, gaming brands and partners. You will balance hands‑on coding with strategic leadership, mentoring engineers, defining architecture, and setting engineering standards.

The role includes recruiting, process improvement, and close collaboration with product and design to ship robust,

Qualifications

• 6+ years of backend development, including senior/lead roles.
• Deep expertise in Java (21+), Spring Boot, MongoDB with hands‑on AWS experience.
• Strong understanding of NoSQL design, optimization, and data modeling.

Responsibilities

• Lead the engineering team in building and maintaining robust, scalable systems.
• Make key decisions on architecture, tooling, and technical direction.
• Contribute hands‑on to backend development and code reviews.
• Define and improve engineering processes and security standards.
• Drive hiring, coaching, and team growth, mentoring engineers.
• Collaborate closely with product, design, and client teams to deliver high‑quality solutions.
• Support commercial and operational goals through technical insight.
• Drive innovation and continuous improvement across the team.

Skills

Backend development

Leadership

Mentoring

Architecture

Code reviews

Real-time systems design

Client communication

Dutch/English fluency

Tools

Java

Spring Boot

MongoDB

AWS

NoSQL

Job description

We’re looking for a Head of Engineering to take a leading role in shaping our technology, our team, and our future. You’ll combine hands‑on backend expertise with leadership, mentoring, and strategic decision‑making to help us build, deliver, and evolve high‑quality products and systems that power our interactive experiences for broadcaster, gaming companies and brands.

As Head of Engineering, you’ll guide the technical direction of our projects while staying closely involved in day‑to‑day development. You’ll lead by example, share your technical expertise, and work closely with our teams to turn ideas into scalable solutions. You’ll also play a key role in hiring, training, and developing our engineers, driving innovation, and fostering a culture that delivers robust, scalable, and interactive platforms.

This is a role for someone who wants to stay hands‑on with code while also taking responsibility for team leadership, architecture, and technical direction. You’ll:

• Lead the engineering team in building and maintaining robust, scalable systems.
• Make key decisions on architecture, tooling, and technical direction.
• Contribute hands‑on to backend development and code reviews.
• Define and improve engineering processes and security standards.
• Drive hiring and team growth, recruiting, mentoring, and coach engineers.
• Collaborate closely with product, design, and client teams to deliver high‑quality solutions.
• Support commercial and operational goals through technical insight and leadership.
• Drive innovation and continuous improvement across the team.

If you’re a hands‑on technical leader who enjoys designing systems that scale, solving real‑time challenges, and defining how great engineering is done, this role offers the chance to make a lasting impact. We’d love to hear from you!

Something tells us that you...

• Bring 6+ years of backend development experience, including time spent in senior or lead roles.
• Have deep expertise in Java (21+), Spring Boot, and MongoDB, with hands‑on experience building and running systems on AWS.
• Understand NoSQL database design, optimization, and data modeling inside and out.
• Know how to design and scale distributed systems and high‑performance APIs for real‑time, high‑concurrency environments.
• Balance hands‑on coding with a strong ability to lead, mentor, and guide engineers toward technical excellence.
• Are excited to work on large‑scale platforms and interactive, real‑time systems that demand reliability and precision.
• Can jump into client or partner conversations and clearly communicate technical concepts to non‑technical stakeholders.
• Stay curious about emerging technologies like AI and LLMs, cloud‑native tools and real‑time frameworks.
• Are comfortable working and communicating fluently in Dutch and/or English.

There are also a few perks

• A competitive salary and compensation package
• We’ll equip you with the best tools money can buy
• Full reimbursement of your business travel expenses
• The chance to work on challenging and innovative projects, for high‑profile clients all over the world
• Training and professional development opportunities
• An informal organization with a flat structure, and co‑workers who are motivated and passionate about their work
• Flexibility, including the opportunity to work from home every now and then
• A fantastic view over The IJ from our office in The Baanderij at the popular NDSM (Netherlands Dock and Shipbuilding Company) wharf
• Organic lunch, delivered daily by Landmarkt. Plus all the free coffee and snacks you can handle
• Friday drinks, great team dinners and frequent out of office activities