Head of Software Engineering

Title - Head of Software Engineering

Description

Lead the technology, engineering and operational resilience of Pearson’s critical qualifications, assessment and government services. This opportunity may also be known in the market as Qualifications Technology Director, Assessment Technology Director, Director of Qualifications Platforms, Director of Assessment Platforms, Head of Qualifications Technology or Head of Assessment Technology.

About Pearson

At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to add life to a lifetime of learning.

We create vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. Learning is no longer just a stage of life. It is a lifelong journey, and we are committed to helping people realise the life they imagine through learning.

Pearson Qualifications provides qualifications and assessment services used by schools, colleges, educators and learners across the UK. Our technology supports some of the most important and time-critical stages of the qualifications lifecycle, from entries and assessment delivery through to marking, awarding, results and certification.

About the role

Pearson is looking for an exceptional Head of Software Engineering to lead the strategy, delivery and operation of technology across our General Qualifications, Vocational Qualifications and high-profile government contract portfolios.

This is a substantial senior technology leadership role with end-to-end accountability for globally distributed software engineering, DevOps, quality engineering, application operations and technology service teams.

You will lead through an established management structure, as well as through matrix teams and strategic partners. Your focus will be on setting direction, aligning resources and investment, strengthening leadership capability, improving delivery and creating clear accountability across a complex technology portfolio.

You will translate business, product, customer, contractual and regulatory priorities into a clear and integrated technology roadmap. At the same time, you will remain accountable for the secure, accurate and reliable operation of Pearson’s existing qualifications services.

Our technology supports some of the most important and time-critical activities within the qualifications lifecycle, including:

• Entries and registrations
• Assessment delivery
• Scanning
• Marking and moderation
• Awarding and grading
• Results delivery
• Certification
• Post-results services

These services operate through fixed, highly visible and business-critical periods. The successful candidate will therefore bring strong experience of production readiness, operational resilience, capacity planning, service performance, incident and problem management, business continuity, disaster recovery and critical-event support.

Alongside responsibility for existing services, you will work closely with Pearson’s multi-year Qualifications Platform Transformation programme.

You will help to modernise complex legacy and cloud-based services, reduce technical debt and introduce new digital capabilities without compromising live operations, data integrity, regulatory compliance or customer outcomes.

The portfolio also includes technology supporting a major government contract. You will be accountable for technology-related contractual milestones, service levels, controls, evidence, reporting, risk mitigation and client outcomes.

You will act as a senior technology liaison for clients and regulators, providing clear and credible assurance regarding readiness, service performance, controls, risks and remediation.

This is a genuine senior leadership appointment requiring someone who can combine software engineering leadership, operational excellence, technology transformation, supplier management and executive-level stakeholder engagement.

Key responsibilities

As Head of Software Engineering, you will:

• Own the technology strategy, roadmap and delivery outcomes across the General Qualifications, Vocational Qualifications and government contract portfolios.
• Align technology investment, resources and execution with Pearson Qualifications’ priorities, product roadmaps, customer needs and contractual commitments.
• Ensure qualifications and assessment services are delivered securely, accurately, reliably and on time across the complete operational lifecycle.
• Lead globally distributed software engineering, DevOps, quality engineering, application operations and technology service capabilities.
• Set clear functional priorities and translate business goals into executable plans, measurable outcomes and defined accountabilities.
• Provide leadership across direct, matrix, partner-led and globally distributed technology teams.
• Lead technology delivery for high-stakes regulated government services, with accountability for contractual milestones, service levels, evidence, reporting, compliance and risk mitigation.
• Act as a senior technology liaison for clients and regulators, representing Pearson’s technology position and providing credible assurance regarding readiness, service performance, controls, risks and remediation.
• Own operational excellence and production readiness across critical examination, marking, awarding and results periods.
• Provide leadership across service performance, capacity, resilience, change and release control, incident and problem management, business continuity and disaster recovery.
• Ensure significant incidents are managed effectively, with clear communication, root-cause analysis, lessons learned and sustained improvement.
• Guide the modernisation of complex legacy and cloud-based services while protecting live qualification delivery, operational continuity and data integrity.
• Reduce technical debt and operational risk through informed investment decisions, clear prioritisation and strong engineering governance.
• Ensure effective transitions and handovers into support and operational teams as new technology capabilities and services are introduced.
• Champion modern engineering and delivery practices, including agile and product-led ways of working, DevSecOps, secure-by-design architecture, automation, observability and API-led integration.
• Support the responsible use of AI and agentic software development while maintaining appropriate quality, security, privacy and operational controls.
• Govern portfolio-level architecture, software quality, lifecycle management and engineering standards.
• Ensure technology solutions are secure, scalable, reliable, maintainable, supportable, documented and aligned with Pearson’s enterprise technology patterns.
• Build a capable, inclusive and accountable engineering organisation through clear direction, coaching, succession planning, skills development and effective leadership of managers.
• Strengthen leadership depth and create sustainable delivery capability across internal and partner teams.
• Lead strategic supplier and partner relationships, ensuring delivery quality, knowledge transfer, capability development, commercial accountability and value for money.
• Intervene decisively and constructively when external supplier performance falls below expectations.
• Work closely with colleagues across Product, Programme Delivery, Operations, Assessment, Qualifications Processing, Customer Services, Security, Privacy, Architecture, Finance, Commercial, Regulatory and Transformation.
• Own capital and operating expenditure across the portfolio.
• Prioritise investment, manage forecasts and contribute to business cases, annual planning and Pearson’s longer-term technology strategy.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies and external regulatory, contractual, security, privacy, accessibility, audit and quality requirements.
• Maintain appropriate technology controls and evidence, addressing material gaps promptly and transparently.
• Provide clear executive reporting across delivery, service health, budget, workforce, supplier performance, risks and dependencies.
• Escalate emerging concerns early and provide senior stakeholders with the information required to make timely decisions.

About you

You will be an established senior technology and software engineering leader who is equally comfortable setting strategy, leading organisational change and remaining accountable for the operation of complex live services.

You will understand that successful technology transformation is not simply about introducing new platforms. It requires disciplined operational leadership, strong engineering decisions, effective risk management and the ability to modernise safely without compromising existing customer, contractual or regulatory commitments.

You will have experience simplifying a complex technology portfolio, establishing clear priorities and creating confidence with executives, clients, regulators, suppliers and delivery teams.

You will combine empathy and inclusive leadership with clear accountability. You will know how to support and strengthen teams that have worked through demanding operational circumstances, while maintaining delivery focus and rebuilding sustainable capability.

You will be able to create an environment where experienced leaders understand their responsibilities, make effective decisions and remain focused on the outcomes that matter most.

Direct experience within qualifications, assessment or education technology would be valuable, but it is not essential.

We are interested in senior leaders from a broad range of technology-led, regulated or contractually controlled environments who can demonstrate the scale, complexity and accountability required for this role.

Relevant backgrounds could include:

• Qualifications and assessment technology
• Awarding organisations
• Education technology
• Government technology and public services
• Financial services and payments
• Healthcare technology
• Utilities
• Telecommunications
• Transport
• Major digital platforms
• Enterprise software
• Other high-stakes or mission-critical service environments

Essential experience

You will bring:

• Proven experience leading large-scale software engineering, DevOps and technology service organisations at senior director, technology director or equivalent level.
• Experience leading managers and senior leaders across globally distributed, matrix or partner-led structures.
• Demonstrable accountability for complex digital products, platforms or services operating at scale.
• Experience supporting business-critical, revenue-critical or mission-critical technology services.
• Strong operational leadership across production readiness, resilience, service performance, capacity, major incidents, problem management, business continuity and disaster recovery.
• A strong track record of improving the reliability, security, performance and supportability of critical technology services.
• Substantial experience operating within a regulated or contractually controlled environment.
• Experience delivering against demanding milestones and service levels.
• Responsibility for assurance, audit evidence, risk mitigation, technology controls and contractual commitments.
• Confidence engaging directly with senior clients, government stakeholders, regulators or equivalent external bodies.
• A deep understanding of modern software engineering, cloud technology, DevSecOps, APIs, secure system design, application security, observability, quality engineering and application operations.
• Experience modernising complex legacy technology estates while maintaining live service, operational continuity and data integrity.
• Evidence of translating business and product priorities into credible engineering roadmaps, investment priorities and measurable delivery outcomes.
• Experience leading technology recovery, stabilisation, resilience or significant service-improvement activity.
• Experience building engineering capability, developing senior leaders and creating effective succession plans.
• Strong supplier and commercial management experience.
• Experience delivering through strategic third parties and intervening when partner performance is below expectations.
• Experience owning significant capital and operating budgets.
• Evidence of prioritising investment and contributing to business cases, financial forecasts and strategic planning.
• Outstanding executive communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• Sound judgement and the ability to make risk-based decisions under pressure.
• The ability to simplify complexity, create clear priorities and provide transparent assurance regarding delivery, service health and risk.

Desirable experience

The following would be particularly valuable:

• Knowledge of qualifications, assessment, examinations, awarding, marking or results delivery.
• Experience leading technology platforms supporting schools, colleges, learners, educators or assessment professionals.
• Experience supporting services with immovable deadlines, critical operational events or significant peaks in demand.
• Technology leadership within government services or major public-sector contracts.
• Experience working alongside a major platform or enterprise transformation programme while remaining accountable for existing live services.
• Experience leading an operational recovery or rebuilding confidence following a demanding period of technology delivery.
• An understanding of the needs of schools, colleges, learners, assessment associates, regulators and sector bodies.
• Experience using AI, automation or agentic development responsibly within a secure and controlled enterprise engineering environment.

What success looks like

Success in this role will mean:

• Critical qualifications and government technology commitments are delivered to the required quality, contractual, regulatory and operational standards.
• Examination, marking, awarding and results periods are supported by robust technology readiness, resilience and assurance.
• Critical platforms demonstrate improving reliability, performance, security and supportability.
• Material incidents, risks and defects are resolved effectively, with fewer recurring problems.
• Root-cause analysis and lessons learned result in sustained service improvements.
• Engineering roadmaps, backlogs, resources and investment are visibly aligned with business and product priorities.
• There is clarity regarding scope, technical debt, delivery risk and cross-portfolio dependencies.
• Legacy modernisation and transformation milestones are delivered safely.
• Live service continuity, data integrity and regulatory compliance are protected throughout technology change.
• Engineering standards, DevSecOps practices, automation and operational insight are applied consistently across internal and partner teams.
• Strategic suppliers deliver against clear outcomes, commitments and controls.
• Capital and operating budgets are managed effectively.
• Technology investment demonstrates measurable value, improved efficiency and meaningful risk reduction.
• The engineering function has strong leadership depth, critical skills, clear succession plans and sustainable delivery capacity.
• Executives, clients, regulators and delivery partners receive clear, credible and timely assurance.
• Technology is regarded as a trusted, accountable and effective delivery partner across Pearson Qualifications.

Your leadership approach

You will be a visible, thoughtful and decisive leader who can create clarity and confidence during periods of pressure and change.

You will provide clear direction while empowering experienced leaders and teams to deliver.

You will model ethical, inclusive and accountable leadership and build trust across organisational, client and supplier boundaries.

You will be comfortable inheriting complexity, making it understandable and creating a realistic path forward.

You will communicate openly when risks arise, escalate concerns early and ensure that problems lead to meaningful learning and sustained improvement.

You will be able to balance competing operational, commercial, regulatory and transformation priorities without losing focus on the customer and learner experience.

Above all, you will connect technology decisions to learner, customer and qualification outcomes and recognise the importance of protecting the integrity of high-stakes assessment.

Why join Pearson?

This is an opportunity to lead one of the most significant technology portfolios within Pearson Qualifications.

You will have the scope to:

• Shape technology strategy across critical qualifications and assessment services
• Strengthen software engineering and operational capability
• Improve the resilience and performance of important customer-facing platforms
• Lead safely through significant technology transformation
• Influence at executive, client and regulatory level
• Develop a globally distributed engineering organisation
• Shape strategic supplier relationships
• Improve sustainable engineering and leadership capability
• Make a direct contribution to the experiences of learners, educators and customers

The role offers a rare combination of significant software engineering leadership, high-profile public-purpose services, complex transformation and executive-level influence.

If you are motivated by leading technology where accuracy, reliability, security and trust genuinely matter, we would be delighted to hear from you.