Head of Engineering

Job Title: Interim Head of Engineering

Salary: Up to £95,000 Depending on experience

Location: Milton Keynes Hybrid, 1 day in the office

Contract: 6-Month Fixed-Term Contract - Must be immediately available

Reports to: CTO

We're looking for an experienced Interim Head of Engineering to lead our engineering function through a critical phase of delivery, platform evolution and capability development. This is a hands-on leadership role, responsible for engineering strategy, application architecture, software quality and delivery across a diverse technology estate spanning SaaS, insurance and reward platforms.

You will lead three Software Engineering Team Leads and a dedicated testing team, overseeing a mix of internal and outsourced engineering resources. Working closely with Product, Technology Delivery, Infrastructure, Information Security and the CTO, you will ensure the successful delivery of business-critical initiatives while driving engineering excellence, application reliability and security.

What you'll be doing

• Leading the engineering function across multiple platforms and technologies, including OutSystems, .NET, UniVerse/UniBasic and iOS applications.

• Owning application and solution architecture, ensuring scalable, secure and maintainable solutions.

• Managing engineering capacity, technical delivery commitments and engineering release readiness.

• Driving quality through robust testing, automation, CI/CD and engineering standards.

• Leading internal and offshore engineering teams and partners, ensuring high performance and accountability.

• Establishing and embedding effective use of AI-assisted development tools, including GitHub Copilot and Claude Code.

• Owning application security, technical debt management, operational resilience and remediation activities.

• Developing team capability, coaching leaders and building a culture of continuous improvement.

About you

You'll be a proven engineering leader with a strong architecture background and experience leading multidisciplinary development and testing teams in complex technology environments.

We're particularly interested in candidates who have:

• Significant experience leading software engineering and testing functions.

• Strong architecture expertise across SaaS platforms, APIs, integrations, security and resilience.

• Deep practical experience with C#/.NET and modern software engineering practices.

• Experience delivering and governing low-code platforms, ideally OutSystems.

• A track record of managing outsourced and offshore engineering partners.

• Experience establishing automated testing and CI/CD capabilities.

• Knowledge of ISO 27001, ISO 9001 and secure software development practices.

• Strong stakeholder management skills with the confidence to challenge, influence and make pragmatic decisions.

Desirable experience

• OutSystems 11 and ODC.

• Insurance, financial services, employee benefits or other regulated environments.

• Azure, AWS and SQL Server.

• Platform modernisation and migration programmes.

• UniVerse/UniBasic or iOS application environments.

So, what’s in it for you?

· Minimum of 26 day holiday rising with service and option to purchase more

· Private medical insurance and practical health plan

· Free travel insurance

· Enhance maternity and paternity leave

· Online GP

These are just some of the many perks that we offer! To view the extensive range of benefits we offer, please visit our careers page - https://personalgroup.teamtailor.com/

Do you live our values?

Passion

Bringing energy and enthusiasm to your work every day. We value people who are motivated, engaged, and excited to make a difference.

Pace

We move with purpose, staying focused and efficient to get things done while maintaining high standards. We value action and smart decision-making to drive progress.

Professionalism

It’s not just about what we do, but how we do it. We approach every task with integrity, respect, and a commitment to delivering our best work.

Diversity, Inclusion & Flexibility Personal Group is proud to be an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences. We support flexible working where possible, with core hours typically between 10:00–16:00 and remaining hours worked to suit individual needs.

We are committed to making adjustments and providing accommodations throughout the recruitment process and employment, ensuring those with caring responsibilities, disabilities, or health conditions are fully supported. If you require any adjustments, please contact our Recruitment Team, we’re here to help.

About us

At Personal Group, we are a leading UK provider of employee benefits and health insurance. Since the 1980s, we have been on a mission to revolutionise insurance and employee benefits, and while our business has evolved over the past four decades, our commitment to supporting people and businesses has remained constant.

Today, we are focused on improving employee health, wellbeing and engagement, working towards our vision of being “the champion of affordable benefits, keeping businesses and their employees happy, healthy and protected.” Our culture is shaped by our core values of Pace, Passion and Professionalism, which guide how we work together, support our customers and deliver when it matters most.

Could You Be Our Next Great Hire?