Head of Engineering

The Head of Engineering is responsible for defining and executing the engineering strategy, capability and delivery model across the organisation. Leading multiple engineering teams, this role combines technical leadership, operational excellence and people leadership to ensure the delivery of scalable, secure and high-quality products. The role partners closely with Product, Design, Production, QA and Executive stakeholders to align technology investment with business objectives, build high-performing teams and drive continuous improvement. 

Main Duties & Responsibilities  

Engineering Strategy & Technical Vision 

• Define and own the engineering strategy aligned to company objectives  

• Establish long-term architecture and technology direction  

• Define engineering standards, governance and quality frameworks  

• Drive technical decisions balancing speed, quality, scalability and risk  

Leadership & People Management 

• Lead, mentor and develop engineering managers, principals and senior engineers  

• Build a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration and continuous learning  

• Oversee workforce planning, succession planning, performance management and hiring  

Delivery & Operational Excellence 

• Own delivery outcomes across engineering teams  

• Ensure predictable execution of roadmaps, effective planning processes and operational effectiveness  

• Remove organisational impediments and improve engineering productivity through metrics and process optimisation  

Architecture, Quality & Security 

• Ensure systems are scalable, resilient and maintainable  

• Establish standards for code quality, testing, DevOps and security  

• Oversee technical debt management and platform health  

• Sponsor engineering best practices and continuous improvement initiatives  

Cross-Functional Leadership 

• Partner with Product, Design, QA and Production leadership to deliver business outcomes  

• Translate complex technical concepts into executive-level recommendations  

• Influence company strategy through technology insight and innovation  

Innovation & Department Growth 

• Identify emerging technologies and opportunities for competitive advantage  

• Drive adoption of modern engineering practices, AI-enabled workflows and automation  

• Build organisational capability and foster a culture of innovation  

Key Skills, Knowledge & Experience 

Core  

• 10+ years of software engineering experience with at least 5 years in engineering leadership. 
• Proven experience leading multiple engineering teams and managers. 
• Strong understanding of software architecture, cloud platforms, DevOps and modern development practices. 
• Track record of delivering complex products at scale. 
• Experience establishing engineering KPIs, delivery metrics and quality standards. 
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and strategic planning skills. 
• Experience managing budgets, hiring plans and organisational growth. 
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Software Engineering or related field, or equivalent experience. 

Preferred 

• Experience within gaming, digital products or SaaS environments. 
• Master's degree in a relevant discipline. 
• Experience scaling organisations through periods of rapid growth. 
• Experience with AI-assisted development tooling and platform modernisation. 
• Experience leading distributed or international engineering teams.