Head of Software development

Our client is a financial services institution seeking a Head of Software Development to join their Technology function in a senior leadership capacity. This is a high-impact role with a clear pathway to Deputy CTO

The Role

This is a strategic leadership position responsible for driving the software engineering function, owning the end-to-end development lifecycle, and shaping the organisation’s technology direction. The role combines hands-on technical expertise with senior stakeholder engagement and leadership of distributed engineering teams. There is a defined progression path into a Deputy CTO position, making this an excellent opportunity for an ambitious leader looking to step into executive-level responsibility.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute the software development strategy aligned to business objectives
• Partner with senior leadership to shape the technology roadmap
• Own end-to-end software delivery across platforms and products
• Lead architectural decisions and ensure the scalability of systems
• Drive best practice across Agile, DevOps and engineering standards
• Manage and develop offshore and distributed engineering teams
• Build a high-performance, collaborative engineering culture
• Oversee vendor relationships and offshore resource planning
• Contribute to governance, risk and compliance initiatives

Skills and Experience

• Extensive experience in software development with strong Java expertise
• Proven leadership experience managing engineering teams
• Experience overseeing the full software delivery lifecycle
• Background within financial services, ideally capital markets
• Strong understanding of cloud, microservices and modern architectures
• Experience working with offshore or distributed teams
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
• Ability to operate both strategically and hands-on
• (Desirable) Experience in a high-growth or scaling environment
• Exposure to AI or emerging technologies
• Knowledge of regulatory and security frameworks such as SOC2 or ISO
• Background in fintech, SaaS or enterprise platforms

Package

Competitive base salary and performance-related bonus

Equity participation aligned with seniority, Clear progression to Deputy CTO

Hybrid working model, comprehensive benefits package including healthcare and pension