Director of Engineering

London, Croydon, Manchester or Sheffield. Frequent travel to 2 Marsham Street, London will be required if based elsewhere in the UK.

Role Overview

Home Office Digital is transforming how one of the UK’s most important government departments delivers services to millions of people every day. This is an opportunity to lead that transformation at scale. From digital passports and eVisas to border security and immigration systems, Home Office Digital already supports some of the largest and most complex digital services in the country. They are looking for a Director of Engineering to help shape the next phase of innovation and modernisation.

The Director of Engineering will have responsibility for the management and operational deployment of almost 1,000 engineers, while also being the head of our engineering profession, setting the overarching strategy on the tools, standards, methods and techniques we use every day, delivering software and services at pace.

Key Responsibilities

• Set and lead the strategic direction for engineering capability, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities, user needs, and wider government transformation agendas.
• Establish and evolve engineering practices, tools, and standards in line with industry best practice, enabling scalability and the adoption of emerging technologies such as AI and automation.
• Champion a product‑centric culture, embedding best practices in digital product engineering to deliver high‑quality, user‑focused services and continuously improve the product lifecycle from discovery through to live operation.
• Drive a culture of operational excellence, ensuring service reliability, performance, and cyber resilience are prioritised alongside new delivery.
• Lead a proactive approach to risk management, embedding robust identification, assessment, and mitigation practices across all digital products and services.
• Oversee budgets, commercial strategy, and supplier ecosystems, ensuring value for money, strong governance, and high‑performing partnerships that enable innovation and accountability.
• Champion innovation by working across the wider technology ecosystem, fostering experimentation, continuous improvement, and maintaining awareness of emerging trends and architectures.

Required Qualifications

• Experience at senior level within complex, multi‑divisional organisations, delivering high‑transaction, user‑centric services across a mix of legacy systems and modern digital solutions with a proven ability to lead dispersed teams in software development and deliver results through others in challenging and often ambiguous environments.
• Ability to use insights from strategic horizon scanning to set digital vision across the Home Office and input at government level, including compelling software engineering roadmaps aligned to organisational strategy, demonstrating originality and judgement supporting a fast‑paced environment.
• Ability to describe end‑to‑end software delivery and how technology is changing and developing through that lifecycle and the benefits and risks in adoption to support the organisation through digital change.
• Ability to convey and embed a persuasive future vision, inspiring confidence and commitment at all levels, and attracting, retaining, and developing diverse talent to create an inclusive, high‑performing organisation.
• Experience leading and helping to deliver complex organisational change and transformation across digital services.
• Evidence of managing significant budgets and complex supplier landscapes while applying innovative and highly strategic approaches to sourcing services efficiently.