Director of Engineering - hybrid in Leicester

Blue Light Card. Individually great, together unstoppable.

The engineering organisation at Blue Light Card has made real progress: a modern architecture, strong commercial foundations, and a genuinely collaborative, talented team. The next chapter is about building on those foundations: consistent delivery, AI transformation that sticks, and an engineering function that operates as a true strategic partner across the business.

This is where the Director of Engineering comes in. Reporting directly to the CTO, you'll own the day-to-day strategy and execution of the engineering organisation, leading six squads with plans to grow to eight. Your focus is the next twelve months of engineering performance and organisational maturity, freeing the CTO to set longer-term direction, engage at Board level, and build BLC's technical brand.

You'll work in close partnership with the Head of Engineering, who owns the technical layer: engineering standards, software development strategy, and the implementation of AI-first ways of working. Your domain is the organisational layer: team health, ways of working, cross-functional coordination, career development, and delivery accountability. The right candidate will be energised by a strong technical counterpart and focused on nurturing the organisational conditions for the team to do its best work. You'll also work closely with the Director of Product and Director of Information Security, and present engineering performance directly to the CEO and Executive Team.

What You'll Do

• Lead the engineering organisation's day-to-day performance, making sure the right initiatives are prioritised, tracked, and landing as intended.
• Build the operating model, rituals, and accountability structures that give the team the consistency and discipline to deliver at a higher level.
• Bring the engineering team with you on AI adoption, driving the culture and behaviour change needed to make AI-first ways of working the norm.
• Set clear, observable standards for Engineering Managers at every level and develop them actively, giving the team the leadership maturity the next stage of BLC's growth requires.
• Ensure every engineer has a meaningful development plan that is actively worked and that the team has a genuine culture of learning, craft, and mutual support.
• Build trusted, collaborative relationships with Product, Design, Data, and key external suppliers including AWS, Sanity, and Cloudflare, moving engineering to a genuine strategic partner across the business.
• Manage the engineering budget with CTO oversight, controlling costs and evaluating the return on investment of engineering approaches with commercial rigour.
• Represent engineering with credibility at SLT, Executive Team, and Board level, and be genuinely prepared to stand in for the CTO when needed.

What You'll Bring

• An established career leading engineering organisations through a meaningful maturity curve, with a track record in delivery outcomes, quality, and measurable impact.
• Proven experience bringing an engineering team through AI transformation at scale, including the culture and behaviour change that makes it stick, backed by evidence of business impact.
• A background inheriting partially-built engineering functions and fixing them systematically, with a clear playbook and the composure to see it through.
• Commercial fluency at senior level: controlling costs, evaluating engineering ROI, and holding credible conversations with finance and executive stakeholders.
• Strong people leadership, with a track record of developing engineering teams, building inclusive, high-trust environments where people are supported to grow and held to a high standard.
• Enough technical depth to engage substantively with the Head of Engineering, challenge where needed, and step closer when the situation demands it.
• Experience presenting to executive and board-level stakeholders, building alignment rather than just awareness.

Our Culture

Our mission is simple: make heroes happy. Our members are the real-life heroes who keep us all safe, cared for, and thriving. It's what gets us up in the morning and pushes us to go further, think bigger, and create something that truly matters. By focusing on their happiness, we create amazing experiences, deliver unrivalled discounts, innovative products, and world-class service.

We don't just follow the usual path - we look for smarter, bolder ways to deliver real impact. We take ownership, move fast, and work shoulder to shoulder to build something special.

We're committed to building a diverse and inclusive team where everyone feels they belong. Different perspectives and experiences help us grow, innovate, and better reflect the communities we serve.

We promote hybrid working, and value in-person collaboration so encourage time in our offices, where you can make the most of our fully stocked snack drawers - either the HQ in Leicestershire, or London, Holborn office. The frequency and office location will vary depending on the role and team. We aim to be flexible, but we aren't able to offer fully remote working.

Blue Light Card is an equal opportunities employer. We believe that employing a diverse workforce is key to our success. We make recruiting decisions based on your experience and skills. In the event of a high number of applications, we'll prioritise candidates who meet both the essential and desirable criteria for the role.

What We Offer

• Hybrid working and flexible hours.
• EV charging and free parking onsite at HQ.
• 25 days annual leave plus an additional day off for your birthday, and a buy and sell holiday scheme of up to 5 days.
• A company bonus scheme.
• Your own Blue Light Card and exclusive access to thousands of discounts.
• Generous funded BUPA medical insurance covering pre-existing conditions.
• Auto-enrolment pension scheme via salary sacrifice, with employer NI savings reinvested into pensions.
• Enhanced parental leave and absence leave.
• Healthcare cashback plan.
• Employee assistance programme (including mental health support) and mental health first aiders.
• Great social events e.g., festive party, summer party, team socials, sports matches.
• Regular company-wide recognition events e.g. monthly Light's Up and annual Shine awards.
• Relaxed dress code and modern office space (games area, chill-out areas, book club, free drinks/snacks).
• Onsite gym at HQ (including access to free HIIT & stretch classes).
• Strong learning and development culture and personal growth fund.