At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead engineering teams to develop AI-driven fraud detection systems and enhance compliance workflows.
- Company: Join Tide, a transformative fintech company supporting over 2 million SMEs globally.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, generous leave, health insurance, and professional development opportunities.
- Other info: Flexible work model with a focus on team collaboration and inclusivity.
- Why this job: Shape the future of fintech while making a real impact on small businesses.
- Qualifications: 18+ years in engineering with strong leadership and machine learning experience.
The predicted salary is between 100000 - 150000 £ per year.
At Tide, we help SMEs save time and money in the running of their businesses by offering business accounts and related banking services, as well as a comprehensive set of highly usable and connected administrative solutions, from invoicing to accounting. Tide is transforming the small business banking market and now supports over 2 million members globally across the UK, India, Germany, and France. Using advanced technology, all solutions are designed with SMEs in mind.
We’re looking for a Director of Engineering to lead our Ongoing Monitoring technology teams. This group is at the heart of how we serve our members – building the systems that power Tide’s fraud, risk, and AML operations. A Director of Engineering at Tide for Fraud, AML and Risk leads the strategic vision and development of AI/ML-driven detection systems. The role requires scaling machine learning models to analyze massive transaction volumes, overseeing model governance, and ensuring compliance with financial regulations.
As a Director of Engineering at Tide you’ll be:
- Owning the technology strategy and roadmap for Ongoing Monitoring (Fraud, Financial Risk, AML, AI workflows, tooling, and automation).
- Building autonomous, multi-agent workflows that automatically investigate alerts, query external data sources, chain complex reasoning steps, and make initial risk determinations.
- Developing detection systems to identify and block adversarial agentic behavior, such as automated bot swarms, deepfake-powered KYC bypasses, and algorithmic fraud loops.
- Ensuring all AI systems are auditable, explainable, and aligned with global anti-money laundering (AML) directives and data privacy standards.
- Leading and growing multiple engineering squads – building an inclusive, high-performance culture.
- Partnering with Product, Data, AI, Risk, and Ops to deliver tools that improve our predictive ML modelling and agentic AI capabilities.
- Championing automation, data-driven decision making, and AI/ML opportunities to reduce operational cost and friction.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- 18+ years of engineering experience with 7+ years in leadership roles (Director/Senior Director level).
- Machine Learning: Strong experience in supervised and unsupervised models, decision trees, neural networks, and Large Language Models (LLMs).
- Agent Frameworks: Hands-on experience with multi-agent orchestration frameworks (e.g., LangGraph, AutoGen) used to build self-correcting compliance workflows.
- Fintech Domain Knowledge: Deep understanding of fraud vectors (e.g., mule accounts, account takeovers, synthetic identity fraud) and AML typologies.
- Adversarial AI Security: Proven track record in detecting deepfakes, synthetic identities, and prompt injection attacks targeting financial systems.
- Risk/Scale: Minimum 7+ years building and deploying production-grade, risk-scoring environments at scale.
- Experience with fintech platforms - risk/compliance tooling (AML, Fraud, Financial Risk, SARs, KYX, agentic AI detections).
- Excellent people leadership skills – you know how to grow and inspire teams.
- Solid technical foundations: cloud-native architectures, microservices, event-driven systems, and data platforms (AWS or GCP).
WHAT YOU’LL GET IN RETURN
- Competitive Compensation - competitive salary and share options.
- Time Off – Generous annual leave on top of bank holidays.
- Parental Leave – Paid maternity, paternity, and adoption leave to support your family journey.
- Sabbatical – Extended unpaid and paid leave options after completing milestone years with Tide.
- Access to salary sacrifice benefits – like Nursery (could save up to 47% on fees!) and Cycle to Work discounts.
- Health Insurance – Comprehensive Private family insurance plan.
- Life & Accident Cover – Comprehensive accidental and life insurance protection.
- Mental Wellbeing – Access to therapy sessions, courses, meditations, and workshops.
- Retirement Planning – Build your retirement fund faster with Tide’s pension scheme on eligible earnings.
- Volunteering & Development Days – Paid days annually for volunteering or personal growth.
- Learning & Development – Annual budget for books, courses, coaching, and more.
- WOO (Work Outside the Office) – Work from abroad for up to 90 days annually.
- Home Office Setup – Contribution towards setting up your home office.
- Laptop Ownership – Keep your old laptop and get a new one when it’s time for a replacement.
- Snacks & Meals – Daily breakfast spread with all-day coffee, tea, and juices.
At Tide, we champion a flexible workplace model that supports both in-person and remote work to cater to the specific needs of our different teams. While remote work is supported, we believe in the power of face-to-face interactions to foster team spirit and collaboration. Our offices are designed as hubs for innovation and team-building, where we encourage regular in-person gatherings to foster a strong sense of community.
At Tide, we believe that we can only succeed if we let our differences enrich our culture. Our Tideans come from a variety of backgrounds and experience levels. We consider everyone irrespective of their ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, veteran, neurodiversity or differently-abled status. We celebrate diversity in our workforce as a cornerstone of our success.
Director of Engineering employer: Careers at Tide
At Tide, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration. With competitive compensation, generous time off, and a strong commitment to employee development, we empower our Tideans to thrive both personally and professionally. Our Central London office serves as a vibrant hub for creativity and teamwork, making it an ideal place for those looking to make a meaningful impact in the fintech industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Director of Engineering
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the fintech space, especially those who might know someone at Tide. A friendly chat can open doors that applications alone can't.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by diving deep into Tide's mission and values. Show us how your experience aligns with our goals, especially in fraud and risk management. We love candidates who are genuinely passionate about what we do!
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just talk about your skills; demonstrate them! If you have a portfolio or examples of past projects, bring them along. We want to see how you’ve tackled challenges similar to what you’ll face at Tide.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows us you’re serious about joining the Tide team.
We think you need these skills to ace Director of Engineering
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Director of Engineering role. Highlight your experience in machine learning, fintech, and leadership to show us you’re the perfect fit for our team.
Showcase Your Achievements:Don’t just list your responsibilities; we want to see your impact! Use specific examples of how you've led teams or implemented successful projects in the past to demonstrate your capabilities.
Be Authentic:Let your personality shine through in your application. We value diversity and want to know what makes you unique, so don’t be afraid to share your story and passion for technology and innovation.
Apply Through Our Website:To ensure your application gets the attention it deserves, make sure to apply directly through our careers page. This way, we can easily track your application and get back to you faster!
How to prepare for a job interview at Careers at Tide
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
As a Director of Engineering, you'll need to demonstrate a deep understanding of machine learning models and AI frameworks. Brush up on your knowledge of supervised and unsupervised models, decision trees, and neural networks. Be ready to discuss how you've applied these technologies in real-world scenarios.
✨Showcase Leadership Skills
Tide is looking for someone who can inspire and grow teams. Prepare examples of how you've successfully led engineering squads in the past. Highlight your approach to building an inclusive culture and how you’ve fostered collaboration across different teams.
✨Understand the Fintech Landscape
Familiarise yourself with the latest trends in fraud detection and AML compliance. Be prepared to discuss specific fraud vectors and how your experience aligns with Tide's mission to protect SMEs. This will show that you’re not just technically savvy but also understand the industry’s challenges.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that assess your problem-solving skills in high-pressure situations. Think about past experiences where you had to scale technology or manage risk effectively. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses clearly.
