At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and grow a high-performing engineering team while shaping the technical roadmap.
- Company: Ctrl Alt, a pioneering B2B infrastructure solution provider in fintech.
- Benefits: Generous stock options, private health insurance, and a personal development budget.
- Other info: Work in a dynamic environment with experts from top financial institutions.
- Why this job: Join a high-growth startup where your contributions shape the future of finance.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in engineering with leadership experience and strong technical skills.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
About Ctrl Alt
Combining groundbreaking technology and expert financial engineering, Ctrl Alt is a B2B infrastructure solution provider that makes structuring and investing in alternative asset classes efficient, cost-effective, and accessible. Since launching in 2022, Ctrl Alt has established itself as a leader and expert in the space with over $1.5bn of assets tokenized. With offices in the UK, Ireland and the UAE, the Ctrl Alt team is composed of financial and product experts including alumni from Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, UBS and Revolut. The business is backed by leading VCs including MiddleGame Ventures and Molten.
The Role
We’re looking for a VP of Engineering to lead our growing engineering organisation through its next phase of scale. You’ll report to the CTO and work closely with leadership across product, operations, and partnerships to turn Ctrl Alt’s vision into secure, performant, and scalable infrastructure. This role combines high-level strategic thinking with hands-on engineering leadership. You’ll help shape our technical roadmap, scale our engineering team, and create a culture of execution, autonomy, and continuous improvement and learning at all levels.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and grow a high-performing team of backend, blockchain, DevOps, and frontend engineers
- Define and drive the engineering roadmap in partnership with the CTO and Product leadership
- Ensure technical quality across systems through code reviews, architecture oversight, and process improvements
- Recruit and retain top engineering talent—building hiring processes and career development frameworks
- Champion a culture of ownership, security, and high standards
- Balance speed and stability—shipping fast while managing risk in a regulated and high-trust environment
- Lead the transition from early-stage to scale-up engineering practices: observability, reliability, automation, security, documentation
- Represent engineering in cross-functional discussions with product, legal, operations, and clients when needed
- Identify and unblock technical bottlenecks to help the team move efficiently
Essential Requirements
- 10+ years of engineering experience, including 2+ years in a senior leadership role (e.g. Head of Engineering, Director, or Site Lead)
- Experience leading cross-functional technical teams in a startup or scale-up environment
- Strong technical background in backend development, DevOps, or distributed systems
- Proven success in scaling teams, hiring engineers, and evolving team structure/processes
- Deep understanding of modern cloud infrastructure (e.g. AWS, CI/CD, containerisation)
- Clear and thoughtful communication: internally and externally
- Experience working in fintech, regulated environments, or high-trust software platforms
Nice to haves
- Familiarity with asset tokenization, blockchain-based systems, distributed ledger technology, or digital asset custody
- Experience building APIs, developer platforms, or B2B SaaS products
- Experience working in a regulated environment, ideally also across multiple geographies
- Comfortable engaging with non-technical stakeholders (e.g. institutional clients, legal/compliance teams, regulators)
- Track record of building systems that have passed penetration tests or compliance audits
Benefits
- Generous stock options, with equity plans that let you share in the company’s growth
- Private health insurance – we offer a premium private health insurance scheme (UK/IRE only)
- We offer 24 days annual leave plus public holidays, with flexibility for additional time off
- IT and office equipment to support your work, including a MacBook, displays and accessories
- Salary sacrifice scheme and financial tools to help you with your personal finances, covering childcare, groceries, tech, pensions, bikes and subscriptions (UK only)
- A state-of-the-art central office in Belfast or Dundalk
- An annual learning and personal development budget for training, exams, certifications, qualifications or anything else which helps you progress at work and your career
- The opportunity to work in a high-growth startup where your contribution matters and shapes an industry
- Exposure to collaborative working and direct knowledge sharing from experts across financial services, blockchain and fintech
Vice President of Engineering in Belfast employer: ctrl-alt.co
Ctrl Alt is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment where innovation meets expertise in the fintech sector. With generous stock options, private health insurance, and a commitment to employee growth through annual development budgets, Ctrl Alt fosters a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. Located in vibrant offices in Belfast or Dundalk, employees benefit from a high-growth startup atmosphere that values their contributions and encourages professional advancement.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Vice President of Engineering in Belfast
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at ctrl-alt.co or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to ctrl-alt.co.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like ctrl-alt.co.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like ctrl-alt.co that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Vice President of Engineering in Belfast
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at ctrl-alt.co.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at ctrl-alt.co and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at ctrl-alt.co
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If ctrl-alt.co uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
