At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and mentor a high-velocity engineering team to build innovative products.
- Company: Dynamic startup focused on rapid growth and collaboration.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work environment, and opportunities for professional development.
- Other info: Embrace a culture of iteration, collaboration, and impact-driven work.
- Why this job: Join us to shape the future of engineering with cutting-edge technology and a fast-paced culture.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership in startups, strong technical skills, and a passion for speed and innovation.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 € per year.
We’re seeking an exceptional Head of Engineering / Engineering Manager to partner closely with our CTO and lead the next stage of our engineering organisation. We want a deeply technical leader who still loves to build, leads from the front, and thrives in high-velocity, high-ownership environments. Your mission: build the fastest engineering team on the planet.
Who you are
You’re a top-tier engineer with proven leadership experience in fast-moving startups or scaleups. You’re comfortable making imperfect decisions quickly, you’ve built products under pressure, and you know that momentum beats perfection.
You might be:
- A seasoned engineer who has already stepped into a Head of Engineering / Engineering Manager role at a venture-backed startup
- An ex-founder who has built and shipped products under real pressure
- A startup tech lead who thrives on ownership and bold decisions
- A pragmatic builder who values time-to-value over “the right way”
What makes you perfect for this role
- Engineering leadership: You’ve coached and unblocked engineers in high-velocity, high-pressure environments.
- Deep technical expertise: You have strong architecture instincts and solid security knowledge, but you’ll cut through complexity to keep shipping.
- Startup operator mindset: You’ve taken products from 0→1 or through hyper-growth and know how to build systems that evolve with the company.
- Velocity obsession: You believe iteration > perfection, and your instinct is always to get value in front of users as fast as possible.
- AI-first: You’re bullish on AI, vibe-coding daily, and always looking for ways to push velocity through AI-assisted workflows.
- DevX focus: You obsess over developer experience because you know great tooling = more speed.
- Execution focus: Monitoring, observability, and performance aren’t “nice to haves”, they’re how you ship fast without breaking trust.
What you'll do
- Set the bar for engineering velocity: coaching, mentoring, and unblocking the team every day
- Make architectural and security calls fast, balancing speed with long-term resilience
- Build and own best-in-class developer experience - tooling and workflows that eliminate drag
- Monitor and protect reliability and SLAs, while still moving at startup speed
- Establish a culture where iteration is celebrated and perfectionism is challenged
How we work at Lightdash
We build in public. Open source means moving fast with shared context. We challenge problems, not people. No blame, just solutions. We’re highly collaborative. Independent, but we win as a team (and with our community). We bias hard toward impact. We’d rather ship the wrong thing quickly and learn, than waste weeks polishing what nobody needs.
Our tech stack
Primary: TypeScript, React, Node, SQL Frameworks: Express, React-hooks, Redux, RTK, Mantine Infrastructure: Docker, GCP, Kubernetes, Tracing, Prometheus
While familiarity with our stack is helpful, we value your ability to learn and adapt over specific technical experience.
We’re deliberately looking for ambitious leaders from startups and high-growth companies. If you want predictability, long roadmaps, and “the right way” over speed, this isn’t the role for you.
Research shows that women and underrepresented groups often don’t apply unless they meet 100% of the requirements. Even if you don’t tick every box, if you have startup experience and a hunger for velocity, we’d love to hear from you.
Head of Engineering in London employer: Energy Jobline ZR
At Lightdash, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of collaboration, innovation, and rapid growth. Located in the vibrant tech hub of London, we offer our employees the opportunity to work in a high-velocity environment where their contributions are valued and impactful. With a strong focus on developer experience and a commitment to open-source principles, we empower our team members to thrive, learn, and lead in their careers while enjoying the unique advantages of working in one of the world's most dynamic cities.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Engineering in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, attend meetups, and engage with online communities. The more people know you’re on the hunt for a Head of Engineering role, the better your chances of landing that dream job.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or a personal project that highlights your engineering prowess and leadership experience. This is your chance to demonstrate how you can build fast and effectively, just like we do at StudySmarter.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for those interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to high-velocity environments. Think about how you’ve made quick decisions under pressure and be ready to share those stories. We love hearing about real experiences!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team and contributing to our mission of building the fastest engineering team on the planet.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Engineering in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Velocity:When writing your application, make sure to highlight your obsession with speed and iteration. We want to see how you've thrived in high-velocity environments and how you prioritise getting value to users quickly.
Be Authentic About Your Experience:Don’t be shy about sharing your journey! Whether you're a seasoned engineer or an ex-founder, let us know how your unique experiences have shaped your approach to engineering leadership and product development.
Emphasise Collaboration and Team Spirit:We love a team player! In your application, mention how you've fostered collaboration and supported your team in overcoming challenges. Show us that you believe in winning together, not just as individuals.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates from our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Energy Jobline ZR
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Familiarise yourself with the primary technologies mentioned in the job description, like TypeScript, React, and Node. Even if you’re not an expert, showing that you can learn and adapt will impress the interviewers.
✨Emphasise Your Leadership Style
Be ready to discuss your approach to coaching and mentoring engineers. Share specific examples of how you've unblocked teams in high-pressure situations, as this aligns perfectly with their need for a hands-on leader.
✨Showcase Your Startup Experience
Highlight your experience in fast-moving startups or scaleups. Talk about how you've taken products from 0 to 1 or navigated hyper-growth, as this is crucial for the role they’re looking to fill.
✨Demonstrate Your Velocity Obsession
Prepare to discuss how you prioritise speed over perfection. Share instances where you’ve shipped quickly, learned from feedback, and iterated on products, as this mindset is key to their engineering culture.
