Technical Director/VP of Engineering (London)

We are seeking a Hands-on Director/ VP of Engineering to lead engineering teams, manage client relationships, and ensure successful project delivery with a focus on cloud, AI, and Microservices. Reporting to the SVP of Engineering, the ideal candidate would have 15+ years of experience, with the last 5 years in a senior engineering role for a tech consultancy or a product development company.

Key Responsibilities:

• Client-Facing Leadership: Lead engineering teams in executing client projects, ensuring high quality, timely delivery. Act as the primary technical point of contact for clients, managing expectations and ensuring solutions align with business needs. Guide clients through technical decisions, helping them adopt modern architectures, cloud platforms (AWS, Azure), and AI-driven solutions.
• Technical Leadership: Provide hands-on leadership in system design, development, and deployment, particularly with cloud-based systems, Microservices, and AI integrations. Oversee LLM (Large Language Model) integration, leveraging models like GPT, and implement advanced AI architectures such as Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF). Lead the development of applications using React, .NET, Python, or Node.js, ensuring scalable, maintainable, and performant solutions.
• Team Management: Manage and mentor engineering managers, leads, and developers, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous learning. Ensure the team adheres to best practices in coding, architecture, testing, and deployment.
• Project Delivery & Client Satisfaction: Ensure client projects meet deadlines, scope, and quality standards while managing resources effectively. Resolve technical challenges and proactively address issues that may impact delivery. Maintain strong client relationships through regular communication and feedback loops.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Technical Expertise: Extensive experience in .NET (C#), Python (Django, Flask), or Node.js (Express.js), with hands-on experience building backend systems and APIs with experience on React for front-end development. Deep knowledge of cloud technologies (AWS, Azure) and experience deploying cloud-native applications and Microservices architectures. Strong background in AI integration, specifically LLM technologies, RAG, and RLHF architectures, and the ability to apply these in client-facing solutions. Solid understanding of system design principles, including scalability, high availability, performance, and security.
• Leadership & Client Engagement: Proven experience managing engineering teams and leading client engagements, balancing technical leadership with client-facing responsibilities. Strong communication skills, capable of translating complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders. Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, client-driven environment.