At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a multi-disciplinary engineering function and establish engineering standards for growth.
- Company: Join a large, growing organisation transforming into a Digital Office model.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, 20% bonus, car allowance, and high visibility in the organisation.
- Other info: Opportunity to build capability that scales with growth and acquisitions.
- Why this job: Shape an engineering function with long-term impact and influence at the executive level.
- Qualifications: Experience leading large-scale engineering organisations and strong technical judgement required.
The predicted salary is between 140000 - 140000 ÂŁ per year.
I’m supporting a senior, business-critical hire within a large and growing organisation undergoing a significant transformation — moving from traditional IT into a fully-fledged Digital Office model. This is a Group-level leadership role, sitting on the senior leadership team and reporting directly into the Chief Digital Officer.
The Opportunity
This role is about far more than delivery. You’ll be responsible for building and leading a scalable Digital Engineering function that underpins long-term growth, platform strategy, and operational excellence across the group. This is not a “hands-on” role. This is about engineering system leadership — creating the structure, standards, and leadership capability that allows engineering to scale effectively.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Leading a multi-disciplinary engineering function (platform, product, delivery, data, and R&D)
- Establishing engineering standards, patterns, and delivery discipline across the group
- Driving predictable, high-quality platform delivery at scale
- Acting as the senior engineering authority, balancing speed, quality, and long-term sustainability
- Building and developing a high-performing leadership team (Heads-of level)
- Translating business strategy into clear engineering direction and execution
- Championing platform adoption across the organisation, influencing senior stakeholders
What They’re Looking For
This is a senior, engineering-literate leader — not a hands-on technologist and not a purely commercial operator. You’ll likely bring:
- Experience leading large-scale, multi-disciplinary engineering organisations
- Strong technical judgement and systems thinking
- A track record of improving engineering quality, delivery predictability, and scalability
- The ability to influence at executive level and translate between business and technology
- Experience building capability through leaders, not individual contributors
The Reality of the Role
This role will suit someone who:
- Prefers building systems over firefighting delivery
- Is comfortable leading through others rather than being the technical “hero”
- Can balance standardisation with pragmatism
- Understands the trade-offs between speed, quality, and scale
Why This Role?
Genuine opportunity to shape an engineering function at group level. High visibility and influence across the organisation. Long-term impact — building capability that scales with growth and acquisitions. A chance to move away from reactive delivery into structured, platform-led engineering.
Package & Location
up to ÂŁ140,000 base salary, 20% bonus, car allowance, 5 days per week onsite in Preston.
Director of Engineering in Preston employer: GBV Ltd
Contact Detail:
GBV Ltd Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Director of Engineering in Preston
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry and let them know you're on the lookout for opportunities. You never know who might have a lead or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their digital transformation journey and be ready to discuss how your leadership experience aligns with their goals.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your leadership skills during interviews. Share specific examples of how you've built high-performing teams and improved engineering quality in previous roles. This is your chance to shine!
✨Tip Number 4
Don't forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search.
We think you need these skills to ace Director of Engineering in Preston
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in leading large-scale engineering organisations. We want to see how your background aligns with the role of Group Digital Engineering Director, so don’t hold back on showcasing your relevant achievements!
Showcase Leadership Skills: This role is all about building and leading teams, so be sure to emphasise your experience in developing high-performing leadership teams. We’re looking for someone who can translate business strategy into clear engineering direction, so give us examples of how you've done this in the past.
Demonstrate Systems Thinking: We’re keen to see your strong technical judgement and systems thinking in action. Use your application to illustrate how you’ve improved engineering quality and delivery predictability in previous roles. This will help us understand your approach to balancing speed, quality, and scale.
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves. We can’t wait to see what you bring to the table!
How to prepare for a job interview at GBV Ltd
✨Understand the Role's Scope
Before the interview, make sure you fully grasp what the Director of Engineering role entails. Familiarise yourself with the responsibilities of leading a multi-disciplinary engineering function and how it aligns with the company's transformation into a Digital Office model.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Experience
Prepare to discuss your experience in building and leading high-performing teams. Highlight specific examples where you've established engineering standards and improved delivery predictability, as this will resonate well with the interviewers.
✨Balance Technical and Business Acumen
Be ready to demonstrate your ability to translate business strategy into engineering direction. Share instances where you've influenced senior stakeholders and made decisions that balanced speed, quality, and scalability.
✨Prepare Thoughtful Questions
Craft insightful questions about the company's vision for its Digital Engineering function. This shows your genuine interest in the role and helps you assess if the company culture aligns with your leadership style.