Director, Software Engineering | UK Site Lead #4787 in London

Our mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. We are working to change the trajectory of cancer mortality and bring stakeholders together to adopt innovative, safe, and effective technologies that can transform cancer care. We are a healthcare company, pioneering new technologies to advance early cancer detection. We have built a multi-disciplinary organization of scientists, engineers, and physicians and we are using the power of next-generation sequencing (NGS), population-scale clinical studies, and state-of-the-art computer science and data science to overcome one of medicine’s greatest challenges. GRAIL is headquartered in the bay area of California, with locations in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and the United Kingdom. It is supported by leading global investors and pharmaceutical, technology, and healthcare companies.

The Director, Software Engineering – UK Site Lead is responsible for leading the UK software engineering organization, driving execution of critical business priorities, and ensuring alignment with global engineering strategy. This role provides strategic and operational leadership across multiple teams, delivering high-impact software solutions that support clinical, product, and research milestones. The position translates enterprise strategy into functional execution, drives complex cross-functional initiatives, and ensures organizational effectiveness across the UK software footprint. You will normally be working a hybrid of remote and office based, with no less than 3 days in the office; when you are working out of our London office, you will be based at 210 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DA, in line with company needs.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Execution
  • Translate company and software engineering strategy into actionable plans for the UK organization
  • Lead delivery of key initiatives across PDx, NHS, and broader UK software priorities
  • Drive execution of multi-year roadmaps aligned to product development and clinical milestones
  • Establish clear goals, metrics, and accountability for engineering outcomes
• UK Site Leadership
  • Serve as the primary leader for the UK software organization, representing the site in global leadership forums
  • Build and scale a high-performing engineering organization aligned to company mission and values
  • Ensure strong operational execution across all UK-based software teams
  • Act as the escalation point for technical, organizational, and delivery challenges
• Technical & Program Leadership
  • Define and guide technical direction aligned with enterprise architecture and engineering standards
  • Oversee development and delivery of scalable systems, including cloud platforms, microservices, and SRE models
  • Lead complex, cross-functional programs ensuring delivery against timelines and quality standards
  • Identify and resolve ambiguous, high-impact technical and operational challenges
• Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Partner with Clinical Development, Product, Research, and PDx organizations to deliver integrated solutions
  • Represent software engineering in governance and decision-making forums
  • Drive alignment across global teams and ensure visibility into progress, risks, and outcomes
  • Influence stakeholders at senior and executive levels
• Organizational Effectiveness & Governance
  • Establish governance structures, including working groups and decision forums
  • Define and implement processes for innovation-to-product transitions and program lifecycle management
  • Ensure clarity of ownership, accountability, and decision-making across initiatives
  • Drive continuous improvement in delivery, quality, and team performance
• People Leadership & Development
  • Lead and develop managers and engineering teams
  • Drive employee engagement, retention, and professional development
  • Oversee hiring, performance management, and succession planning
  • Build leadership capability aligned to organizational values and leadership principles
• Culture & Engagement
  • Champion a high-performing, inclusive, and values-driven culture
  • Partner with HR and leadership to drive engagement initiatives
  • Leverage employee feedback (VoG) to improve team effectiveness

Adaptability and Growth Expectation

As our organization continues to evolve and grow, this role may require flexibility in responsibilities and duties. Employees should expect that their role may expand, shift, or be modified to meet changing business needs, strategic priorities, and organizational objectives. This may include:

• Taking on additional responsibilities.
• Participating in cross functional projects and initiatives.
• Adapting to new technologies, processes, or methodologies.
• Supporting other departments or teams during periods of high demand.
• Contributing to special projects or temporary assignments as needed.

These job duties are a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at the company's discretion.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 15+ years of experience in software engineering or related technical field
• Significant leadership experience managing multiple teams or functions
• Demonstrated success delivering complex, cross-functional programs
• Experience working in global, matrixed organizations

Essential Skills

• Strong leadership and influence across cross-functional and global teams
• Strategic thinking with the ability to translate vision into execution
• Advanced problem-solving skills in complex, ambiguous environments
• Deep technical expertise in modern software engineering (cloud, distributed systems, SRE)
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including executive-level interaction
• Ability to drive accountability, execution, and measurable outcomes
• Experience building and scaling high-performing teams

Working Conditions

• Primarily office-based role with expectations of on-site leadership presence in the UK
• Requires collaboration across global teams, including US and other international locations
• May require flexible working hours to accommodate global time zones
• Occasional travel may be required to support cross-site alignment and leadership engagement

Based on the role, colleagues may be eligible to participate in an annual bonus plan tied to company and individual performance, or an incentive plan. We also offer a long-term incentive plan to align company and colleague success over time. We are an equal employment opportunity employer and we are committed to building a workplace where every individual can thrive, contribute, and grow. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, disability, or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable law. GRAIL maintains a drug-free workplace. We welcome job-seekers from all backgrounds to join us! We will consider all qualified job-seekers with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities in order to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.