Head of Engineering - Manufacturing (AI Native) in Surrey

We are looking for a Head of Engineering Leader to lead in the Manufacturing, Sustainability and Supply Chain Product organization at IFS. This role operates at a strategic and organizational level, overseeing a multi-layered engineering organization comprising Engineering Directors, Architects, and Principal Engineers. You will be responsible for defining and executing engineering strategy across multiple teams and domains, ensuring alignment with product vision, architecture direction, and business priorities. While this is a senior leadership role, technical depth and sound engineering judgment remain critical. You are expected to guide architectural direction, influence key technical decisions, and ensure strong engineering discipline across the organization. AI is a core enabler and strategic priority in this role. You will drive enterprise-wide adoption of AI-assisted engineering and AI-powered product capabilities, ensuring measurable impact on both engineering productivity and customer value. What You'll Do Organizational Leadership Lead a multi-layered engineering organization, including Engineering Directors, Architects, and Principal Engineers Define and execute the engineering strategy for Manufacturing, aligned with product and company-wide technology direction Drive organizational design, capability building, and succession planning Build a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement Scale leadership capability by coaching and developing leaders of leaders Delivery and Execution Own delivery outcomes across multiple teams, ensuring predictability, quality, and timely execution at scale Establish and evolve consistent engineering operating models and execution practices Balance business priorities, technical investments, and operational excellence Ensure teams operate with a "you build it, you run it" mindset Technical