At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and inspire a high-performing engineering team in a fast-growing digital banking business.
- Company: Join a dynamic digital banking company known for innovation and inclusivity.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, hybrid working, generous holiday allowance, and mental health support.
- Other info: Flexible culture with a focus on trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a role that shapes the future of technology and customer experience.
- Qualifications: Proven engineering leadership experience, especially in fintech or digital banking.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 120000 £ per year.
We’re working with one of our long-standing customers on a crucial hire: Head of Engineering. They’re a fast-growing digital banking business with a reputation for doing things differently, serving hundreds of thousands of customers across the UK with accessible, inclusive, and user-focused financial services. This is a genuinely exciting opportunity to take a key leadership role within a business where engineering is at the heart of the product and where you’ll be supported, trusted, and expected to make a real impact. You’ll join a culture where collaboration, openness, and doing the right thing for customers and colleagues guide decisions. The engineering team is focused on modern practices, continuous improvement, and strong Agile delivery. You’ll shape the technical vision, lead the strategic roadmap, and build a high-performance, values-driven culture. You’ll also contribute to company-wide discussions and help shape the future of technology and the business.
What you’ll be doing
As Head of Engineering, you’ll lead the delivery of high-quality, secure, and scalable software across the platform. You’ll work closely with the CTO and other senior leaders to build and empower a brilliant team while ensuring the tech supports growth, innovation, and top-tier customer experiences.
- Lead, inspire and grow the engineering team, setting the tone for ownership, autonomy, and continuous learning.
- Shape and drive the engineering strategy in line with broader product and business goals.
- Champion Agile delivery and a modern engineering culture across the teams.
- Take full ownership of the SDLC from code to deployment, testing, and QA.
- Drive the adoption of DevOps principles, CI/CD pipelines, and automation best practices.
- Work cross-functionally with Product, Delivery, Ops, and Compliance teams to ensure the right outcomes for the business.
- Represent engineering at senior leadership level and support business-wide initiatives.
- Ensure the tech stack is secure, resilient, and compliant while identifying and mitigating technical risk.
- Stay ahead of emerging trends and guide the introduction of new tools, frameworks, and approaches.
Your ideal candidate
You’re a proven engineering leader who’s equally comfortable talking about technology, business, and people. You’ve got a track record of building high-performing teams and scaling platforms that are robust, secure, and user-focused. You’ll bring:
- Experience leading engineering teams ideally in financial services, digital banking, or fintech.
- Deep understanding of Agile, DevOps, and modern software delivery.
- Hands-on technical knowledge with one or more modern languages and cloud-native architectures.
- A strong grasp of compliance, risk, and regulatory requirements in a digital product setting.
- A collaborative leadership style, able to build alignment across cross-functional teams.
- The ability to mentor, coach, and develop engineers at all levels.
- A passion for clean code, secure by design principles, and continuous improvement.
What’s on offer?
This business genuinely looks after its people. You’ll find a culture built on trust, flexibility, and balance—where remote-first working is the norm, but time in the Manchester office is always available. You’ll also get:
- A salary to match your experience and impact.
- Hybrid working with full remote support.
- Generous holiday allowance + your birthday off.
- Company pension.
- Paid charity, wedding, and wellbeing days.
- Mental health support including trained first aiders and virtual GP access.
- Benefits via YuLife and regular team socials.
Location and package: Manchester, hybrid working, 2 days a week in the office. Package £100,000 - £120,000 DOE (possible wiggle room on this if needed).
Head of Engineering employer: Inara
Inara is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic work culture, encouraging innovation and collaboration among its team members. With a focus on employee growth, Inara offers ample opportunities for professional development in the rapidly evolving field of digital workplace solutions. Located in a vibrant area, employees benefit from a supportive environment that values work-life balance and provides access to cutting-edge technology.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Engineering
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, especially those who work in digital banking or fintech. A friendly chat can lead to insider info about job openings and even referrals.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or a GitHub profile showcasing your projects and contributions. This is a great way to demonstrate your hands-on experience and technical knowledge to potential employers.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on Agile and DevOps principles. Be ready to discuss how you've implemented these practices in your previous roles, as they’re key to the Head of Engineering position.
✨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 and engaged with our platform.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Engineering
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that align with the Head of Engineering role. Highlight your leadership experience, technical expertise, and any relevant achievements in engineering or digital banking.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Use your cover letter to tell us why you’re the perfect fit for this role. Share your passion for engineering and how your values align with our culture of collaboration and customer focus.
Showcase Your Technical Knowledge:Don’t shy away from discussing your hands-on experience with modern languages, cloud-native architectures, and Agile practices. We want to see how you’ve applied these in real-world scenarios.
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 during the process.
How to prepare for a job interview at Inara
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
As a Head of Engineering, you’ll need to demonstrate a deep understanding of modern software delivery and Agile practices. Brush up on your knowledge of cloud-native architectures and DevOps principles, and be ready to discuss how you've implemented these in past roles.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
This role is all about leading and inspiring teams. Prepare examples that highlight your collaborative leadership style and how you've built high-performing teams. Think about specific instances where you’ve mentored engineers or driven a culture of continuous improvement.
✨Align with Business Goals
Understand the company's mission and how engineering fits into their broader business strategy. Be prepared to discuss how you would shape the engineering strategy to support growth and innovation while ensuring top-tier customer experiences.
✨Prepare for Cross-Functional Collaboration
You’ll be working closely with various teams like Product, Delivery, and Compliance. Think of examples where you successfully collaborated across functions to achieve a common goal. Highlight your ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.