Head of Engineering

We’re working alongside Ecosurety at a particularly exciting point in their journey. They’re a strong, established business now placing increased focus on building out a product suite that helps organisations make critical decisions about their packaging - improving sustainability while reducing costs.

At the centre of this is a platform that brings together fragmented packaging data, applies complex regulatory logic, and enables customers to model packaging decisions across multiple markets. Technology is a critical, funded investment area for the business, with backing already in place and a clear mandate from leadership. What’s missing is the engineering leadership to define how this is built, scaled, and delivered.

Ecosurety is an industry-leading packaging data company on a mission to rid the world of unnecessary packaging, and they’re scaling fast. More than 500 brands and retailers, including some of the UK’s biggest household names, rely on them to navigate complex packaging decisions. They are evolving from a compliance-focused organisation into a data-first product company, building the digital infrastructure that will shape the future of packaging at scale.

This is a foundational engineering leadership role, focused on building the platform, systems, and team from the ground up. You’ll define and own how a product is built that:

• Ingests and structures packaging data from multiple sources (suppliers, ERP systems, forecasts)
• Applies complex, evolving regulatory logic across multiple geographies, translating legislation into scalable, testable systems
• Powers workflows for compliance, reporting, and submissions
• Enables customers to model packaging decisions — balancing cost, carbon, and risk
• Integrates into customer systems (e.g. ERP platforms) to automate reporting and decision-making workflows

You’ll be responsible for:

• Defining the application architecture across frontend, backend, APIs, and integrations
• Shaping how engineering and product work together to deliver a product-led platform
• Building and scaling the engineering function from the ground up

You’ll take ownership of how the platform is built end-to-end, ensuring it’s scalable, maintainable, and capable of handling complex data, rules, and modelling requirements. You’ll also play a key role in moving the organisation from a project-led approach to a product-led engineering model.

Day to day, this is a blend of leadership, decision-making, and delivery. You’ll be:

• Translating product vision into scalable, well-architected systems
• Designing how core components - data ingestion, calculation engines, workflows, and integrations - fit together
• Leading delivery across a mix of internal engineers and external partners
• Making pragmatic technical decisions in an environment where not everything is fully defined yet
• Introducing the right level of engineering standards, ways of working, and delivery discipline
• Working closely with Data and Product to ensure the platform delivers meaningful, real-world outcomes

In 12 months’ time, you will have:

• Defined and embedded a clear, scalable application architecture
• Built an engineering function that can reliably deliver product outcomes
• Established how engineering, product, and data work together as a cohesive unit
• Delivered core platform capabilities that customers actively use to manage packaging decisions

This is a rare opportunity to join Ecosurety at the exact point they are building a new product and technology capability. You’ll define how engineering works, from architecture and systems through to delivery and team structure, as they transition to a product-led organisation. It’s a genuinely greenfield opportunity, backed by an established, commercially successful business with a clear mandate to invest.

This is one of the first senior technology hires in this new phase of the business. Which means:

• You’ll define how engineering works, from architecture through to delivery
• You’ll shape the structure, standards, and culture of the engineering function
• You’ll play a key role in building a product-led organisation
• As the business scales, the scope and impact of the role will grow with it.

You’ve likely:

• Built and scaled B2B SaaS or platform products
• Led engineering teams in evolving, ambiguous, or scaling environments
• Delivered systems that handle complex data, business rules, or integrations
• Worked closely with product to turn ideas into real, usable software
• Balanced speed, quality, and scalability in imperfect conditions

Alongside this, you:

• Are comfortable defining architecture while staying close to delivery
• Can operate across strategy, hands-on problem solving, and leadership
• Have experience building teams and capabilities from scratch
• Are comfortable working with both internal teams and external partners

Most importantly, you’re someone who can bring clarity where things aren’t fully defined yet.

From £90,000 salary

Hybrid working (Bristol, 50% office)

High ownership and autonomy

Backed investment in technology as a core business priority

Opportunity to build a platform and engineering function from the ground up

Long-term progression as the business scales

If you’re looking for the chance to build a product, shape how engineering works, and create something meaningful, with real backing from the business, this is a genuinely exciting opportunity.