At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and scale global engineering teams for an AI-driven SaaS platform.
- Company: Join Keepnet, a rapidly growing tech company focused on human cyber risk management.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, EMI-qualified equity, hybrid working, and generous annual leave.
- Why this job: Shape the future of engineering in a dynamic, AI-first environment.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership in distributed engineering and strong technical skills in .NET, Python, and cloud infrastructure.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with opportunities for learning and career growth.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 110000 £ per year.
Keepnet is an AI-driven SaaS platform experiencing strong, sustained growth, helping organisations manage human cyber risk at scale. With Agentic AI live in production, Keepnet operates autonomous agents that plan, build, localise, and run security awareness and human risk workflows, supported by strong guardrails, deep observability, and human-in-the-loop controls where required.
We are looking for a Head of Engineering to scale these production-grade agentic systems, strengthen platform reliability, and lead global engineering teams to deliver a secure, highly reliable, and operationally mature SaaS platform. This role sits at the intersection of AI-first engineering, distributed systems, and customer impact, working closely with the leadership team, customer success, development, DevOps, and security teams to ensure engineering accelerates, rather than blocks, sustainable growth. This is not a maintenance role. This is a build, scale, and lead role.
Why This Role Matters
You will own the engineering vision and execution of Keepnet’s core platform, operating across the UK, EU, US, UAE, and Canada, supported by distributed offshore and nearshore teams. Your leadership will directly influence platform stability, delivery predictability, the maturity of AI systems in production, and customer trust as the business scales.
What’s In It for You
- Strategic ownership of the engineering function end-to-end
- EMI-qualified equity with meaningful upside
- An AI-first environment with production-grade agentic systems
- The opportunity to shape engineering at a critical growth stage
- A structured hybrid working model with strong in-office collaboration
- Leadership exposure across a multinational organisation
What You’ll Do
- Own and scale the global engineering organisation, including onshore, nearshore, and offshore teams
- Establish clear delivery standards, communication rituals, and accountability models for distributed teams
- Design and evolve a distributed SaaS architecture using Azure, AWS, Cloudflare, Kubernetes, managed databases, queues, and workers
- Maintain the platform with clear ownership, fast remediation, and a strong bias towards preventing recurring production issues
- Champion AI-assisted software engineering, using tools such as Cursor as part of everyday workflows while keeping engineering judgement and accountability with people
- Embed observability-driven reliability, leveraging metrics, tracing, and tools such as Sentry to proactively detect and prevent incidents
- Lead teams building asynchronous, distributed systems using message queues, background workers, and event-driven patterns
- Ensure high standards of engineering quality and maintainability, making pragmatic trade-offs without compromising system integrity
- Work closely with DevOps on CI/CD pipelines, release safety, and infrastructure resilience
- Translate business priorities into clear technical roadmaps and execution plans
- Support leadership with technical analysis, documentation, budgeting, and reporting
- Build a culture of ownership and production accountability across teams
- Hire, mentor, and retain high-performing engineers and engineering leaders globally
You will not be expected to do everything yourself. Success in this role will be measured by platform reliability, delivery predictability, team health, and customer impact.
What You’ll Bring
- Proven experience leading distributed engineering teams, including offshore and nearshore models
- Strong hands-on background with .NET, Python, and JavaScript/TypeScript
- Deep experience with cloud infrastructure (Microsoft Azure, AWS, Cloudflare)
- Strong understanding of Agile and Scrum in distributed environments
- Experience with AI-assisted development workflows
- Experience operating multi-region SaaS platforms at scale
- Strong collaboration with DevOps teams and ownership of CI/CD pipelines
- A security-first mindset, building systems that are secure by design (safe APIs, data protection, least-privilege access)
- Excellent communication skills across Slack, Microsoft Teams, and in-person settings
- A leadership approach grounded in clarity, ownership, and delivery
Life at Keepnet
At Keepnet, engineering is a strategic growth engine, not a support function. What you can expect:
- Hybrid working with meaningful in-person collaboration
- Global teams and real-world scale
- Annual leave of 25 days, plus one additional day per year of service
- Enhanced parental leave
- Gym support and a cycle-to-work scheme
- EMI-qualified equity
- Monthly team lunches and quarterly offsites
- A culture that supports learning, experimentation, and continuous improvement
Why This Role Is Different
This role is for someone who:
- Enjoys building what others hesitate to own
- Treats distributed teams as a design challenge, not a compromise
- Knows when to move fast and when stability matters more
- Uses observability and judgement to prevent incidents rather than explain them afterwards
- Understands that culture is a system and builds it deliberately
If this resonates with how you work, we would like to hear from you.
Head of Engineering (AI-First SaaS Platform) employer: Keepnet
Contact Detail:
Keepnet Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Engineering (AI-First SaaS Platform)
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your industry on LinkedIn or at events. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Tailor your answers to show how your experience aligns with their goals, especially around AI and SaaS.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your leadership skills! Be ready to discuss how you’ve built and scaled teams in the past. Use examples that highlight your ability to drive growth and innovation.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive!
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Engineering (AI-First SaaS Platform)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience with distributed engineering teams and AI-first environments. We want to see how your skills align with our mission at Keepnet!
Showcase Your Leadership Style: In your application, share examples of how you've built and led high-performing teams. We’re keen to understand your approach to fostering a culture of ownership and accountability.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward. Use clear language to describe your technical expertise and how it relates to the role. We appreciate directness and clarity!
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensure you’re considered for this exciting opportunity at Keepnet.
How to prepare for a job interview at Keepnet
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, like .NET, Python, and cloud platforms such as Azure and AWS. Be ready to discuss your hands-on experience with these tools and how you've used them to build or scale SaaS platforms.
✨Showcase Leadership Experience
Prepare examples that highlight your experience leading distributed engineering teams. Discuss how you've established clear delivery standards and accountability models, especially in a hybrid work environment. This will demonstrate your ability to manage both onshore and offshore teams effectively.
✨Emphasise AI-First Mindset
Since this role is focused on AI-driven systems, be prepared to talk about your experience with AI-assisted development workflows. Share specific instances where you've integrated AI into engineering processes and how it improved outcomes.
✨Communicate Clearly and Confidently
Strong communication skills are crucial for this role. Practice articulating your thoughts clearly, whether discussing technical concepts or leadership strategies. Use examples from your past experiences to illustrate your points, and don’t shy away from asking questions to show your engagement.