At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and evolve core business platforms like Salesforce and Workday while driving AI operations.
- Company: Dynamic digital function enabling global mission with innovative technology.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, hybrid work model, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Join a collaborative team focused on engineering excellence and AI innovation.
- Why this job: Be a changemaker in a senior role, shaping the future of digital applications.
- Qualifications: Extensive leadership experience in enterprise applications and deep SaaS expertise.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
The client's Digital function exists to enable the client's global mission by ensuring our people have the platforms, applications and engineering capability to operate effectively at scale. Following a period of foundational delivery, including Cyber Essentials+ certification, a live SOC, Salesforce as our CRM platform, stabilisation of our Workday investment, and building our data warehouse foundations, Digital is moving into a phase focused on platform maturity, AI-enabled operations and engineering excellence.
The Director of Applications is a new, senior role accountable for the availability, configuration and ongoing evolution of the client's core business platforms: Salesforce, Workday, and Microsoft 365 / Azure, together with the engineering practice, AI platform operations and platform-level roadmaps that underpin them. Reporting to the CTO, this role leads the Applications function, owns the platform Centre of Excellence, and translates business needs into delivered platform capability. You will have deep expertise in SaaS platforms, modern engineering practice (CI/CD, source control, environment and release management, test automation) and the operational realities of running mission-critical systems globally, working closely with the CTO, Head of Digital Transformation & Performance, Enterprise Architect, Director of Security & Compliance, and platform leads.
Key Responsibilities
- Accountable for availability, configuration and management of the client's three strategic platforms: Salesforce, Workday, and Microsoft 365 / Azure
- Own platform-level roadmaps enabling delivery of the Digital Roadmap, with the Digital Leadership Team and Platform Leads
- Establish and lead the platform Centre of Excellence and internal community across platform leads and developers
- Line management responsibility for the Build team
- Own engineering practice: source control/repo governance (GitHub, Salesforce via Gearset), CI/CD, environment management, release management, test strategy/automation
- Define and enforce technical execution standards for releases, distinct from change control approval
- Define and lead engineering standards, architectural patterns and Infrastructure as Code
- Accountable for operational availability of internal AI platforms (Claude, Agentforce, AI assistants) and AI consumption cost/budget management
- Own AI usage monitoring: drift, hallucination and misuse pattern detection, with the Director of Security & Compliance
- Provide the operational foundation for Agentic AI and Generative AI capability pillars
- Own scaling, rightsizing and optimisation of cloud and SaaS resources
- Own application monitoring, alerting and on-call response for in-scope platforms
- Lead cross-platform test strategy and quality standards
- Translate business needs (Digital Roadmap) into platform-level delivery (Platform Roadmaps)
- Partner on identity, access, secret management and DevSecOps practices in CI/CD
- Partner with the Enterprise Architect on technical decisions and integration patterns
- Support the CTO with investment cases, vendor negotiation and executive reporting
Person Specification
- Significant senior leadership experience running enterprise application functions globally
- Deep expertise in at least two of: Salesforce, Workday, Microsoft 365/Azure or AWS (configuration, integration, governance, licensing, support)
- Experience embedding CI/CD, source control governance, environment/release management, automated testing in a SaaS-heavy environment
- Track record building and running Centres of Excellence around major platforms
- Experience operationalising AI platforms and managing AI consumption cost is a strong advantage
- Strong understanding of how applications-layer decisions intersect with security, identity, data and architecture
- Experience managing technical leads and platform specialists, with a track record of developing them
- Comfortable operating at executive level on investment cases and roadmap trade-offs
- Pragmatic and delivery-oriented; able to defend decisions on engineering investment
- Open, progressive, bold and pragmatic - an optimistic changemaker aligned with the client's core beliefs
Director of Applications in London employer: Oscar
Oscar is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in Surrey where innovation meets collaboration. With a strong focus on employee growth, you will have access to professional development opportunities and a generous benefits package, including 25 days of leave and a pension scheme, all while enjoying the flexibility of a hybrid working model.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Director of Applications in London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Oscar or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Oscar.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Oscar.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Oscar that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Director of Applications in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Oscar.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Oscar and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Oscar
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Oscar uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
