Technical Engineering Director in Hertford

At Peregrine, we’re always seeking Specialist Talent that have the ideal mix of skills, experience, and attitude, to place with our vast array of clients. From Business Analysts in large government organisations to Software Developers in the private sector – we are always in search of the best talent to place, now.

The role: We are looking for a Technical Engineering Director to own and scale a growing engineering capability across robotics, software, hardware integration, automation and technical delivery. This is a senior, hands-on leadership role suited to someone comfortable operating across architecture, delivery, client engagement and team leadership. You will be responsible for shaping the technical direction, building engineering standards, leading teams and turning complex commercial opportunities into scalable, reliable technical solutions. The organisation designs and delivers robotic and automated testing solutions across payments, fuel forecourts, POS and ATM environments. Their platforms combine hardware, software and real-world device interaction to validate complex transactions in both live and lab environments.

Responsibilities:

• Own the technical direction and engineering delivery of complex automation and robotic testing solutions.
• Build and lead engineering capability across robotics, hardware integration, software tooling, test automation and platform development.
• Define team structure, engineering standards, governance and hiring plans.
• Coach and develop engineers across different levels, from graduates through to senior technical leads.
• Shape the technical roadmap and platform evolution, ensuring alignment between hardware, software automation and customer environments.
• Drive standardisation across deployments, configurations and integration patterns.
• Own engineering delivery across customer implementations, ensuring solutions are stable, repeatable and supportable at scale.
• Partner with commercial and delivery teams to translate client requirements into technical designs, accurate scoping and effort estimation.
• Support escalations on complex technical issues and act as a senior technical authority with clients and partners.
• Help move the business from project-led delivery towards more repeatable, productised solutions.
• Improve installation speed, reliability, consistency, monitoring and configuration automation.
• Introduce metrics for delivery performance, system reliability and engineering throughput.

Skills & Experience:

• Strong engineering background across hardware and software systems.
• Experience leading technical teams in complex integration environments.
• Proven experience owning technical direction, architecture and delivery.
• Strong understanding of complex systems involving hardware, software, automation and client-facing implementation.
• Experience taking solutions from prototype through to production and scale.
• Comfortable operating in a hands-on SME or fast-growth environment.
• Ability to bridge engineering, delivery, commercial and customer conversations.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Commercially aware, delivery-focused and comfortable balancing strategic leadership with hands-on problem solving.
• Exposure to one or more of the following: Payments POS systems, Fuel systems, ATM environments, Automation or testing platforms, Robotics or hardware control.

Desirable skills:

• Experience with Eggplant or similar automation tools.
• Knowledge of payment flows, EMV, retail or fuel ecosystems.
• Experience working with system integrators, partners or technical suppliers.
• Background in scaling a technical product organisation.
• Experience productising bespoke engineering solutions into repeatable, scalable platforms.
• Experience supporting pre-sales, technical validation, solution design or proof-of-concept activity.

About Peregrine: We build workforces that deliver tech and change programmes at leading UK organisations. By combining data science from Peregrine Intelligence, our industry-accredited Peregrine Academy, and market-leading attraction and diversity initiatives, we bridge capability gaps at all levels in public and private sector organisations. We work closely with our clients to understand their challenges and deliver flexible, long-term solutions that make a real difference. When you join Peregrine, you become part of a team that’s focused on growth, both yours, our clients’, and the sectors we support. You’ll also get access to a full range of benefits alongside your salary.

How Specialist Talent Works: As a permanent employee at Peregrine, you’ll be part of our Specialist Talent team. That means you’ll work on-site or remotely with our clients, supporting them on complex, high-impact projects in Data, Digital and Business Transformation. You’ll get the variety and challenge of consultancy work, with the stability and support of a permanent role. You’re not a contractor - you’re a valued member of our team, with access to all the same benefits, learning opportunities, and community.

Our Culture: We’re curious, open, and always learning. We believe in doing great work and doing it with integrity. We support each other, share ideas freely, and celebrate progress big and small. And we care about the impact we make, whether that’s helping clients solve tough problems or creating opportunities for people from all walks of life.

Diversity and Inclusion: We’re proud to be a diverse team, with 20+ nationalities represented across Peregrine. We welcome people from all backgrounds and experiences, and we’re committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive. Through our partnerships and internal initiatives, we’re working to improve social mobility, reduce our environmental impact, and help our clients build more inclusive teams too.