At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead engineering teams to deliver innovative AI solutions for financial advisers.
- Company: Join a VC-backed fintech revolutionising client interactions with cutting-edge technology.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, employee share options, and remote-first work culture.
- Other info: Hands-on role with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a growing team while shaping the future of financial advice.
- Qualifications: 12+ years in software engineering with strong leadership and AWS experience.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 € per year.
Financial advisers spend a disproportionate amount of their working day on administration — writing up meeting notes, updating CRM records, generating compliance documentation — rather than talking to clients. PlannerPal fixes that. Our AI platform automatically captures, structures, and routes everything that comes out of a client meeting. Generic productivity tools don’t work here: financial advice is a specific, heavily regulated domain with workflows unlike anything else. That’s why hundreds of advisory firms — including two top-10 UK wealth managers — use PlannerPal rather than attempting to adapt off-the-shelf tools.
We’re VC-backed, integrate with a growing list of industry-standard CRMs for advisers, including Iress Xplan, and were named by FT Adviser as one of the top 3 AI tools for financial advisers.
The Role
We’re looking for a Head of Engineering to own the technical delivery and architectural direction of PlannerPal. You’ll manage two squads (eight engineers total), report to the CPTO, and work directly with customers and partners on integrations.
What You’ll Own
- Overall system architecture: Python (backend), React + Flutter (frontend), Postgres, AWS (S3, ECS)
- End-to-end solution design for new features and partner integrations
- Technical strategy for our LLM-based AI pipelines
- Pragmatic trade-off decisions across scope, performance, scalability, and security
Delivery
- Technical roadmap execution across two squads
- Engineering practices: code quality, automated testing, CI/CD, observability
- Maintaining a high but sustainable delivery cadence
Team
- Direct management of two squads, each led by a Lead Engineer
- Coaching and developing engineers at all levels
- Recruiting as the team grows
- Setting and upholding engineering standards company-wide
Partners and Customers
- Lead technical architecture discussions with enterprise customers and strategic partners
- Own the design of integrations with a growing list of industry-standard CRMs for advisers, including Iress Xplan
The Team
You’ll manage two squads of four engineers, each led by a Lead Engineer — eight engineers in total today. Each squad spans senior to junior levels, giving you real scope to develop people as well as hire. We’re at the stage where the team is large enough to need real structure, but small enough that how you shape it will be lasting. We expect to grow to a third squad within the next 12–18 months as new enterprise contracts come online — manageable, planned growth. You’ll report directly to the CPTO.
What We’re Looking For
Must Have
- 12+ years of software engineering experience, with significant time at lead or principal level
- Comfortable working across both statically and dynamically typed languages; strong experience with modern web technologies including HTML5, CSS, and React
- Proven experience designing and shipping LLM-based AI pipelines in production
- Direct people management experience — not just tech lead, but genuine line management
- Solid AWS experience (ECS, S3, RDS or equivalent)
- Strong instincts around CI/CD, automated testing, and production reliability
- Experience leading delivery across multiple concurrent workstreams
- Right to work in the UK
Nice to Have
- Experience in fintech, wealthtech, or another regulated industry
- Familiarity with CRM or financial platform integrations
- Experience with observability tooling (logging, metrics, tracing)
What We Offer
- Competitive base salary, depending on experience
- Employee share options
- Remote-first (UK-based team) with regular in-person meet-ups
- Work directly with the founding team; your decisions will have real impact
- A growing team where you’ll have room to expand your scope as the company scales
- This is a hands-on leadership role. You’ll be close to the architecture, reviewing design decisions, and representing engineering in commercial conversations — not managing from a distance.
Head of Engineering employer: PlannerPal
At PlannerPal, we pride ourselves on being an innovative employer that values the contributions of our team members. As a remote-first company based in the UK, we offer competitive salaries, employee share options, and the opportunity to work closely with the founding team, ensuring your impact is felt across the organisation. With a strong focus on professional growth and a collaborative work culture, you'll have the chance to shape the future of financial technology while developing your skills in a supportive environment.
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, attend meet-ups, and engage with potential employers on LinkedIn. We all know that sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who you know that can land you that dream job.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to engineering leadership. We recommend doing mock interviews with friends or using online platforms to get comfortable with articulating your experience and vision.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your projects! Whether it’s through a portfolio or GitHub, let your work speak for itself. We want to see how you’ve tackled challenges and delivered solutions, especially in areas relevant to our tech stack.
✨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 take the initiative to connect directly with us.
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 experience in software engineering, team management, and any relevant technologies like Python, React, and AWS.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Use your cover letter to tell us why you're the perfect fit for PlannerPal. Share your passion for fintech and how your leadership style can help shape our engineering teams as we grow.
Showcase Your Achievements:Don’t just list your responsibilities; showcase your achievements! Use metrics where possible to demonstrate how you've improved processes or led successful projects in your previous roles.
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’re considered for this exciting opportunity at PlannerPal!
How to prepare for a job interview at PlannerPal
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, like Python, React, and AWS. Brush up on your knowledge of LLM-based AI pipelines and be ready to discuss how you've used these technologies in past projects.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Head of Engineering, you'll need to demonstrate your people management experience. Prepare examples of how you've coached and developed engineers, managed teams, and made impactful decisions that shaped the engineering culture.
✨Understand the Industry
Familiarise yourself with the fintech and wealthtech landscape, especially the regulatory aspects. Be prepared to discuss how you can navigate these challenges and integrate with industry-standard CRMs, as this will show your understanding of the domain.
✨Prepare for Technical Discussions
Expect to engage in deep technical conversations about system architecture and delivery strategies. Think through potential trade-offs between scope, performance, and security, and be ready to articulate your thought process clearly.
