At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead engineering teams to deliver impactful software solutions for education professionals.
- Company: Join a pioneering tech company transforming education with innovative technology.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic work environment with a focus on collaboration and continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in education while leading a talented engineering team.
- Qualifications: Extensive experience in senior engineering leadership and proven software delivery success.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
About The National College
At The National College, we empower education professionals to transform children’s lives. Our all-in-one platform helps schools, trusts, and nurseries stay compliant, raise standards, and reduce staff workload through intuitive, impactful technology. If educators need it, we build it. We’ve created a unique platform that combines the world’s largest CPD and policy library with innovative software tools, developed in collaboration with thousands of schools and more than 1,000 education experts.
The Role
We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Head of Engineering to lead software delivery, technical execution, and engineering leadership across the business. This role is accountable for engineering strategy, delivery performance, technical quality, and team effectiveness across all product and platform codebases. The Head of Engineering will lead internal engineering teams and external development partners, ensuring software is planned, prioritised, delivered, and continuously improved with high quality and predictability. This is a hands-on leadership role requiring strong technical judgement, delivery excellence, and the ability to build high-performing engineering teams.
Requirements
- Experience
- Significant senior engineering leadership experience in roles such as Engineering Manager, Head of Engineering, Engineering Director, VP Engineering, or equivalent
- Proven track record of leading software delivery across multiple teams, products, platforms, or complex codebases
- Demonstrated success managing diverse engineering organisations, including permanent employees, contractors, and external development partners
- Strong experience improving engineering delivery performance, including velocity, predictability, quality, and operational reliability
- Background in product-led, SaaS, or high-growth technology environments
- Proven ability to scale engineering teams and delivery capability during periods of business growth or transformation
- Leadership & Delivery Capability
- Strong delivery mindset, with a clear focus on business outcomes over activity
- Exceptional execution capability, with the ability to drive alignment, accountability, and momentum across teams
- Strong people leadership skills, including coaching, performance management, and building high-performing teams
- Confident making prioritisation decisions in complex, fast-moving environments with competing demands
- Able to identify delivery risks, organisational bottlenecks, and execution blockers early, and resolve them pragmatically
- Technical & Commercial Capability
- Comfortable reviewing engineering output and challenging technical decisions, without needing to be the primary hands-on feature developer
- Able to introduce structure, governance, and process that improve delivery without creating unnecessary bureaucracy
- Data-driven approach to engineering leadership, using delivery, quality, utilisation, and reliability metrics to guide decisions
- Strong commercial judgement, balancing delivery speed, technical quality, scalability, and business risk
- Familiarity with modern SaaS architectures, cloud-native platforms, and contemporary engineering delivery practices
- Experience working in environments with customer-facing, operational, or uptime-critical systems
- Stakeholder Management
- Excellent communication and influencing skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Comfortable operating at senior leadership level, providing clear visibility on delivery progress, risks, dependencies, and trade-offs
- Calm, credible, and decisive under pressure, with the ability to lead effectively in fast-paced environments
Preferred Qualifications
Experience working with outsourced, offshore, or distributed engineering teams. Exposure to formal delivery, quality, reliability, or engineering productivity frameworks and their practical application.
Head of Engineering employer: The National College
At The National College, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that champions innovation and collaboration in the education sector. Our vibrant work culture fosters professional growth through continuous learning opportunities and a commitment to employee well-being, all while making a meaningful impact on children's lives. Located in a dynamic environment, we offer unique advantages such as flexible working arrangements and the chance to lead cutting-edge technology initiatives that shape the future of education.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Engineering
✨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 The National College 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 The National College.
✨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 The National College.
✨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 The National College 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 Head of Engineering
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 The National College.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at The National College 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 The National College
✨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 The National College 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.
