Director of Engineering

The Director of Engineering (also known in the industry as Chief Engineer or VP of Engineering) is the senior technical leader responsible for driving engineering strategy, execution, and culture across the ICT organisation. This role ensures that engineering teams deliver high-productivity, high-quality, scalable technically excellent solutions aligned with business goals, while fostering innovation, operational excellence, and talent development.

To clarify the differentiation between the Head of Architecture and Director of Engineering roles:

The Head of Architecture is responsible for the architecture of what we build - defining the architectural foundations of our solutions, making strategic technology choices, and setting the long-term direction (typically with a 3+ year horizon). This role maintains a broad, enterprise-wide perspective to ensure coherence and scalability across platforms.

The Director of Engineering is focused on the approach we take to building - driving engineering excellence through methodologies, practices, tooling, and team capabilities. With a more immediate time horizon (1-2 years), this role concentrates on execution, delivery quality, and continuous improvement within our development teams.

For both roles, the key stakeholders shall include Stack Engineering Leaders, Engineering Leaders, and Engineering Managers, although involvement with and support of others within the engineering teams as required is expected.

The Role

Leadership

Responsible for the definition of and be the subject matter expert in our software development life cycle/engineering vision and solution, realized in alignment with the Head of Technical Strategy & Enablement, the Head of Architecture and Stack Engineering Leaders

Support the Head of Technology Delivery & Strategy with executive leadership to shape technology budget recommendations, prioritization, and long-term planning

Support Stack Engineering Leaders by translating strategic goals into scalable engineering solutions and associated delivery plans

Technical Excellence

Champion modern engineering practices (eg, CI/CD, IaC, microservices, cloud-native architecture, DevOps, test automation, AI)

Oversee detailed and complex system architecture, technical standards, and platform evolution choices associated with life cycle tooling and work with the Head of Architecture & Stack Engineering Leaders in support of enterprise architecture

Assure technical quality, security, and performance across all products and services

Be the go-to person for our most complex technical challenges

Stay ahead of emerging technologies and assess their relevance as it relates to the role

Team Leadership & Culture

Working with Stack Engineering Leads provide the best-practices measures & expectations/guidance for high-performing engineering teams, including supporting hiring, mentoring, and career development

Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement

Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within engineering and across the organization

Operational Oversight

Responsible for engineering KPIs used such as velocity, quality, uptime, and cost efficiency as part of a broader, ICT Measurement Framework and in conjunction with the Stack Engineering Leaders & Engineering Leadership/Management

Drive efficiency, productivity, process optimization, tooling improvements, and delivery predictability, in conjunction with the Stack Engineering Leaders & Engineering Leadership/Management

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with Product, Design, Architecture, Security, and Infrastructure teams to align on priorities and execution

Work closely with Key Stakeholders including Stack Engineering Leaders, Head of Architecture and Service Operations

Represent engineering in key external and wider WTW forums, meetings, and strategic planning sessions

Act as a key stakeholder in vendor selection, partnerships, and technology evaluations

Success Metrics

Improvement in delivery productivity and quality evidenced through the introduction of project methodology changes and robust engineering metrics such as project velocity, cycle time (idea to deployment), deployment frequency

Reduction in technical debt, improved system reliability

Creativity & adoption of new technologies and techniques evidenced through PoC's, new tech. initiatives, or changes that deliver a measurable impact

Encouragement of cross-stack collaboration & alignment, improved engagement, and technical maturity

Increase in technical skills & knowledge through the support provided as a subject matter expert

What you'll bring

Solid experience in engineering roles, covering all stages of the life cycle

Proven track record delivering complex, large-scale solutions that involved cross-enterprise architectural & technical decision making

Broad expertise in a variety of different technologies (eg Cloud) and methodologies eg DevOps, Agile, SDLC), best practices, and data-driven decision making

Proven problem solver, with a critical-thinking systems-oriented mindset

Strong stakeholder management, Influencing and executive-level communication skills

Skills & Experience

Previously been Chief Engineering/VP Engineering for an ICT sized Enterprise

Comfortable in working in areas of high-demand, high-complexity and decision making

Expertise in engineering across all disciplines (application, data, infrastructure), architecture & design, technical solutions design and delivery, strategic planning, and change management

Hands-on experience with modern technologies & techniques

Collaborative leadership style, able to inspire and develop high-performing teams

Comfortable navigating large organizations to execute delivery

Other highly desirable, but not essential skills are:

Strong Line management experience

General knowledge of the Insurance Industry

Degree-educated with Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics or relevant discipline

What we offer

Enjoy a benefits package designed to help you thrive, both professionally and personally. You'll receive 25 days of annual leave plus an extra WTW day to relax and recharge. Our comprehensive health and wellbeing offering includes private healthcare, life insurance, group income protection, and regular health assessments, all giving you peace of mind. Secure your future with our defined contribution pension scheme, featuring matched contributions up to 10% from the company.

We support your growth and balance with hybrid working options, access to an employee assistance programme, and a fully paid volunteer day to make a difference in your community. On top of these, you can opt into a variety of additional perks including an electric vehicle car scheme, share scheme, cycle-to-work programme, dental and optical cover, critical illness protection, and much more. Start making the most of your career and wellbeing with a range of benefits tailored for you.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We're committed to equal employment opportunity and provide application, interview and workplace adjustments and accommodations to all applicants. If you foresee any barriers, from the application process through to joining WTW, please email (see below)

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