Head of Engineering

Role Overview

The Head of Engineering will be a key member of the leadership team, responsible for defining and executing the overall technology vision and engineering strategy. This individual will lead the design, development, and scaling of a secure, high-performance digital banking platform, while building and mentoring a world-class engineering organisation.

This role requires a hands-on, strategic leader who can operate at both executive and architectural levels, driving innovation across AI, blockchain, and cloud technologies while ensuring regulatory compliance and operational resilience.

Key Responsibilities

Technology Strategy & Leadership

• Define and execute the end-to-end technology roadmap aligned with the company’s long-term vision and growth strategy.
• Champion the adoption of advanced technologies across AI, machine learning, blockchain, and cloud infrastructure.
• Partner closely with the executive team to ensure strong alignment between business objectives and technology execution.

Platform Development & Scalability

• Lead the architecture and development of a scalable, secure, and high-availability digital banking platform.
• Establish robust engineering standards, frameworks, and best practices across backend, frontend, data, and infrastructure.
• Ensure platform performance, resilience, and scalability to support rapid user and transaction growth.

Team Building & Engineering Excellence

• Build, lead, and scale a high-performing engineering organisation across multiple disciplines.
• Foster a culture of ownership, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Mentor senior engineers and leaders, ensuring strong technical capability and leadership succession.

Security, Compliance & Risk Management

• Own the organisation’s technology risk posture, ensuring best-in-class cybersecurity, data protection, and privacy standards.
• Ensure compliance with global financial services regulations, including AML, KYC, and data protection frameworks.
• Embed secure-by-design and compliance-by-design principles across all engineering initiatives.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Work cross-functionally with product, operations, compliance, and commercial teams to deliver new features and services.
• Act as a senior technology representative with regulators, partners, and investors when required.
• Clearly articulate the technology vision, progress, and roadmap to internal and external stakeholders.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Proven experience in a senior technology leadership role (CTO, VP of Engineering, Head of Engineering) within fintech, digital banking, or large-scale digital platforms.
• Strong background in building and scaling complex, regulated technology platforms.
• Deep understanding of AI/ML, blockchain technologies, cloud-native architectures, and cybersecurity.
• Demonstrated success in leading, growing, and retaining high-performing engineering teams.
• Experience operating in highly regulated environments, ideally within financial services.
• Exposure to Islamic banking principles is advantageous, with a strong willingness to learn where required.

Preferred Skills & Attributes

• Hands-on technical background with experience across modern programming languages and frameworks.
• Knowledge of smart contracts, distributed systems, and decentralised technologies.
• Strong strategic thinking combined with pragmatic execution capability.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence at board and executive level.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with experience in fast-paced, high-growth environments.

Why This Role

This is a rare opportunity to lead engineering for a globally ambitious digital bank at a formative stage, with significant influence over technology direction, team culture, and platform design. The successful candidate will play a defining role in shaping a future-ready financial institution from the ground up.