Director of Engineering

Description:

Sanderson are working with an established and growing SaaS organisation looking to appoint a Director of Engineering to lead and develop its engineering function.

Reporting directly to the CTO, this is a senior leadership opportunity with responsibility for a combined team of software developers and testers. You'll play a key role in shaping the engineering function, setting technical direction and driving improvements across software delivery, quality and engineering practices.

The organisation is looking for an experienced engineering leader who can combine strong technical credibility with the ability to lead sizeable teams, influence technical decisions and create an environment where engineering teams can deliver high-quality software at pace.

What you'll be responsible for

• Leading and developing a sizeable engineering function across software development, QA and release, building high-performing teams and developing leadership capability.
• Providing technical guidance and direction across a Microsoft technology environment, working closely with architecture to ensure engineering delivery aligns with wider technical strategy.
• Taking ownership of the software development lifecycle, improving delivery processes, predictability and the speed at which software reaches customers.
• Championing the adoption of AI across engineering, including agentic AI and its application throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Embedding quality throughout the development process, improving test automation, strengthening QA practices and driving continuous improvement.
• Establishing and maintaining consistent engineering standards, coding practices, CI/CD processes and development tooling.
• Developing engineering talent, supporting technical leaders and creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Working closely with senior stakeholders across the business, providing visibility of engineering performance, capacity, delivery progress and priorities.

What we're looking for

We're keen to speak with experienced engineering leaders who have a strong background in software development and the ability to lead across both development and testing functions.

You'll ideally bring:

• Proven experience leading a sizeable engineering department or function, ideally 25+ people, including software developers and testers.
• Experience managing through engineering managers, technical leads or other senior technical individuals.
• A strong technical background within a Microsoft technology environment, particularly .NET, C# and Azure, with Angular experience highly desirable.
• Experience setting technical direction, influencing engineering decisions and driving consistent development standards.
• A strong understanding of modern software testing practices, test automation, CI/CD and embedding quality throughout the development lifecycle.
• Experience improving engineering productivity, delivery performance and software quality.
• An interest in, or experience of, introducing AI into software engineering, ideally including agentic AI and its application across the SDLC.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts into business outcomes.
• Commercial awareness, including workforce planning, budgeting and supplier management.