Chief Technology Officer (Step up for Head of Engineering)

Chief Technology Officer (Step-Up Opportunity for Head of Engineering / Senior Engineering Leaders)
Central London (On-site) | £150,000 + Bonus + Benefits

Step into your first CTO role and shape the future of Software & AI-Driven Business Intelligence.

Are you a senior engineering leader ready to take the next step into a Chief Technology Officer role? This is a rare opportunity for a Head of Engineering, VP of Engineering, Head of Technology, or Principal Engineer to transition into an executive leadership role and define the technology vision of a fast-growing, market-leading digital content and B2B intelligence business.

My client is looking for a commercially minded, forward-thinking technology leader who is eager to move from leading engineering teams to owning enterprise-wide technology strategy, innovation, and impact-particularly in the rapidly evolving world of AI-powered products.As CTO, you will partner directly with the CEO and senior leadership team to shape and execute a bold technology vision. You will continue to lead day-to-day engineering delivery while expanding your scope into strategy, product thinking, and business impact. You will lead a high-performing software engineering team, supported by best-in-class group infrastructure, with a clear focus on delivering scalable, customer-facing products that drive meaningful value. Working closely with AI/ data science teams, you will play a key role in translating AI innovation into production-ready solutions.

Role scope & overview

• Define and execute a company-wide technology strategy to transform a traditional content business into a market-leading, AI-driven digital platform
• Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing engineering organisation to deliver innovative, customer-focused products
• Ensure high standards of availability, scalability, security, and performance, with strong governance across engineering and third-party partners
• Establish effective delivery governance from ideation through to customer engagement, driving reliability and scalability
• Balance innovation with the continuous modernisation of a complex, mixed-technology estate, including legacy systems
• Partner closely with Product, AI, and Commercial teams to align technology with go-to-market strategy, customer needs, and business growth
• Build a predictable, high-confidence delivery capability through lightweight governance, reporting, and prioritisation frameworks
• Drive product performance and user engagement through data-led insights and continuous optimisation

You will bring to the role:

• Experience as a Head of Engineering, VP of Engineering, Head of Technology, Principal Engineer, or in a similar leadership role
• A proven track record of leading high-performing technology teams and delivering scalable, customer-facing digital platforms, ideally within content-rich or online environments
• Experience delivering solutions that enhance customer experience, particularly across data access, search, or content-driven products
• Exposure to AI, data platforms, or modern search technologies, with strong technical grounding in cloud platforms (e.g., AWS), architecture, and system integrations
• Demonstrated success driving technological change and modernisation within fast-paced, evolving organisations
• The ability to balance hands-on delivery with growing strategic responsibility, transitioning from execution to ownership
• Strong communication skills, with confidence engaging senior stakeholders, influencing business decisions, and navigating ambiguity
• Experience managing vendors and third-party partners while maintaining high standards of delivery
• A mindset focused on outcomes, continuous improvement, and building alignment across teams in an entrepreneurial environment

This is a rare opportunity to step into a CTO role within a high-growth B2B consultancy. It offers the chance to accelerate your career within a highly entrepreneurial environment, combining engineering leadership with full strategic ownership, shaping technology direction, influencing business outcomes, and building credibility at executive and board-level. Alongside this exceptional career progression opportunity, you will benefit from a competitive salary, a generous bonus structure, and a comprehensive benefits package within a forward-thinking organisation that values innovation, ownership, and delivery.

INDAM

The Portfolio Group are acting on behalf of our client in recruiting for this position.