Head of Software Engineering

Job Title: Head of Software Engineering

Location: Exeter (Hybrid Working)

Salary: DOE

About the Role

Our client, a rapidly growing SaaS company based in Exeter, is looking for a Head of Engineering to lead and scale their development team. This is a strategic and hands-on leadership role, responsible for technical direction, team growth, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality software solutions. You will work closely with senior leadership to align engineering efforts with business goals, drive innovation, and build a strong engineering culture. While this is a leadership-focused role, a solid technical background is essential to guide architectural decisions and mentor engineers.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and scale the engineering team, fostering a high-performance culture.
• Define and implement the technical strategy to support business growth.
• Oversee architecture decisions, system scalability, and software quality.
• Work closely with product, design, and operations teams to deliver projects effectively.
• Manage engineering processes, resource planning, and technical roadmaps.
• Ensure best practices in cloud infrastructure, DevOps, security, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Drive continuous improvement in tools, workflows, and engineering standards.
• Play a key role in hiring, retaining, and developing top engineering talent.

About You

• Proven experience as a Head of Engineering, Engineering Manager, or Tech Lead in a SaaS or technology-driven company.
• Strong technical background in modern software development, with experience in cloud-based architectures and scalable systems.
• Knowledge of AWS, Azure, or GCP, along with DevOps and CI/CD best practices.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams in an agile development environment.
• Strong communication and leadership skills, with the ability to align technical teams with business objectives.
• Passion for mentoring, innovation, and building a strong engineering culture.

Desirable Skills

• Experience with microservices architecture and distributed systems.
• Exposure to AI, data engineering, or machine learning.
• Familiarity with frontend and backend technologies (JavaScript frameworks, APIs, etc.).
• Experience in performance optimization and security best practices.

What’s on Offer?

• A key leadership role in a fast-growing SaaS company.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• The opportunity to shape the technical vision and engineering culture of a scaling business.