Head of Backend and Cloud

Waracle are looking for a Head of Backend and Cloud for an exciting new role joining our world-class digital technology consultancy and home to a diverse, smart, curious and ambitious community of specialists in technology-driven transformation.

We work with ambitious clients to help them solve their biggest business and customer challenges. We help our clients to innovate and create intelligent digital products and services. We thrive on complex challenges and deliver business-critical IT transformation projects, moving seamlessly from strategy, design and delivery to operations.

This is a Hybrid role working from any of our offices 2 days a week.

Are you a visionary leader ready to curate, shape, and amplify technical standards across a dynamic digital consultancy? We're seeking an inspiring Head of Backend and Cloud to lead our practice, leveraging established technologies like Java, Python, .NET, and Node.js, alongside emerging languages such as Go and Rust. This is a unique opportunity for someone to drive our technical strategy, empower development teams to deliver high-impact solutions, and build our GCP Solutions Architecture capability. If you have a proven track record in articulating robust architectures on major hyperscalers - especially GCP - and are passionate about continuous learning and technical excellence, we encourage you to apply and bring your expertise to our diverse team. We especially welcome leaders who are committed to living our company values every day.

• Practice Leadership: Creating a compelling vision for Waracle's backend and cloud approach, fostering a Community of Practice (CoP), mentoring team members, and defining the practice's hiring strategy.

• GCP Capability Development : Driving our GCP Solutions Architecture capability, supporting partnership development, presales, and upskilling the practice's technical skills.

• Technical Strategy: Leading the technical direction, articulating robust architectures, designing scalable build pipelines, and evolving our technical offering with new approaches and service offerings.

• Client Engagement: Acting as a strategic advisor to clients (including at the CTO level) to guide their technical strategy and supporting pre-sales by crafting compelling technical proposals.

You will be reporting to the Director of Engineering and Data, and your responsibilities will include:

• Developing and executing the Community of Practice (CoP) strategy to drive technical excellence and knowledge-sharing.

• Mentoring and coaching team members for continuous skill development and alignment with technical standards.

• Leading discussions with senior technical leads on the client side to guide and shape their technical strategy.

• Driving the adoption of best practices in coding standards, design principles, and architectural patterns.

• Contributing to the Waracle Delivery Playbook and leading continuous improvement initiatives.

• Designing end-to-end technical cloud solutions on GCP, including setting up landing zones for greenfield clients.

• Providing consumption estimates and forecasts using GCP tools.

• Acting as a hands on technical expert, leading Proof of Concepts (PoCs) and solving complex technical challenges.

• Communicating the ROI and business value of technical features to stakeholders.

• Supporting team upskilling in GCP capability/certifications through coaching and structured learning.

• Strong proficiency in backend development using Node.js, with expertise in technologies such as Java, Python, or .NET.

• Familiarity with emerging technologies, including experience with Go, Rust, or similar languages.

• Proven ability to design and articulate robust architectures and build pipelines.

• Demonstrated success in shipping solutions on major hyperscalers, particularly GCP.

• GCP Professional Certifications such as GCP Professional Cloud Architect are highly desirable.

• Expertise in the GCP Well Architected Framework and technical knowledge around cloud practices, especially networking and cost/performance optimisation.

• Proven track record of leading and mentoring technical teams, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to confidently present complex solutions at executive levels.

• Strong commercial acumen, with experience in resource planning, budget management, and account growth.

• Ability to act as a trusted advisor to clients and internal stakeholders.

The recruitment process you can expect for this role is an initial call with your dedicated Talent Acquisition Partner who will chat with you about Waracle, what you are looking for in a new position, the salary for the role, notice period and benefits (the important stuff!).

After that, you'll be invited to a two-stage interview process where you have an opportunity to find out more about the role and showcase your skills and experience. Your Talent Acquisition Partner will guide you through the whole process to your first day with us.

We believe in supporting our team, inside and outside of work. Here's a glimpse of what you can expect:

• Rest & Recharge: You'll receive 27 days of annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays, totaling 35 days of holiday to unwind and pursue your passions.

• Financial Future & Security: Plan for retirement with our company matched 5% pension contribution. For added peace of mind, we also offer a Death in Service benefit, providing 2 x your annual salary for your loved ones.

• Health & Wellness: Our Medicash Health Cash Plans help cover everyday healthcare costs, complemented by an Employee Assistance Programme for confidential support, and Group Sickness Cover for peace of mind.

• Flexible Working: We champion hybrid working, providing a home office setup budget to ensure you're comfortable and productive wherever you are.

• Learning & Development: Invest in yourself with access to Udemy Business and a dedicated learning and development budget for continuous growth.

• Lifestyle Perks: Make the most of our Cycle to Work Scheme, and enjoy exclusive gym and retail discounts.

• Family First: Our enhanced parental leave policies include support for fertility journeys, recognising diverse family needs.

• Community & Connection: We foster a vibrant culture with regular fun meet ups and lunch on us in the office once a month. You'll also have the opportunity to make a local impact through Spirit of Waracle, our initiative for getting involved in charitable causes locally, building strong team bonds and giving back.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.