Head of Software development

Company: MW Recruitment Limited
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Job Description:

Our client is a financial services institution seeking a Head of Software Development to join their Technology function in a senior leadership capacity. This is a high-impact role with a clear pathway to Deputy CTO

The Role

This is a strategic leadership position responsible for driving the software engineering function, owning the end-to-end development lifecycle, and shaping the organisation’s technology direction. The role combines hands-on technical expertise with senior stakeholder engagement and leadership of distributed engineering teams There is a defined progression path into a Deputy CTO position, making this an excellent opportunity for an ambitious leader looking to step into executive-level responsibility.

Key Responsibilities

  • Define and execute the software development strategy aligned to business objectives
  • Partner with senior leadership to shape the technology roadmap
  • Own end-to-end software delivery across platforms and products
  • Lead architectural decisions and ensure the scalability of systems
  • Drive best practice across Agile, DevOps and engineering standards
  • Manage and develop offshore and distributed engineering teams
  • Build a high-performance, collaborative engineering culture
  • Oversee vendor relationships and offshore resource planning
  • Contribute to governance, risk and compliance initiatives

Skills and Experience

  • Extensive experience in software development with strong Java expertise
  • Proven leadership experience managing engineering teams
  • Experience overseeing the full software delivery lifecycle
  • Background within financial services, ideally capital markets
  • Strong understanding of cloud, microservices and modern architectures
  • Experience working with offshore or distributed teams
  • Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
  • Ability to operate both strategically and hands-on
  • (Desirable) Experience in a high-growth or scaling environment
  • Exposure to AI or emerging technologies
  • Knowledge of regulatory and security frameworks such as SOC2 or ISO
  • Background in fintech, SaaS or enterprise platforms

Package

Competitive base salary and performance-related bonus

Equity participation aligned with seniority, Clear progression to Deputy CTO

Hybrid working model, comprehensive benefits package including healthcare and pension

Posted: April 16th, 2026