Head of Digital Engineering

The Role & Opportunity

This is a strategic engineering leadership opportunity for a highly credible, hands-on technologist who can set direction and influence across a complex, regulated digital estate. The role will define engineering standards across web, mobile, file transfer, API and Payments applications, whilst leading the practical adoption of AI-enabled engineering. Working with a small central team and influencing Principal Engineers through dotted-line relationships, the successful candidate will improve consistency, technical quality and developer productivity across the organisation. This is an opportunity to shape the engineering agenda for the wider Payments Digital estate using technical judgement, credibility and influence rather than relying on direct line-management authority.

Must-Haves

• Deep, current engineering credibility across modern Java and JavaScript/TypeScript ecosystems.
• Experience operating in an organisation using Agile at scale, including LeSS or SAFe.
• 10+ years in Software Engineering, Computing Science or a related discipline.
• A track record of owning engineering practices for customer-facing services in a regulated environment.
• Practical experience implementing and scaling AI-assisted engineering through Claude Code.
• Experience defining engineering standards across multiple technology estates and channels.
• Proven ability to influence senior engineering stakeholders without direct authority.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience improving developer productivity using DORA metrics or similar measures.
• Experience supporting audits, regulators or risk reviews.
• Knowledge of ISO 20022 and Payments technology.
• Experience building engineering capability, career frameworks and principal-level talent.
• Experience consolidating engineering practices across multiple delivery teams.

Purpose of the role

To lead and manage engineering teams, providing technical guidance, mentorship, and support to ensure the delivery of high-quality software solutions, driving technical excellence, fostering a culture of innovation, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to align technical decisions with business objectives.

Accountabilities

• Lead engineering teams effectively, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture to achieve project goals and meet organizational objectives.
• Oversee timelines, team allocation, risk management and task prioritization to ensure the successful delivery of solutions within scope, time, and budget.
• Mentor and support team members' professional growth, conduct performance reviews, provide actionable feedback, and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Evaluation and enhancement of engineering processes, tools, and methodologies to increase efficiency, streamline workflows, and optimize team productivity.
• Collaboration with business partners, product managers, designers, and other stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions and ensure a cohesive approach to product development.
• Enforcement of technology standards, facilitate peer reviews, and implement robust testing practices to ensure the delivery of high-quality solutions.

Director Expectations

• To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide..
• They manage the direction of a large team or sub-function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
• Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub-function.
• Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
• Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
• Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
• Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
• Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
• Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
• Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
• Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
• Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.

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