Interim Head of Software Engineering

This is a senior leadership role focused on maintaining operational stability, supporting multidisciplinary technical teams and ensuring continuity across a broad enterprise technology estate whilst a permanent appointment is made.

The environment is complex, stakeholder-heavy and operationally critical, requiring a calm, resilient and highly credible technology leader who can “hold the fort”, keep services running effectively and maintain momentum across ongoing initiatives.

The Role

You will lead a multidisciplinary function spanning:

• Software engineering
• Enterprise applications
• Integrations and APIs
• Data and reporting services
• Operational support and service management

The focus is very much on:

• Keeping the lights on
• Operational continuity
• Supporting stretched teams through transition
• Managing stakeholder expectations
• Maintaining delivery momentum
• Ensuring stable and resilient services

This is not a large-scale transformation programme or greenfield engineering role. Instead, the organisation requires a safe pair of hands with strong operational leadership capability within a complex enterprise environment.

• Experience leading enterprise application / software engineering / integration functions within large complex organisations ideally with experience within Higher Education or large public-sector organisations
• Strong operational leadership and service management experience
• Experience managing multidisciplinary technical teams and team leaders
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills
• Experience operating within Higher Education, Public Sector, NHS, Housing or similarly complex regulated environments
• Ability to manage competing priorities within stretched operational teams
• Calm, resilient and pragmatic leadership style

Desirable

• Experience across enterprise integrations, data/reporting platforms and operational governance
• ITIL / service management background

• Hybrid working - London 2 days a week.
• Immediate / short notice availability preferred