Head of Engineering

Addin365 are one of fifteen Microsoft partners globally to have Content Services Charter Partner status. As experts in the delivery of digital employee experiences, Addin365 are recognised as best in the world for our SaaS product offering and information architecture approach.

This is why some of the world's most recognisable brands choose to work with Addin365 to deliver their digital employee experiences, including: WPP Group, St James's Place, Wincanton and AstraZeneca.

Our mission is to help people do their best work using Microsoft 365. In doing so, we help organisations to utilise Microsoft 365, maximising their return on investment.

About the Role:

The Head of Engineering is a pivotal leadership position responsible for ensuring that the product delivery team consistently delivers high-quality outcomes on time. Beyond technical expertise, this role requires a blend of strategic oversight, proactive questioning, personal engagement with developers, and effective management of both London and Bangalore development resources. By asking the right questions, validating developer estimates, and fostering a culture of accountability and support, the Head of Engineering ensures the seamless coordination and timely execution of all product initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Delivery Oversight: Take ownership of the delivery schedule, ensuring all teams meet agreed milestones and deadlines without compromising quality.
• Approach Validation: Rigorously interrogate build approaches, to ensure the approach specified is as efficient and low risk as possible.
• Estimate Validation: Rigorously interrogate developer time and effort estimates, providing guidance and challenge to ensure realistic and reliable plans.
• Team Engagement: Conduct regular one-to-one meetings with developers to identify roadblocks, provide mentorship, and foster continuous professional growth.
• Team Management: Oversee the work of London and Bangalore developers, ensuring alignment with internal standards and timely deliverables.
• Process Improvement: Continuously identify and implement improvements in engineering workflow, from requirements gathering to delivery.
• Stakeholder Communication: Act as the main point of contact between engineering and the CTO, providing clear updates and managing expectations.

Validating Developer Estimates:

Accurate estimation is crucial for on-time delivery. The Head of Engineering is responsible for creating an environment where developers feel comfortable providing honest estimates and for validating those estimates to ensure they reflect reality.

• Encourage developers to break down tasks into manageable pieces, reducing ambiguity and making estimates more reliable.
• Challenge developer approaches where they can be optimised: Can we break down the delivery into smaller chunks so we see more, smaller goals met more regularly? Have we looked in the market for a plug-in?
• Ask probing questions: What assumptions are you making? What could go wrong? What dependencies or blockers exist? Have you considered similar past tasks?
• Utilise historic data: Compare new estimates with previous project outcomes to identify optimism bias or recurring issues.
• Promote transparency: Foster open discussions where developers can raise uncertainties or risks that might impact delivery.
• Support estimation techniques: Introduce or refine practices such as planning poker, story points, or timeboxing, as appropriate for the team.

About You:

• Analytical Thinking: The ability to break down complex projects, identify dependencies, and foresee potential pitfalls.
• Communication: Clear, concise, and transparent communication with developers and stakeholders.
• Technical Acumen: Sufficient depth in engineering principles to credibly challenge estimates and technical solutions.
• Empathy: Understanding developer perspectives and supporting their professional and personal growth.
• Leadership: Inspiring trust, driving accountability, and creating a collaborative team culture.
• Organisational Skill: Managing multiple projects, deadlines, and priorities without losing sight of the broader objectives.

What's in it for you?

At Addin365 we are driven by a high-performance culture and our four core values of determination, integrity, curiosity, and candour. We strongly believe in creating a positive and supportive work environment. As the Head of Engineering at Addin365, you will have the opportunity to:

• Take full ownership of delivery, process, and team performance.
• Shape the future of our Production function and play a key role in product success.
• Lead a talented, motivated team and help them grow professionally.

Our compensation package includes:

• Competitive salary - up to £120,000 per annum.
• Comprehensive private medical insurance.
• 25 days paid annual leave plus UK bank holidays.
• Discounts and perks from many different high-street brands.
• Hybrid working environment (our office days are Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays creating the perfect environment to learn from each other and benefit from the knowledge and experience of the whole team, allowing us to produce industry-leading work.)
• Top of range equipment and work-from-home set-up.
• Pension contributions.
• Regular team socials.