Head of Software Engineering

iR has partnered with a client of ours who is seeking a visionary and execution-focused engineering leader to take the helm of their Platform Engineering organization. This is a high-impact executive role responsible for building and delivering a cutting-edge, cloud-native platform that empowers thousands of financial professionals across multiple business lines.

The ideal candidate brings deep technical expertise, a proven leadership track record, and a bias for action. You’ll oversee a high-performing, global engineering team and be accountable for driving product delivery from concept to launch — ensuring security, scalability, and reliability at every step.

This is a rare opportunity for a transformational engineering executive who thrives in fast-paced environments and is passionate about building scalable technology and strong teams that drive meaningful outcomes for clients.

What You get to go do in this exciting role:

1. Define and Deliver the Engineering Vision

• Set the long-term roadmap and architectural direction for the platform — including front-end interfaces, APIs, backend systems, mobile apps, and integrations.
• Translate product goals into flexible, modular, and secure technical solutions.
• Collaborate with executive leadership and product teams to align platform strategy with business priorities and user needs.

2. Foster Engineering Excellence

• Implement modern development pipelines, including CI/CD, test automation, and secure code practices.
• Champion Agile methodologies (SCRUM, SAFe, or Kanban) to drive speed, quality, and visibility.
• Establish and mature DevSecOps and Site Reliability Engineering practices to enhance platform performance and resilience.

3. Lead and Scale Global Teams

• Manage a distributed engineering organization that includes both internal developers and global delivery partners.
• Design and scale a team structure that supports product domains and platform architecture.
• Promote a culture of innovation, accountability, and collaboration.
• Partner with Talent to attract and retain top-tier engineering professionals.

4. Architect for the Future

• Make foundational architecture decisions including microservices, data strategy, security, and third-party integration frameworks.
• Establish reusable patterns and frameworks to ensure consistent development across teams.
• Lead efforts to modernize legacy systems and reduce technical debt.

5. Drive Security and Compliance

• Integrate security into all phases of development and delivery.
• Collaborate with InfoSec and Compliance to ensure secure coding practices, conduct routine vulnerability scans, and meet regulatory standards.
• Ensure the platform aligns with the expectations of governing bodies such as the SEC and FINRA.

6. Enable Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Product, Infrastructure, Architecture, Cybersecurity, and Data teams to align on vision, execution, and delivery.
• Lead build vs. buy evaluations and effectively manage third-party platforms and vendor integrations.
• Optimize external vendor partnerships and API strategies for flexibility and cost-efficiency.

7. Oversee Budget and Delivery

• Manage engineering budgets across personnel, infrastructure, and tooling.
• Create transparent delivery roadmaps and maintain accountability for on-time, on-scope product releases.
• Continuously assess and optimize resource usage and development velocity.

8. Enhance Client Experience and Platform Adoption

• Partner with internal teams to plan releases, enablement, and communication strategies for platform rollouts.
• Use telemetry data, client feedback, NPS scores, and usage patterns to drive iterative improvements.
• Help ensure our clients adopt and benefit from the full platform capabilities.

What you need to be successful:

• 12 years of experience in software engineering, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Strong track record delivering and scaling enterprise-grade, cloud-native platforms (Azure preferred).
• Deep technical knowledge in:
• APIs & microservices
• Kafka or event-driven architecture
• React or Angular frameworks
• Relational and NoSQL databases
• Expertise in managing distributed, Agile development teams with global presence.
• Fluency in modern testing strategies: unit, integration, security, and performance.
• Solid understanding of the financial services space — particularly in wealth management or fintech environments.
• Experience with tools and systems used by financial professionals (e.g., CRMs, trading platforms, performance reporting).
• Comfortable navigating regulatory and compliance-heavy environments.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence across functions and levels.
• Strategic thinker who can zoom in technically and zoom out organizationally.
• Collaborative leader who builds trust, inspires teams, and creates a high-performance culture.