VP Engineering - AI - #2139786

Our client is currently recruiting for a VP Engineering to lead on the adoption of AI in Engineering. The VP Engineering is a senior leadership role created to step change in how our client engineers its software.

The VP Engineering will set the software engineering and architecture direction for Digital Transformation, establishes the standards, tooling and modern practices the function builds to, and leads the adoption of AI-assisted engineering and automation to raise productivity and shorten time to release.

Key Responsibilities for the VP Engineering

• Lead the adoption of AI in engineering: set the direction for AI-assisted development and embed it in how the teams design, build and test.
• Put in place the foundations that make it work at scale: the engineering standards, golden paths, repository structure, documentation-as-code and reusable scaffolding that let both engineers and AI tooling move quickly and safely.
• Drive automation across the software lifecycle, from build and test to release, so delivery is faster, more consistent and less manual.
• Set the engineering practices that support faster, more reliable software flow (Continuous Delivery, CI/CD, automated testing and release readiness) as the standard the teams build to, working with Infrastructure/DevOps and others.
• Set the software engineering strategy and multi-year technical roadmap, aligned to the digital and business strategy.
• Set the software engineering standards, tooling and technology-stack direction the function builds to.
• Set the software engineering architecture direction across Digital Transformation and hold cross-estate coherence.
• Act as the escalation and decision point for the most significant technical and design choices across the estate.
• Lead, develop and set direction for the Head of Development, the Cyber Development Lead and the Enterprise Architect

Key Experience for the VP Engineering

• Software Engineering leadership at scale: led engineering functions and driven a step-change in how they build, not only run delivery.
• AI-assisted engineering: real experience introducing AI and automation into how software is engineered, with the foundations to make it stick.
• Modern engineering and productivity: deep grounding in Continuous Delivery, DevOps and cloud, and in engineering productivity measurement (DORA, cycle time or equivalent).
• Architecture direction: a strong architecture background, setting direction and running a Technical Design Authority or similar forum across a complex, integrated estate.
• Standards and foundations: a track record of establishing engineering standards, golden paths and reusable foundations that lift a whole function.
• Strategy to execution: setting strategy and standards and landing them through other leaders and their teams, including re-platforming and culture change.
• Organisation design: experience of engineering organisation design, operating models and developing leaders.
• Operates at a strategic level, setting direction and raising the capability of the whole function

Please apply as directed!