Head of Engineering

About EmpowerRD

R&D tax credits are a powerful but underused engine for innovation, and navigating them shouldn't require an army of consultants and months of back-and-forth. At EmpowerRD, we're changing that. We build software that makes claiming R&D tax relief transparent and genuinely empowering for the businesses and advisors who rely on us, with a vision to help every innovative company unlock the funding they deserve.

Living by that mission has been the secret to our growth, and now we're at a pivotal moment in our journey. Every move we make has a direct impact on our customers, our product, and our collective success. We need people who take pride in understanding what drives outcomes, challenge the way things are done (respectfully), and always aim high. We can't say we've got this whole thing figured out, and frankly, that's half the fun. What we can say is that we're a driven, progressive, and, importantly, a kind team, all committed to building the future of R&D tax relief together.

About the role

We're looking for a Head of Engineering to join EmpowerRD's senior leadership team at a pivotal moment in our growth. You'll own the technology strategy end-to-end, shaping our architecture and engineering culture while accelerating innovation that differentiates us in the R&D tax market. You'll be the connective tissue between our product ambitions and the engineering capability that brings them to life, partnering closely with the CEO, Product, Operations and Marketing leadership.

Who you'll be working with

You'll sit at the senior leadership table, reporting into the CEO and working across the whole business. Day to day, you'll partner with the CEO, Head of Product, and our engineering and data teams. You'll also be the primary technology voice in conversations with Finance, Customer Success, Sales, and external technology vendors and partners. Our company virtues are: Be a truth seeker, Build Bridges, Empower Growth, Start and keep going, Foster Well-Being. We build strong cross-functional relationships, stay close to strategic priorities, and bring decisions grounded in data and evidence.

What you'll be doing

As Head of Engineering at EmpowerRD, you will:

• Develop, communicate, and execute a comprehensive technology strategy aligned with our business goals and growth plans.
• Collaborate closely with the executive team, product, and other business units to understand technology needs and drive technology-enabled initiatives.
• Own and evolve the Data, Metrics and Insights that underpin the business.
• Oversee design and implementation of scalable, secure technology systems and infrastructure, ensuring alignment with security standards and best practice.
• Provide strong leadership, line management and mentorship to our engineering and data teams, fostering a culture of continuous learning and high performance.
• Oversee the Ways of Working and ensure teams have a full understanding of the software lifecycle and their roles within the process.
• Identify and mitigate technology-related risks, ensuring compliance with data privacy and security regulations and internal policies: you will be the DPO.
• Manage the technology budget, optimising resource allocation and ensuring cost-effective decisions.
• Manage relationships with technology vendors and partners, evaluating and selecting the most appropriate solutions.
• Stay close to the latest technology advances and provide strategic recommendations to keep EmpowerRD at the leading edge.

What you bring

Essential

• Five or more years of experience in a senior technology leadership role
• Deep understanding of software development methodologies and how AI has transformed these processes in recent years
• Many years of experience building technology platforms for organisations - you have the battle scars to show as well as depth of technical experience.
• Our Stack is Vue, Ruby on Rails, Postgres, Terraform, dbt, AWS, GCP - You'll have many years of experience in these technologies.
• Demonstrated success managing software development, systems architecture, infrastructure management, IT infrastructure, third-party services, cyber security and budgets
• Broad commercial understanding of how a SaaS business ticks and the teams and processes that drive growth
• Strong strategic thinking: the ability to translate business objectives into effective technology decisions through Data and discussion
• Excellent leadership and team management skills, with a track record of developing high-performing technology teams
• Proven ability to deliver complex technology projects on time and within budget
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven approach to decision-making
• A degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field (or equivalent experience)

Valued but not required

• Experience in fintech, SaaS, professional services, or a regulated technology environment
• Hands-on experience with AI and Data platform tooling
• Familiarity with the R&D tax credit, Accounting or HMRC landscape

Is this role right for you?

This role is for you if:

• You're energised by setting the technology direction for a company, not just executing on a predefined plan.
• You're as comfortable discussing architectural trade-offs with engineers as you are presenting a technology roadmap to the CEO or delivering Town Hall updates to the company.
• You hold yourself and your teams to high engineering standards without letting perfection get in the way of progress.

This role may not be for you if:

• You're looking for a steady-state technology management role rather than a building-and-scaling challenge.
• You do not use data, metrics and insights as part of your operating DNA
• You prefer to operate with full certainty before moving; we're a fast-moving team, and ambiguity is part of the job.

Practical details

Location: London, UK. Hybrid with mandatory office 2 days per week.

Visa sponsorship: We're not able to offer UK work visa sponsorship for this role.

Salary: To be discussed during the first interview.

EmpowerRD · www.empowerrd.com

National Technology Awards 2026 Nominee

Growth Business of the Year

Financial Services Technology of the Year

RegTech Project of the Year

Ranked #1 in TechRound 2025 FinTech 50

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