Director of Engineering

DescriptionThe Director of Engineering (also known in the industry as Chief Engineer or VP of Engineering) is the senior technical leader responsible for driving engineering strategy, execution, and culture across the ICT organisation. This role ensures that engineering teams deliver high-productivity, high-quality, scalable technically excellent solutions aligned with business goals, while fostering innovation, operational excellence, and talent development.The experience expected from applicants, as well as additional skills and qualifications needed for this job are listed below.To clarify the differentiation between the Head of Architecture and Director of Engineering roles:The Head of Architecture is responsible for the architecture of what we build - defining the architectural foundations of our solutions, making strategic technology choices, and setting the long-term direction (typically with a 3+ year horizon). This role maintains a broad, enterprise-wide perspective to ensure coherence and scalability across platforms.The Director of Engineering is focused on the approach we take to building - driving engineering excellence through methodologies, practices, tooling, and team capabilities. With a more immediate time horizon (1–2 years), this role concentrates on execution, delivery quality, and continuous improvement within our development teams.For both roles, the key stakeholders shall include Stack Engineering Leaders, Engineering Leaders, and Engineering Managers, although involvement with and support of others within the engineering teams as required is expected.The Role:LeadershipResponsible for the definition of and be the subject matter expert in our software development lifecycle/engineering vision and solution, realized in alignment with the Head of Technical Strategy & Enablement, the Head of Architecture and Stack Engineering LeadersSupport the Head of Technology Delivery & Strategy with executive leadership to shape technology budget recommendations, prioritization, and long-term planningSupport Stack Engineering Leaders by translating strategic goals into scalable engineering solutions and associated delivery plansTechnical ExcellenceChampion modern engineering practices (e.g., CI/CD, IaC, microservices, cloud-native architecture, DevOps, test automation, AI)Oversee detailed and complex system architecture, technical standards, and platform evolution choices associated with lifecycle tooling and work with the Head of Architecture & Stack Engineering Leaders in support of enterprise architectureAssure technical quality, security, and performance across all products and servicesBe the go-to person for our most complex technical challengesStay ahead of emerging technologies and assess their relevance as it relates to the roleTeam Leadership & CultureWorking with Stack Engineering Leads provide the best-practices measures & expectations/guidance for high-performing engineering teams, including supporting hiring, mentoring, and career developmentFoster a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvementPromote diversity, equity, and inclusion within engineering and across the organizationOperational OversightResponsible for engineering KPIs used such as velocity, quality, uptime, and cost efficiency as part of a broader, ICT Measurement Framework and in conjunction with the Stack Engineering Leaders & Engineering Leadership/ManagementDrive efficiency, productivity, process optimization, tooling improvements, and delivery predictability, in conjunction with the Stack Engineering Leaders & Engineering Leadership/ManagementCross-Functional CollaborationWork closely with Product, Design, Architecture, Security, and Infrastructure teams to align on priorities and executionWork closely with Key Stakeholders including Stack Engineering Leaders, Head of Architecture and Service OperationsRepresent engineering in key external and wider WTW forums, meetings, and strategic planning sessionsAct as a key stakeholder in vendor selection, partnerships, and technology evaluationsSuccess MetricsImprovement in delivery productivity and quality evidenced through the introduction of project methodology changes and robust engineering metrics such as project velocity, cycle time (idea to deployment), deployment frequencyReduction in technical debt, improved system reliabilityCreativity & adoption of new technologies and techniques evidenced through PoC’s, new tech. initiatives, or changes that deliver a measurable impactEncouragement of cross-stack collaboration & alignment, improved engagement, and technical maturityIncrease in technical skills & knowledge through the support provided as a subject matter expertQualificationsThe Requirements:10+ years in engineering roles, covering all stages of the lifecycleProven track record delivering complex, large-scale solutions that involved cross-enterprise architectural & technical decision makingBroad expertise in a variety of different technologies (e.g. Cloud) and methodologies e.g. DevOps, Agile, SDLC), best practices, and data-driven decision makingProven problem solver, with a critical-thinking systems-oriented mindsetStrong stakeholder management, Influencing and executive-level communication skillsSkills & ExperiencePreviously been Chief Engineering/VP Engineering for an ICT sized EnterpriseComfortable in working in areas of high-demand, high-complexity and decision makingExpertise in engineering across all disciplines (application, data, infrastructure), architecture & design, technical solutions design and delivery, strategic planning, and change managementHands-on experience with modern technologies & techniquesCollaborative leadership style, able to inspire and develop high-performing teamsComfortable navigating large organizations to execute deliveryOther highly desirable, but not essential skills are:Strong Line management experienceGeneral knowledge of the Insurance IndustryDegree-educated with Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics or relevant disciplineWTW is an equal opportunity employerWTW believes that effectively managing a diverse workforce is vital to our business strategy. We have an obligation to our organization, ourselves and our clients to hire and develop the best people we can find. xpwpeyx We will continually review our policies and practices to ensure that all areas of the employment process (including recruiting, hiring, work assignments, compensation, benefits, promotions, transfers, company-sponsored development programs and overall workplace experience) are free from discriminatory practices. We are committed to equal employment opportunities at WTW.(ICT_TECH TD_2025_51R)