Senior Director of Engineering

Job Context

Big Change is at an inflection point. As a pioneer of AI‑powered field‑service software serving over 250,000 users worldwide, we have launched Big Change Lightning – an AI intelligence layer that deploys autonomous agents across field‑service operations. Headquartered in Leeds and part of the global Simpro Group, Big Change has been transforming how trades and field‑service businesses operate since 2013 and now needs a Senior Director of Engineering to lead the teams building what comes next.

This senior in‑person leadership position is based at our Leeds HQ. You will lead the engineering organisation responsible for Big Change’s full product suite – from the legacy monolith to our rapidly evolving microservices platform and mobile applications – while embedding an AI‑First engineering culture that makes every engineer more capable, every delivery faster, and every customer outcome stronger. You will report to executive leadership and be a key voice in shaping the technical future of one of the UK’s most recognised field‑service technology businesses.

Location:

Leeds (LS15), on‑site.

• Team Leadership Build, mentor, and inspire high‑performing engineering teams. Drive a culture of ownership, craft, and continuous improvement from squad level to organisational level. Develop engineering managers and create clear career pathways for individual contributors and leaders alike.
• AI‑First Culture Champion the integration of AI into every layer of how we build – from developer tooling and CI/CD intelligence to the AI agents at the heart of Big Change Lightning. This is about fundamentally changing how engineers work and what they can achieve.
• Engineering Strategy Partner with Product and the C‑suite to shape the technical roadmap. Balance velocity on new capabilities with architectural health across a hybrid legacy and modern stack. Translate business goals into clear engineering priorities.
• Platform Evolution Oversee the continued migration from AWS EC2 monolith toward AWS EKS microservices. Make the architectural decisions that protect reliability and security while enabling rapid innovation and scale.
• Delivery Excellence Own engineering velocity, quality, and predictability. Build the processes and metrics that let teams move fast without creating tomorrow’s technical debt. Hold the bar on engineering standards without becoming a bottleneck.
• Hiring & Talent Attract and retain exceptional engineering talent in Leeds and beyond. Make Big Change the kind of engineering organisation that people choose over the obvious alternatives. Be the reason great engineers want to stay.

• Proven track record leading high‑performing engineering teams at scale – you’ve built, grown, and developed engineering organisations, not just managed them.
• Genuine conviction about AI in engineering – you’ve moved teams beyond AI as a curiosity to AI as a core capability multiplier.
• Strategic technical depth – you can engage credibly with senior engineers on architecture without needing to be the smartest technologist in the room.
• Experience with SaaS product companies – you understand how engineering decisions compound into product and commercial outcomes.
• Comfort with complexity – you’ve navigated hybrid environments combining legacy systems and modern platforms, and you’ve made that transition well.
• Strong presence and communication – you lead in person, you build trust quickly, and you make hard decisions with clarity.
• Collaborative by default – you partner well with Product, Commercial, and the wider leadership team to create alignment, not just agreements.
• Located in or able to commute to Leeds – this is an on‑site leadership role.

• A generous annual leave entitlement plus a personal leave entitlement
• Private Health Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 confidential support on relationships, bereavement, finances)
• Life Insurance
• Company pension scheme, with an uncapped 5% employer contribution
• Generous Parental Leave Program
• Paid Volunteer Leave Days
• Public Holiday Exchange Scheme
• Talent Referral Programme – get rewarded for referring a friend to join our team!
• Cyclesch…