Director of Software Engineering

White Collar Factory (95009), United Kingdom, London, London

Director of Software Engineering

Job Title: Director of Software Engineering

Location: London - Hybrid

Working Pattern: 3 days in-office (Tuesday-Thursday) and 2 days remote.

Our Mission

We're on a mission to be a force for good in lending. Throughout our almost 30-year history, we've consistently been recognised as a great place to work; in 2026, Capital One was officially ranked 9th in the UK's Best Workplaces list.
Hear from our team about what it's like working at Capital One UK.

About this role

We are looking for a Director of Software Engineering to lead a team of 50+ engineers. We're looking for someone who is results-oriented, able to partner with business leaders and go toe-to-toe with the best engineers on technical rigour.

You'll be responsible for all the technologists within a series of our 'outcome teams': established to drive forward business outcomes. You'll be an excellent leader of people and communicator. You'll be able to seamlessly switch from executive-level progress conversations, to diving deep into solutions, to contributing to strategic discussions around roadmaps. You'll be able to provide clear thinking and direction to cut through ambiguity.

You'll be able to partner well with the local business leadership team and with enterprise stakeholders; providing objective assessments of the likely cost and risk trade-offs for different solutions, and clear paths forward.

What you'll do

• Leadership of a team of 50+ technologists (Software Engineers and Architects): operating engineering at scale within a complex regulated environment
• Work together with Product and Design teams on the overall product roadmap for key business capabilities and goals
• Elevate great talent and ensure you have a clear agenda for development in the team. Actively manage performance across the team to develop talent over time
• Drive for effective delivery with pace and precision across the different outcome teams
• Liaising with and managing enterprise stakeholders primarily based in the US, who often have deep expertise on particular domains
• Manage a team with a blend of associates and third party engineers, and ensure effective oversight of the relevant third parties within the domain.
• Seek and share the context of the wider organisation, its purpose, commitments and opportunities to enable and engage your team with customer and organisational outcomes
• Stay up to date with the latest relevant changes in regulation and enterprise process
• Maintain broad knowledge and awareness of the latest relevant technologies and engineering practices
• Be a key voice in technical design reviews - ensuring a clear and consistent approach to engineering practices
• Support the career growth and development of the team

What we're looking for

• You'll have a clear track record of leading large software engineering teams, and a proven track record of driving high performance
• You'll be able to solve complex challenges across people, process and technology. A high level of intellectual curiosity and comfort with ambiguity is essential. You will have the ability to deep dive on different technology options quickly and provide recommendations on a path forward.
• You will have excellent critical thinking skills and be able to provide thoughtful and effective counsel to leaders across the business
• You're passionate about recruiting and developing great engineering talent
• You'll be able to drive results quickly individually, whilst enabling others through the establishing of clear patterns and practices for engineering teams.
• You'll possess excellent communication skills, with an ability to adapt and communicate compellingly and with authenticity to any audience (including internal and external stakeholders)
• You'll be aware of the latest native developments within AWS and have real world experience
• You'll have an understanding of the latest cybersecurity trends and how they impact engineering practice
• You'll be able to work within enterprise policies/guidelines while customising to fit the UK to strike the right balance
• You're comfortable in reaching pragmatic outcomes between short-term and long-term business needs

Where and how you'll work

This is a permanent position based in our London office.

We embrace a hybrid approach to work. You'll spend three days a week in the office (Tuesday-Thursday), with Monday and Friday being dedicated work-from-home days.

Our offices are designed to inspire and support you. At our Nottingham head office, you'll find an on-site gym, restaurant and dedicated Learning Loft. Our London office boasts a rooftop running track and coffee bar.

What's in it for you

We invest in the growth of our people alongside our business. You will have extensive opportunities to learn and develop your career, including access to up to £5,000 in funding for external qualifications.

In addition to career development, our comprehensive benefits package is designed to grow with you, ensuring your wellbeing is…