Head of Engineering - Operator Platform

Overview

hackajob is collaborating with Tombola to connect them with exceptional professionals for this role. As Head of Engineering – Operator Platform, you’ll shape and deliver the technology that powers how we operate, scale and continuously improve the tombola experience. This is a key leadership role at the heart of Platform Engineering, where you’ll define and drive a player-first technology strategy while enabling the teams behind the scenes to move faster, smarter and more effectively.

• Technical strategy – Provide expert leadership across software design and development; champion modern technologies, best practices and coding standards; build and evolve a platform that supports long-term strategic goals; define and deliver a technical roadmap aligned to player experience; identify opportunities for innovation in how players interact with our products; share knowledge and insight to help stakeholders understand what’s possible.
• Leadership – Lead, coach and support a cross-functional team of engineers; create an inclusive, collaborative environment where people can thrive; support career growth and identify future leaders within the team; build and empower a high-performing Platform Engineering leadership group.
• Cross-functional collaboration – Work closely with Product, Design, Game Studio, Marketing and Customer Support; turn player insights, feedback and data into meaningful technical solutions.
• Strategic planning – Contribute to the wider technology vision and roadmap; translate business goals into clear, actionable engineering plans; ensure alignment with company strategy and long-term objectives.
• Development and delivery – Oversee the full development lifecycle, from idea through to deployment; ensure delivery is timely, scalable and meets high quality standards; work with senior leaders to create transparent, scalable ways of working.
• Quality and innovation – Set and maintain high engineering and quality standards; encourage experimentation and continuous improvement; enable data-driven decision-making through strong platform capabilities.
• Project management – Oversee delivery of engineering projects within timelines and budgets; balance new feature development with maintenance and technical debt; collaborate with product and technology leaders on prioritisation.
• Technical expertise – Stay current with industry trends and emerging technologies; use knowledge to guide technical direction and decision-making.
• Stakeholder communication – Communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical audiences; build strong relationships across teams and with external partners.
• Budget management – Own and manage departmental budgets, including people, hosting and tooling; work with senior leadership to plan and forecast effectively.

• Experience leading large, multi-layered engineering teams
• Proven experience managing budgets
• Experience setting and tracking objectives using OKRs
• Background in customer-facing technology environments
• Strong knowledge of front-end technologies such as Vue and React
• Experience working in experimentation-led or UX-focused organisations
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary delivery teams or functions
• Understanding of platform engineering and development operations
• Familiarity with technologies such as C#, Node, Docker, SQL Server and AWS

• Experience with in the iGaming sector or similar regulated industries