Head of Engineering

About the Role

We are seeking a visionary Head of Engineering to lead, scale, and inspire a world-class global engineering organization. In this pivotal leadership role, you will bridge the gap between business strategy and technical execution, driving architectural excellence across high-load, distributed systems. If you are passionate about mentoring leaders, optimizing the SDLC, and shaping the future of a high-growth platform, we want to hear from you.

About the Client

Our partner is a dynamic tech company building cutting-edge product engineering across Fintech, iGaming, and Marketing. They turn innovative ideas into high-performing engines and launch them at scale. As their exclusive recruitment partner, Lionhires manages their full-cycle talent acquisition.

What You Will Do

• Define Technical Vision: Architect and execute the long-term technical roadmap, ensuring the platform scales seamlessly ahead of business growth.

• Lead & Mentor: Direct and empower Engineering Managers and Team Leads, overseeing performance evaluations, talent growth, and succession planning.

• Drive Engineering Excellence: Establish global engineering standards, robust documentation practices, and rigorous KPIs to ensure secure, maintainable, and high-quality codebases.

• Optimize Operations: Streamline the SDLC and Agile processes (Scrum/Kanban) across all teams to eliminate bottlenecks and optimize cross-team resource allocation.

• Manage Tech Debt: Strategically balance the delivery of cutting-edge features with continuous architectural improvements and proactive tech debt reduction.

• Champion Culture: Lead the global hiring strategy to attract top-tier engineering talent while fostering a high-performance culture rooted in feedback and accountability.

• Align Stakeholders: Act as the primary technical partner for executive leadership, aligning engineering deliverables with key product and business milestones.

What You Bring

• Proven Leadership: 10+ years of backend development experience, including 5+ years in high-level engineering leadership roles managing multiple teams or managers.

• Technical Mastery: Deep experience with high-load distributed systems, microservices architecture, Kubernetes, and cloud-native development.

• System Design Expertise: Advanced knowledge of SQL/NoSQL databases, message brokers, and secure, automated CI/CD pipelines.

• Strategic Mindset: A proven ability to manage complex technical trade-offs and successfully drive large-scale architectural migrations.

• Exceptional Communication: Stellar presentation and leadership skills, with the ability to inspire teams and navigate fast-paced, high-pressure environments.

• Education & Language: A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field, alongside full professional fluency in English.

What's in It for You

• Financial Growth: Competitive remuneration package with structured annual salary reviews, plus a €200 net monthly transport allowance.

• Comprehensive Health: Premium private medical coverage including inpatient, outpatient, dental, annual check-ups, and maternity support.

• Work-Life Balance: Generous time off with 24 non-business vacation days and an additional 6 paid sick days per year.

• Full Relocation Support: Flights, up to 2 weeks of hotel accommodation, and dedicated visa relocation support for you and your immediate family members.

• Wellness & Sports: An Urban Sport membership (accessing 50+ activities across Europe) alongside partial compensation for tennis and padel lessons.

• Continuous Learning: Tailored professional development opportunities and partial cost compensation for English and Portuguese language classes.

• Culture & Connection: Engaging team-building activities and the chance to work on highly challenging, impactful technical projects.