This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UKs leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.
Job Title: Head of Software Engineering
Location: London Bridge, London (4 Days on-site)
Term: Permanent, Full-time
Salary: Competitive + Benefits (Private Medical, Private Dental, Pension, 25 days Annual leave plus bank holidays & Many more)
Richmond Pharmacology are an early phase Clinical Research Organisation (CRO), where we are conducting pioneering early phase healthy participants and patient participant trials. Our experienced and world-renowned team, our central London location and our global reach contribute to making Richmond Pharmacology an exciting and dynamic place to work.
Purpose of the job:
The Head of Software Engineering leads the design, development, and delivery of high-quality software solutions that align with the organisations strategic goals. This role ensures the effective planning, execution, and governance of software engineering projects, while fostering a culture of innovation, quality, and continuous improvement.
The role is instrumental in shaping our digitisation roadmap, managing a transformation programme, and building a high-performing team - all within a regulated, innovation-led environment.
The job will work closely with senior stakeholders, requiring a balance of technical depth, people leadership, and business acumen to ensure that software initiatives are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest standards-while managing the human and cultural aspects of ongoing change.
Main duties and responsibilities:
Technology Strategy & Architecture
* Develop and lead the end-to-end software engineering strategy aligned to Richmonds long-term objectives.
* Own and evolve the technical architecture across systems, platforms, and integrations.
* Define and prioritise the Digitisation Transformation Roadmap with clear, measurable outcomes.
Engineering, Infrastructure & DevOps
* Build and scale modern, secure, and scalable infrastructure and development environments.
* Drive adoption of CI/CD pipelines, automation, and observability to ensure reliability and resilience.
* Champion best practices in infrastructure-as-code, cloud platforms, and security-by-design.
Project Management & Change Leadership
* Lead complex software and infrastructure change programmes from scoping to delivery.
* Implement structured change management processes to support adoption, communication, and business readiness.
* Evaluate, prioritise, and sequence projects based on business-critical needs assessments.
* Use structured project delivery methodologies (e.g., Agile, Hybrid) to manage time, scope, and risk.
* Create and maintain delivery visuals (project funnel, roadmaps, Gantt charts, dashboards) to support visibility and governance.
* Track progress, risks, dependencies, and outcomes using modern tools (e.g., Jira, Azure DevOps, or similar).
* End-to-end Software Delivery Expertise.
Agile & Scrum Mastery
* Facilitate Agile ceremonies (sprint planning, retrospectives, stand-ups) and act as a mentor to Scrum teams.
* Foster a culture of iterative delivery, feedback loops, and continuous improvement.
* Embed Agile at scale across functions, ensuring technical and non-technical teams stay aligned.
Team Leadership & Culture
* Lead, inspire, and coach a high-performing software engineering team.
* Build a culture of accountability, excellence, and innovation.
* Invest in talent development, career progression, and capability-building.
Stakeholder Engagement & Business Partnership
* Be the bridge between technology and business - translating strategic needs into deliverable outcomes.
* Collaborate with subject matter experts, product owners, and clinical leaders to drive solution design.
* Communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders with clarity and confidence.
Skills and Experience:
* Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems or a related field
* Certified Scrum Master (CSM), SAFe Agilist, or equivalent Agile certification
* Agile delivery frameworks and tools (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe; Jira, Confluence, Azure DevOps)
* Cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure) and modern infrastructure principles (e.g., Infrastructure-as-Code)
* Change management methodologies (e.g., Prosci, ADKAR, or equivalent frameworks)
* Security, privacy, and compliance in regulated environments (e.g., GxP, GDPR, ISO 27001)
* Full-stack software development principles (front-end, back-end, APIs, integration patterns)
* Systems reliability engineering (SRE), observability, and monitoring practices
* Data management, interoperability standards, and system scalability in health or clinical domains
Application:
If you are interested in the role, please register your details, including a copy of your CV. Please note, while we try to respond to every candidate, the high volume of applications anticipated may make this impossible and we ask for your patience and understanding.
J-18808-Ljbffr