Head of Internal Tools Engineering

Overview

and scale the internal technology ecosystem that accelerates workforce productivity, eliminates operational friction, and gives the company a compounding infrastructure advantage.

Requirements

treat internal tools with the same product rigour and user-centricity as any external product — because the quality of internal systems directly determines organisational velocity.

lead a cross-functional engineering team, make high-stakes build-vs-buy decisions, and drive AI adoption into internal workflows.This role requires someone who can see the company’s operational architecture as a system design problem and solve it with software.

Internal Platform Strategy & Roadmap - Own the end-to-end strategy and roadmap for all internal tools, platforms, and automation — treating internal technology as a product, not a cost centre. - Make strategic build-vs-buy decisions, knowing when a custom-built solution creates a lasting advantage and when a SaaS tool is the right answer.- Map current and next-state process flows across the entire internal toolchain and lead systems transformation for internal teams. Systems Architecture & Engineering - Architect and maintain the full engineering lifecycle for internal platforms — from ideation and design through deployment, iteration, and deprecation. - Build seamless, API-first ecosystems that integrate internal tools across HR systems, finance platforms, knowledge management, CRM, and developer infrastructure.- Own system reliability and operational resilience: establish success metrics for uptime, performance, and employee productivity. - Design scalable, secure architectures using cloud-native principles, microservices, and modern integration patterns. AI & Automation - Lead the strategy for integrating AI and LLMs into internal workflows — reimagining how knowledge is shared, decisions are supported, and work is executed across the organisation.- Deploy intelligent automation tools — including AI where appropriate — to streamline internal processes and improve decision-making. - Evaluate and integrate AI-assisted troubleshooting, proactive recommendations, and intelligent automation into the internal platform layer. - Stay ahead of technology trends and drive continuous experimentation — you build prototypes, not slide decks.Developer Experience & Productivity - Reduce cognitive load for internal users by providing golden paths, standardised workflows, and self-service capabilities. - Ensure frictionless onboarding and seamless integration across the tool ecosystem. - Measure platform success through adoption rates, user satisfaction, DORA metrics, and productivity impact — not feature count.Team Leadership - Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing team of engineers and engineering managers. - Cultivate a collaborative engineering culture rooted in ownership, speed, and craftsmanship. - Provide technical mentorship and create growth paths for ind