Head of Software Engineering

Head of Software Engineering - Contract 3 months | £600-£650 per day | Inside IR35 Hybrid: 2 days per week in London | Start ASAP We're partnering with a large, complex and purpose-driven organisation undergoing a major technology and engineering transformation to get an experienced Head of Software Engineering contractor. You'll lead a multidisciplinary function spanning software, integration, data and platform engineering. A key priority will be setting clear engineering standards and embedding consistent practices that improve quality, delivery and operational resilience. This assignment combines leadership with strong technical credibility. You'll work closely with senior technology leaders, engineering managers and senior engineers to shape engineering direction while remaining involved in architecture and technical decisions. The role Define engineering standards, governance and ways of working across the function. Establish best practice across software development, testing, code quality, DevOps, CI/CD and Infrastructure as Code. Guide architecture and platform decisions, ensuring services are scalable, resilient, secure and maintainable. Lead engineering managers and senior engineers across multiple teams, building collaboration and accountability. Assess engineering maturity, identify priority improvements and drive practical changes during the assignment. Support cloud-native transformation across Microsoft Azure, event-driven architecture, platform engineering and…