Head of Backend and Cloud

Waracle is seeking a Head of Backend & Cloud to join our world-class digital technology consultancy. We are home to a diverse, smart, curious, and ambitious community of specialists in technology-driven transformation. We work with ambitious clients to help them solve their biggest business and customer challenges. We thrive on complex challenges and deliver business-critical IT transformation projects, moving seamlessly from strategy, design, and delivery to operations.

This is a hybrid role, working from one of our offices in Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh, or London.

Are you a technical leader with a passion for shaping the future of cloud and backend solutions? We're looking for someone to curate, shape, and amplify our technical standards and strategies across Waracle. You will lead our backend practice, leveraging a unique blend of skills, from established technologies like Java, Python, .NET, and Node.js to emerging languages such as Go and Rust. Your leadership will empower our teams to deliver high-impact solutions while fostering a culture of continuous learning and technical excellence.

Key aspects of the role include:

• Community & Practice Leadership: You will develop and execute Waracle's Community of Practice strategy to drive technical excellence, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing. This includes mentoring and coaching team members and defining a hiring strategy for the practice.

• Technical Strategy & Architecture: You will lead the technical direction for backend and cloud solutions, articulating robust architectures and designing scalable build pipelines. You will also drive the adoption of best practices in coding and design principles.

• Delivery Excellence & Process Improvement: You will contribute to the development of the Waracle Delivery Playbook and lead initiatives for continuous improvement to ensure streamlined processes and consistent quality across projects.

• Client & Commercial Engagement: You will act as a strategic advisor to clients, leveraging your expertise to shape project roadmaps that drive value. You will also support pre-sales efforts by crafting compelling technical proposals.

What you'll bring:

• Strong proficiency in backend development using Node.js, with additional expertise in technologies such as Java, Python, or .NET.

• Proven ability to design and articulate robust architectures and build pipelines.

• Demonstrated success in shipping solutions on major hyperscalers (GCP, AWS, or Azure).

• A track record of leading and mentoring technical teams, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

• Strong commercial acumen, with experience in resource planning, budget management, and risk mitigation.

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to confidently present at an executive level.

• Strong relationship-building skills, capable of acting as a trusted advisor to clients and internal stakeholders.

The recruitment process

You can expect an initial call with your dedicated Talent Acquisition Partner who will chat with you about Waracle, what you are looking for in a new position, the salary for the role, your notice period, and benefits.

After that, you'll be invited to a two-stage interview process where you have an opportunity to find out more about the role and showcase your skills and experience. Your Talent Acquisition Partner will guide you through the whole process to your first day with us.

Our Benefits

We believe in supporting our team, inside and outside of work. Here's a glimpse of what you can expect:

• Rest & Recharge: You'll receive 27 days of annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays, totalling 35 days of holiday to unwind and pursue your passions.

• Financial Future & Security: Plan for retirement with our company-matched 5% pension contribution. For added peace of mind, we also offer a Death in Service benefit, providing 2x your annual salary for your loved ones.

• Health & Wellness: Our Medicash Health Cash Plans help cover everyday healthcare costs. This is complemented by an Employee Assistance Programme for confidential support and Group Sickness Cover for peace of mind.

• Flexible Working: We champion hybrid working, providing a home office setup budget to ensure you're comfortable and productive wherever you are.

• Learning & Development: Invest in yourself with access to Udemy Business and a dedicated learning and development budget for continuous growth.

• Lifestyle Perks: Make the most of our Cycle to Work Scheme and enjoy exclusive gym and retail discounts.

• Family First: Our enhanced parental leave policies include support for fertility journeys, recognising diverse family needs.

• Community & Connection: We foster a vibrant culture with regular fun meet-ups and lunch on us in the office once a month. You'll also have the opportunity to make a local impact through Spirit of Waracle, our initiative for getting involved in charitable causes locally, building strong team bonds and giving back.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.