Head of Engineering
Ikano Bank
Who We Are
At Ikano Bank, we believe work should feel meaningful and inspiring. Together, we create a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be while contributing to a better life for our customers and the long-term success of the Bank. Guided by our Swedish heritage and values: common sense and simplicity, working together and daring to be different, we keep things straightforward and down-to-earth. If you like the idea of being part of a team that works hard, enjoys solving challenges together and dares to do things a little differently, you will feel right at home here.
Digital is the driving force behind the bank’s technology and innovation. We deliver secure, reliable, and competitive products that keep the bank ahead, while enabling growth and expansion into new markets. Digital is not just about keeping systems running—it’s about shaping the future of banking. This is where technology meets opportunity, and where talent drives global impact.
Purpose of the Job The Head of Engineering leads and develops the bank’s engineering function, ensuring that digital products, platforms and services are built and operated with high standards of quality, reliability, security, scalability and regulatory discipline. The role connects business strategy, product priorities, architecture and engineering execution, creating the structure, culture and technical practices needed for teams to deliver customer and business value with speed, confidence and accountability. As a senior technology leader, the Head of Engineering modernises engineering capabilities, strengthens delivery performance, develops engineering managers and technical leaders, and ensures the bank’s technology remains sustainable, resilient and future-ready.
Responsibilities of the Job The Head of Engineering is responsible for leading, developing and scaling the bank’s engineering function, ensuring that engineering teams are well structured, highly capable and able to deliver secure, reliable and customer-focused digital products at pace. The role leads engineering managers, tech leads and software engineers, setting clear standards for technical excellence, delivery accountability, quality, reliability, security, scalability and operational resilience. Working closely with Product, Architecture, Security, Risk, Compliance and Operations, the Head of Engineering translates business and technology strategy into strong engineering execution, modern ways of working and measurable delivery outcomes. The role drives continuous improvement across cloud engineering, APIs, DevOps, CI/CD, automated testing, observability, incident management and platform reliability, while also building a strong engineering culture based on ownership, learning, accountability and high performance. It is also responsible for hiring, coaching and developing engineering leadership, removing organizational and technical blockers, improving delivery predictability, and ensuring engineering decisions balance speed, maintainability, regulatory expectations and customer trust.
Education Level Bachelor's Degree
Experience/Demonstrated Competencies The candidate should have demonstrable experience leading engineering teams in complex, cloud-based and regulated environments, ideally within banking, fintech or another high-trust digital industry. They should have a strong track record of building and scaling engineering organizations, developing engineering managers and technical leaders, improving delivery performance and raising engineering standards across multiple teams or domains.
They should be able to demonstrate experience in modern software engineering practices, including cloud platforms, APIs, DevOps, CI/CD, automated testing, observability, incident management, security engineering and operational excellence. The candidate should also have experience working closely with Product, Architecture, Security, Risk, Compliance and Operations to deliver reliable, scalable and compliant digital products.
Key demonstrated competencies include strong people leadership, organizational design, stakeholder management, change leadership, technical judgment, delivery accountability and the ability to simplify complexity. The ideal candidate combines a modern product-engineering mindset with the discipline required in a bank: autonomous teams, clear ownership, fast learning cycles, high engineering quality, operational resilience and deep respect for security, compliance and customer trust.
Language Competencies Tech Stacks: Python, Javascript
Language: Professional in written and spoken English
Knowledge required The role requires strong knowledge of modern software engineering, cloud-native architecture, platform engineering and product-led delivery in complex digital environments. The candidate should understand how to build secure, reliable, scalable and maintainable technology platforms, with practical knowledge of APIs, microservices, AWS, DevOps, CI/CD, automated testing, observability, incident management and operational excellence.
The role also requires solid knowledge of banking or other regulated environments, including security, data protection, operational resilience, risk management and compliance expectations. The candidate must understand how to balance delivery speed with long-term technical health, regulatory discipline and customer trust.
In addition, the role requires proven knowledge of engineering leadership, including organizational design, hiring, coaching, performance management, engineering governance, stakeholder management and continuous improvement. The ideal candidate understands how to create high-performing autonomous teams while maintaining strong engineering standards, clear accountability and alignment with business and product priorities.
Capabilities for this job The Head of Engineering must be able to lead the engineering function with clarity, confidence and accountability, creating strong alignment between business priorities, product goals, architecture and engineering execution. The role requires the ability to build and scale high-performing engineering teams, develop engineering managers and technical leaders, and create a culture of ownership, quality, learning and continuous improvement.
The candidate must be capable of simplifying complex technology and organizational challenges, setting clear technical and delivery standards, and ensuring teams deliver with speed, predictability and discipline. They should be able to make sound decisions in a regulated banking environment, balancing customer value, business outcomes, technical sustainability, security, operational resilience and compliance expectations.
The role also requires strong stakeholder management, communication and change leadership capabilities. The Head of Engineering must be able to influence across Product, Architecture, Security, Risk, Compliance, Operations and senior business stakeholders, remove blockers, resolve trade-offs and drive modernization across engineering practices, platforms and ways of working.
What motivates you? You are motivated by building strong engineering organizations that deliver meaningful customer and business impact at scale. You care deeply about developing people, creating clarity, raising engineering standards and enabling teams to move faster without compromising quality, security, reliability or regulatory discipline. You are energized by modernizing technology capabilities, simplifying complexity and building a culture where engineers take ownership, learn continuously and deliver with pride. You enjoy working at the intersection of product, technology and business strategy, turning ambitious goals into strong execution and future-ready digital banking platforms.
Ready to apply?
If this sounds like your kind of workplace, we would love to hear from you. You do not have to tick every single box. What matters most is your drive, your ideas and your willingness to grow with us. Our application process is simple. Just click on the Apply Button and we will get in touch with you soon. Apply today and let us build something different together. You want to know more about Ikano Bank? Check out our videos about culture, social/corporate responsibility and everyday working at the bank. For any questions, feel free to contact us at [email protected].
Salary (per annum) According to the market
Ikano Bank Benefits Annual Social Day for all Employees
Favorable Conditions for Ikano Bank Products
Applications Close Date 19 Jun 2026