Head of Engineering

Overview

We are partnering with a rapidly expanding B2B SaaS business based in Dublin, seeking to appoint their inaugural Head of Engineering. This position is ideal for a seasoned engineer who has transitioned into leadership but remains deeply involved in the technical aspects of software development. The role offers a salary package between €130,000 to €140,000 plus equity participation.

Role and Responsibilities

The Head of Engineering will be instrumental in shaping the engineering department, including defining team structure, establishing engineering culture, and setting development standards. This is a player-coach position where you will manage the engineering function while remaining significantly hands-on. Your responsibilities will include driving architecture discussions, code reviews, resolving technical impediments, and maintaining technical credibility to challenge decisions constructively.

The engineering environment supports high-scale, cloud-native SaaS platforms operating in complex, real-time environments featuring distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, scalability, and reliability challenges. Technologies like Go and TypeScript are heavily utilized, though expertise in the exact stack is not imperative; strong engineering fundamentals and prior experience with high-scale B2B SaaS platforms are paramount.

Innovation and Culture

The company is aggressively integrating AI-native engineering practices. Candidates should understand transformative AI tools such as Claude Code beyond mere autocomplete capabilities. Despite this, strong foundational engineering principles remain critical; candidates must demonstrate proficiency in coding independently of AI assistance, verified via a technical interview involving a live coding exercise without AI support.

Additional Information

This leadership role offers substantial influence over recruitment decisions and the ongoing evolution of the engineering function as the company scales. Candidates based near Dublin are preferred, with a hybrid work model generally in place, though exceptions may be made for exceptional candidates.

Who Should Apply

This opportunity is perfect for Engineering Managers, Technical Leads, Staff or Principal Engineers, or existing Heads of Engineering eager to cultivate a high-performing team while maintaining close involvement in technology.