About this role
White Collar Factory (95009), United Kingdom, London, London Director of Software Engineering Job Title: Director of Software Engineering
Location: London - Hybrid
Working Pattern: 3 days in-office (Tuesday-Thursday) and 2 days remote.
Our Mission
We’re on a mission to be a force for good in lending. Throughout our almost 30-year history, we’ve consistently been recognised as a great place to work; in 2026, Capital One was officially ranked 9th in the UK’s Best Workplaces™ list. Hear from our team about what it’s like working at Capital One UK.
About this role
We are looking for a Director of Software Engineering to lead a team of 50+ engineers. We’re looking for someone who is results-oriented, able to partner with business leaders and go toe-to-toe with the best engineers on technical rigour.
You’ll be responsible for all the technologists within a series of our ‘outcome teams’: established to drive forward business outcomes. You’ll be an excellent leader of people and communicator. You’ll be able to seamlessly switch from executive-level progress conversations, to diving deep into solutions, to contributing to strategic discussions around roadmaps. You’ll be able to provide clear thinking and direction to cut through ambiguity.
You’ll be able to partner well with the local business leadership team and with enterprise stakeholders; providing objective assessments of the likely cost and risk trade-offs for different solutions, and clear paths forward.
What you’ll do
Leadership of a team of 50+ technologists (Software Engineers and Architects): operating engineering at scale within a complex regulated environmentWork together with Product and Design teams on the overall product roadmap for key business capabilities and goalsElevate great talent and ensure you have a clear agenda for development in the team. Actively manage performance across the team to develop talent over timeDrive for effective delivery with pace and precision across the different outcome teamsLiaising with and managing enterprise stakeholders primarily based in the US, who often have deep expertise on particular domainsManage a team with a blend of associates and third party engineers, and ensure effective oversight of the relevant third parties within the domain.Seek and share the context of the wider organisation, its purpose, commitments and opportunities to enable and engage your team with customer and organisational outcomesStay up to date with the latest relevant changes in regulation and enterprise processMaintain broad knowledge and awareness of the latest relevant technologies and engineering practicesBe a key voice in technical design reviews - ensuring a clear and consistent approach to engineering practicesSupport the career growth and development of the team What we’re looking for
You’ll have a clear track record of leading large software engineering teams, and a proven track record of driving high performanceYou’ll be able to solve complex challenges across people, process and technology. A high level of intellectual curiosity and comfort with ambiguity is essential. You will have the ability to deep dive on different technology options quickly and provide recommendations on a path forward. You will have excellent critical thinking skills and be able to provide thoughtful and effective counsel to leaders across the businessYou’re passionate about recruiting and developing great engineering talentYou’ll be able to drive results quickly individually, whilst enabling others through the establishing of clear patterns and practices for engineering teams. You’ll possess excellent communication skills, with an ability to adapt and communicate compellingly and with authenticity to any audience (including internal and external stakeholders)You’ll be aware of the latest native developments within AWS and have real world experienceYou’ll have an understanding of the latest cybersecurity trends and how they impact engineering practiceYou’ll be able to work within enterprise policies/guidelines while customising to fit the UK to strike the right balanceYou’re comfortable in reaching pragmatic outcomes between short-term and long-term business needs Where and how you'll work
This is a permanent position based in our London office.
We embrace a hybrid approach to work. You'll spend three days a week in the office (Tuesday-Thursday), with Monday and Friday being dedicated work-from-home days.
Our offices are designed to inspire and support you. At our Nottingham head office, you'll find an on-site gym, restaurant and dedicated Learning Loft. Our London office boasts a rooftop running track and coffee bar.
What’s in it for you
We invest in the growth of our people alongside our business. You will have extensive opportunities to learn and develop your career, including access to up to £5,000 in funding for external qualifications.
In addition to career development, our comprehensive benefits package is designed to grow with you, ensuring your wellbeing is prioritised at every stage of your career:
Wealth & Future: Competitive pension and performance-based bonus schemesHolidays: Start with 25 days of annual leave, increasing with tenure. Need more? You have the option to buy 5 additional days.Health: Access premium care through our private medical insurance.Family Support: We champion your milestones with enhanced parental leave. A full list of our benefits is availablehere.
What you should know about how we recruit
We pride ourselves on hiring the best people, not the same people. Building diverse and inclusive teams is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do. We want to work with top talent: whoever you are, whatever you look like, wherever you