Director of Engineering

Sonata One is a rapidly scaling, regulated fund services and technology (fintech) business.  We're The Private Funds Clearinghouse, connecting more than 53,000 investors with 6,500 funds and 180 fund managers around the globe. Our vision is to change the paradigm of private markets investing through harmonising the end-to-end investment process within one platform. Investors benefit from a seamless, one & done experience across the fund lifecycle (from fund selection and subscription through to settlement and reporting) underpinned by a globally compliant KYC passport and 24/7 support. Fund managers can raise capital faster at a lower cost from a wider pool of pre-approved investors.  Founded in 2015, Sonata One has a presence in eight locations worldwide including the US, UK and Luxembourg, Guernsey, South Africa and Mauritius.    

We operate as #OneGlobalThread in line with our values: We challenge the norm, we change the way we think and work, by connecting systems and people, while committing to our vision and each other. We are now looking to recruit an experienced Business Analyst to join our global team.

Position Overview

As the Director of Engineering, you will be responsible for leading and scaling our global engineering organisation, ensuring the successful delivery of secure, reliable, and scalable technology solutions that support our strategic objectives.

This is a senior leadership role combining engineering strategy, people leadership, and operational excellence. You will work closely with Product, Architecture, Operations, Compliance, and Executive Leadership teams to align technology investments with business goals, drive engineering best practices, and foster a high-performance engineering culture.

You will oversee multiple engineering teams across frontend, backend, platform, and DevOps functions, ensuring teams are empowered to deliver exceptional products while maintaining the highest standards of quality, security, and performance.

The ideal candidate will be a proven engineering leader with experience scaling teams in a fast-growing technology or fintech environment, balancing strategic thinking with strong execution capabilities.

Responsibilities

Engineering Leadership & Strategy

• Define and execute the engineering strategy in alignment with the company's vision, growth plans, and technology roadmap.
• Partner with Product and Executive Leadership to ensure engineering priorities support business objectives
• Drive the evolution of the platform architecture to support scalability, resilience, security, and future growth.
• Establish and monitor key engineering performance metrics, ensuring continuous improvement across delivery, quality, and operational excellence.
• Champion innovation and the adoption of emerging technologies where they create business value.

Team Leadership & Development

• Build, lead, and develop high-performing engineering teams across multiple disciplines.
• Manage and mentor Engineering Managers and Technical Leads, creating a strong leadership pipeline.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous learning, and engineering excellence.
• Support recruitment, workforce planning, succession planning, and talent development initiatives.
• Create an inclusive environment where engineers can thrive and perform at their best.

Delivery & Operational Excellence

• Oversee the successful delivery of technology initiatives across multiple teams and programmes.
• Ensure effective Agile delivery practices, planning processes, and engineering governance.
• Drive improvements in development workflows, deployment processes, release management, and platform reliability.
• Partner with DevOps and Infrastructure teams to maintain high levels of system availability, performance, and security.
• Establish robust quality assurance and testing strategies across the engineering function.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Product, Design, Operations, Compliance, Security, and Client Services teams to deliver customer-centric solutions.
• Translate complex technical concepts into clear business outcomes for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on technology-related decisions, opportunities, and risks.
• Collaborate with external partners and vendors where appropriate to support business objectives.

Governance, Security & Risk

• Ensure engineering practices align with regulatory, compliance, and security requirements.
• Promote secure software development principles and modern cybersecurity practices.
• Manage technical risk, platform resilience, disaster recovery, and business continuity considerations.
• Support audit, governance, and operational risk management activities where required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• Significant experience leading software engineering organisations in a technology-driven environment.
• Proven experience managing Engineering Managers and multiple engineering teams.
• Strong understanding of modern software architecture, cloud-native technologies, and distributed systems.
• Experience delivering large-scale web applications and SaaS platforms.
• Demonstrated success in scaling engineering teams, processes, and technology platforms.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience operating within Agile product development environments.

Desirable

• Experience within fintech, financial services, payments, wealth management, or regulated industries.
• Knowledge of cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
• Experience leading globally distributed engineering teams.
• Familiarity with modern frontend frameworks, backend services, microservices architecture, and DevOps practices.
• Experience with information security frameworks, compliance standards, and operational resilience requirements.
• MBA or postgraduate qualification in a relevant field.

Being part of the Sonata One provides a collaborative and inclusive work culture that values innovation and diversity. We believe in the power of our unique mission and we all work together towards that one single goal. We also believe in being real. We’re not a big corporate. Everyone has an important role to fulfil, and your contribution will be an integral part of our success story.  

Benefits:   
- Life Insurance– Peace of mind for you and your loved ones 
- Income Protection– Financial support when you need it most 
- Hybrid Working– Supporting work/Life Balance 
- Annual Leave– With extra days that grow the longer you’re with us 
- Pension Scheme– Employee matched helping you plan confidently for the future 
- Employee Assistance Program– Confidential, 24/7 support for life’s ups and downs 
- Enhanced Maternity, Paternity & Adoption Leave– Because family matters 
- Career Training & Development– Ongoing learning opportunities to help you grow 
- Paid Volunteering Day– Take time to give back to causes you care about 
- Cycle to work Scheme – Employees can benefit from significant tax savings on bicycles and cycling equipment