Head of Software Engineering

Head of Software Engineering

Department: Technology & Data

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Arcavindi, Netherlands

Description

About the team: At Vintage Cash Cow and Arcavindi, technology is how we scale impact. Every customer journey, from sending in pre loved items to getting paid, is powered by the systems we design, the products we build, and the data we unlock.

Our technology & data team drives our transformation, where we're shaping the future of re commerce through greenfield development, bold ideas, and modern engineering practices. This is a space for curious builders who want to create scalable, elegant, and lasting solutions that delight users and empower teams.

About the role: We're looking for a Head of Software Engineering to lead our next chapter, setting the technical vision, driving architectural excellence, and shaping the engineering culture across Vintage Cash Cow and Arcavindi.

This role blends strategy and hands on leadership. You'll oversee a growing in house engineering team (currently 3, doubling soon), alongside offshore partners. You'll champion modern engineering practices, ensure architectural integrity, and foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning.

If you love scaling teams, simplifying complexity, and guiding others to do their best work, you'll thrive here. This role can be based in either the UK or the Netherlands.

Getting Started

• Immerse yourself in our architecture, systems, and team structures.
• Build strong relationships across Product, Data, and Operations.
• Set clear technical direction for the next 12-24 months.
• Coach and support your immediate team, aligning structure and roles for growth.
• Review offshore engineering partnerships to ensure quality, velocity, and collaboration.

Establishing Your Impact

• Define and communicate a clear engineering strategy across Vintage Cash Cow and Arcavindi.
• Standardise tooling, practices, and deployment processes across teams.
• Lead architectural reviews and ensure our systems are scalable, secure, and future ready.
• Partner with senior leadership to align technical priorities with business goals.
• Establish a high performing culture where autonomy, ownership, and quality thrive.

Driving Excellence

• Lead, inspire, and grow a high calibre engineering team (in house and offshore).
• Drive innovation through experimentation, learning, and knowledge sharing.
• Ensure delivery excellence through strong engineering processes and accountability.
• Build a culture where technology is an enabler of creativity, not a constraint.
• Represent engineering at leadership level-translating complexity into clarity.

Key Goals & Objectives:

• Set and execute a cohesive technical strategy across both brands.
• Scale the engineering function sustainably, doubling the in house team.
• Deliver robust, scalable, and secure systems supporting customer and business growth.
• Foster a learning culture through mentorship, feedback, and growth pathways.
• Strengthen collaboration between in house and offshore teams.
• Continuously evaluate and evolve tools, frameworks, and processes for efficiency.

Key Responsibilities Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Define and own the engineering vision across Vintage Cash Cow and Arcavindi.
• Partner with Product and Data leaders to align roadmaps and outcomes.
• Shape the future state architecture and long term technical roadmap.

People & Team Growth

• Lead, coach, and develop engineering talent, building a motivated, high performing team.
• Scale the team effectively, balancing internal capability with external partnerships.
• Champion diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing across the function.

Technology & Delivery

• Oversee all technical design, delivery, and infrastructure decisions.
• Ensure systems are secure, scalable, and meet evolving customer needs.
• Promote engineering best practices, DevOps maturity, and CI/CD excellence.

Collaboration & Culture

• Build strong relationships across departments, fostering open communication and shared ownership.
• Lead by example, transparent, approachable, and outcome driven.
• Promote a mindset of continuous improvement, curiosity, and innovation.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Proven experience leading engineering teams across multiple products or platforms.
• Strong technical background (preferably in .NET, Azure, and modern architectures).
• Excellent understanding of cloud native systems, microservices, and integration design.
• Experience managing hybrid (in house + offshore) engineering teams.
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Deep knowledge of Agile methodologies and DevOps principles.
• Ability to translate complex technical topics into clear, strategic direction.
• Passion for coaching, mentoring, and developing future leaders.

Equal Opportunities

At Vintage Cash Cow, we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels heard, valued, respected and empowered to bring their authentic self to work. We believe that diversity drives innovation, creativity and success.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, perspectives and experiences, and we strive to create equitable opportunities for all. Together, we're building a culture that celebrates individuality and champions equity at every level of our organisation.

If you're excited about this role, but don't tick every box, we still encourage you to apply. Your unique skills and experiences might be just what we're looking for now or in the future.

If you need adjustments or accommodations during the hiring process, please reach out to us and we will do our best to support you.