Head of Engineering - Operator Platform Sunderland, UK

As Head of Engineering - Operator Platform, you'll shape and deliver the technology that powers how we operate, scale and continuously improve the tombola experience. This is a key leadership role at the heart of Platform Engineering, where you'll define and drive a player-first technology strategy while enabling the teams behind the scenes to move faster, smarter and more effectively.

Leading multiple engineering teams across back-end and front-end, you'll own the architecture, design and development of our operator platform and the systems that support our player-facing products. Working closely with teams across the business, you'll ensure our technology is scalable, reliable and built to deliver seamless, high-quality experiences for our players.

What you'll lead and deliver Technical strategy

• Provide expert leadership across software design and development

• Champion modern technologies, best practices and coding standards

• Build and evolve a platform that supports long-term strategic goals

• Define and deliver a technical roadmap aligned to player experience

• Identify opportunities for innovation in how players interact with our products

• Share knowledge and insight to help stakeholders understand what's possible

Leadership

• Lead, coach and support a cross-functional team of engineers

• Create an inclusive, collaborative environment where people can thrive

• Support career growth and identify future leaders within the team

• Build and empower a high-performing Platform Engineering leadership group

Cross-functional collaboration

• Work closely with Product, Design, Game Studio, Marketing and Customer Support

• Turn player insights, feedback and data into meaningful technical solutions

Strategic planning

• Contribute to the wider technology vision and roadmap

• Translate business goals into clear, actionable engineering plans

• Ensure alignment with company strategy and long-term objectives

Development and delivery

• Oversee the full development lifecycle, from idea through to deployment

• Ensure delivery is timely, scalable and meets high quality standards

• Work with senior leaders to create transparent, scalable ways of working

Quality and innovation

• Set and maintain high engineering and quality standards

• Encourage experimentation and continuous improvement

• Enable data-driven decision-making through strong platform capabilities

Project management

• Oversee delivery of engineering projects within timelines and budgets

• Balance new feature development with maintenance and technical debt

• Collaborate with product and technology leaders on prioritisation

Technical expertise

• Stay current with industry trends and emerging technologies

• Use knowledge to guide technical direction and decision-making

Stakeholder communication

• Communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical audiences

• Build strong relationships across teams and with external partners

Budget management

• Own and manage departmental budgets, including people, hosting and tooling

• Work with senior leadership to plan and forecast effectively

What we're looking for

• Experience leading large, multi-layered engineering teams

• Proven experience managing budgets

• Experience setting and tracking objectives using OKRs

• Background in customer-facing technology environments

• Strong knowledge of front-end technologies such as Vue and React

• Experience working in experimentation-led or UX-focused organisations

• Experience leading multi-disciplinary delivery teams or functions

• Understanding of platform engineering and development operations

• Familiarity with technologies such as C#, Node, Docker, SQL Server and AWS

Desirable:

• Experience within the iGaming sector or similar regulated industries