Head of Software Delivery

The Head of Software Delivery provides senior leadership to the Software Delivery function, reporting to the Head of Software Engineering. This role is responsible for leading the delivery management practice, ensuring high-quality and timely software change delivery, governance, and incident management. Working in close partnership with engineering and product leadership, they will co-own the Software Development Lifecycle and contribute to the wider technology strategy. The role ensures operational resilience, effective third-party oversight, and a well-structured, high-performing team. Clear communication of delivery performance, plans and progress is essential, including at Board level.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead Project and Delivery staff across the business to deliver all product & software projects & change.
• Leadership of Product & Software Change governance ensuring procedures are followed with a full audit trail from design to delivery into production.
• Ensure the team are structured and resourced appropriately to deliver the Product & Software Roadmap and Plan (includes budget approval for resource).
• Own the completion of all effective people management processes (recruitment, objectives, personal development, talent & succession & performance management) for the function.
• Lead the delivery management practice at Winterflood, coaching and mentoring teams to improve delivery quality and cadence evangelising best practice in delivery management.
• Input to the Software Engineering Strategy and ownership of planning and delivery of the strategic roadmap.
• Manage the Winterflood technology budget to ensure costs are delivered to budget and forecast.
• Ensure challenge where appropriate at assigned governance committees in the spirit of growing the business within risk appetite & regulation.
• Lead in the negotiation of technology vendor contracts and agreements as required ensuring all appropriate risk assessments and outsourcing points have been considered.
• Communication to all levels of the business (including and up to Board Level) of progress, performance, and planning.

Required Skills and Knowledge

• 5 years+ proven experience leading a PMO with a strong focus on Software Delivery Management, preferably in Financial Services.
• Proven experience of leading and building large teams.
• Well versed in agile methodologies
• Adaptable approach, befitting of a small growing business with excellent communication skills.
• Mandatory Qualification: A degree (or equivalent level qualification) in a relevant IT specialismorproven experience to the same level.

Tools:

• Delivery Management / Product Management tools such as JIRA, Azure DevOps or Equivalent
• Project Management Tools (e.g Microsoft Project)
• Competitive salary inclusive of discretionary annual bonus & annual pay review
• Work Abroad Policy for up to 15 days per year
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays and additional well-being day
• Option to purchase an additional 5 days holiday per year
• Flexible working options available, including hybrid working
• Pension scheme up to 10% employer contribution
• Income Protection & Life insurance (4 x salary core level of cover)
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounted Gym Membership
• Variety of travel to work schemes

At Close Brothers we look to recruit individuals from all different backgrounds and encourage you to apply even if you don't tick every box. We celebrate diversity, promote inclusivity and are open to discuss flexible work options to help you balance your work and home life.

We appreciate that from time to time, recruitment agencies will have speculative CVs that they may wish to submit to our Talent Acquisition team in relation to a specific role.

To avoid any ambiguity around fees, please note thatspeculative CVs received by Close Brothers, that have not been authorised in advance, by us, will be ineligible for an agency fee. Thank you.

The Company

Winterflood Securities is a leading market maker committed to providing liquidity and flexible execution services to retail brokers, asset managers and institutional investors.

Winterflood's strengths are a combination of traditional trading values and the performance of our own cutting edge technology. Our experienced team of traders helps clients achieve high quality execution in over 15,000 tradable instruments including UK, European and North American Equities together with Investment Trusts, Exchange Traded Products, Fixed Income, Structured Products and Funds. Founded in 1988, Winterflood has gone from being a niche market maker in the UK Small Cap market, to a mature, diverse and major liquidity provider across multiple asset classes in the UK and European markets.

Winterflood is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Winterflood Securities is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Close Brothers Group plc, a specialist financial services group which makes loans, takes deposits, trades securities and provides advice and investment management solutions to a wide range of clients.Close Brothers is a leading UK merchant banking group providing lending, deposit taking, wealth management services and securities trading. We employ approximately 4,000 people, principally in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Close Brothers Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange.