Skills

Communication Leadership Python Java JavaScript Go TypeScript GraphQL GitHub CI/CD DevOps Docker Kubernetes Monitoring Ansible Stakeholder Management Change Management Decision-making Training Architecture Machine Learning react node.js Django Analytics JavaScript/TypeScript FastAPI Full-Stack Development CI/CD Pipelines Terraform Microservices GitHub Actions

Job Specifications

Interim Head of Development and Automation

Role Overview

We are seeking an exceptional Development, Automation and AI Leader for a leading Investment House on an interim basis for 6 months, to motivate the development team whilst driving automation initiatives and AI/ML integrations. This is a strategic leadership role for someone who can bridge cutting-edge technology with tangible business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Lead and mentor a development team of 10-20 engineers (staff and 3rd-party), fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement
Drive automation initiatives across the organisation, identifying opportunities for efficiency gains through intelligent automation
Integrate AI/ML capabilities into existing systems and develop new AI-powered solutions
Establish and maintain coding standards, architectural decision-making processes, and technical debt management
Create and execute technical roadmaps aligned with business objectives
Implement DevOps and SRE best practices across distributed systems
Manage stakeholder relationships and translate complex technical concepts into business value
Passion for AI and machine learning initiatives and experience of working with MLOps tools and LLM integration.

Essential Experience & Skills

Technical Leadership

Proven track record leading development teams
Experience with code reviews, managing backlogs, architectural decision-making, and technical debt management
Ability to establish coding standards and best practices across teams

Automation Architecture

Deep knowledge of automation tools including GitHub Actions, Terraform, and Ansible
Experience with business process automation (RPA) tools like Appian
Workflow orchestration experience (Airflow, Prefect)
Ability to build custom automation frameworks using Python or similar languages

Full-Stack Development

Solid software engineering background with proficiency in Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Java, or Go
Experience with modern frameworks (React, Node.js, Django, FastAPI)
Knowledge of microservices architecture, API design (REST, GraphQL)
Experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and cloud-native development patterns

DevOps & SRE Practices

Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines and DevOps methodologies
Knowledge of infrastructure monitoring (Datadog), log aggregation, and incident management
Understanding of SLO/SLA definition and observability best practices

Strategic & Business Acumen

Ability to align technical initiatives with business objectives and articulate ROI
Experience creating technical roadmaps and conducting cost-benefit analyses
Track record presenting to C-suite executives with data-backed recommendations
Strong project delivery experience managing complex initiatives on time and within budget

Soft Skills

Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
Ability to bridge technical and non-technical teams
Experience facilitating cross-functional workshops and building consensus
Skilled at driving organizational change and managing adoption of new technologies

Additional Valued Experience

Vendor and tool evaluation expertise
Data-driven decision-making using metrics, KPIs, and analytics
Change management experience including training programme development
Innovation mindset with experience running proof-of-concepts and hackathons
Understanding of build-vs-buy decisions and total cost of ownership analysis

Please do apply via email in the first instance.

About the Company

McCabe & Barton are part of the Holley Holland Group. Having built our reputation on successfully delivering cross-functional results within Technology & Business, Change and Transformation, for 20 years, we are respected and regarded as an industry leader in recruitment research and execution. By developing long term relationships with our clients, acting as an extension of their business, identifying and engaging suitable candidates on their behalf, we have established ourselves as a trusted partner. We are a member of ... Know more