Head Of Engineering

Location: RemoteAbout Client:It is an ambitious company in the rapidly growing soil carbon space, based near Dundee in Scotland with staff located around the world. We develop and deploy innovative technology-based services that directly measure soil carbon stocks to depth with accuracy and at ultra-low cost. This is a vital link that enables reliable monitoring and reporting of soil carbon removals at scale, helping the global transition of agriculture to a low carbon future. We are currently scaling our operations rapidly to support food and beverage companies, carbon project developers and farmers around the world. The demand for ecosystem carbon removals is growing as people and organisations intensify their efforts to mitigate climate change. Global agriculture has a major role to play here with the potential for agricultural soils to sequester up to 1 trillion tonnes of CO2 through regenerative farming practices. Our purpose is to make a meaningful contribution to agriculture’s mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change. Whilst our core capability is the ability to measure soil carbon with high accuracy, our product is ultimately the data that this generates. Developing sophisticated models to predict soil carbon levels and changes over time is crucial to our mission. By combining our extensive measurement data with advanced modelling techniques, we can provide invaluable insights into soil carbon dynamics, enhancing our ability to guide and validate effective carbon sequestration practices in agriculture and for our customers.Role:We are looking for a Head of Engineering to join the business and lead our engineering efforts as we transition from a set of discrete tools to a unified platform capable of supporting our future scale and product ambitions. We currently offer a high-quality service to our customers, powered by a mix of bespoke and off-the-shelf tools. However, to scale efficiently and deliver an end-to-end service with more recurring value to our customers – includingML-powered carbon planning and forecasting enables customers to make earlier claims for earned carbon credits – we are consolidating and modernising our technology into a single platform. Work has already been completed to map out the existing technology landscape, define a target platform architecture, and outline the phased transition approach. This plan will serve as the foundation for the incoming Head of Engineering, who will take ownership of executing the transition while maintaining delivery velocity on new service features.This is a pivotal role that will also lead the expansion and evolution of our engineering function. We currently have a globally distributed team of soil specialists, statisticians, ML engineers, and Python/React/Java developers. The team is expected to double in size over the next 12–18 months. You will be responsible for shaping the team structure, hiring,onboarding, and implementing development practices that ensure scalable, high-quality engineering output. Above all, you’ll be adaptable – equally comfortable working independently and collaborating across disciplines spanning engineering, GIS, soil science, quality management, data systems, and commercial operations. Close cross-functional alignment is critical to delivering the high-quality products and services our customers expect.Key responsibilities:You will be responsible for:● Defining the target team structure and identifying hiring needs● Leading hiring and onboarding of new engineering team members● Designing and implementing development processes to support both feature delivery and platform transition● Driving adherence to high engineering standards and modern workflows● Managing execution of the platform transition while continuing to ship new product features● Collaborating across disciplines to align engineering outcomes with scientific and commercial priorities● Managing, mentoring and supporting the professional growth of the engineering team● Running regular sprint cycles, performance reviews, and technical roadmap reviews● Maintaining and evolving internal engineering culture, processes, and quality standards● Acting as the senior engineering voice in company-wide product, strategy and delivery conversationsSkills and experienceWe are looking for candidates with:● Strong engineering experience, including hands-on capability with Python and React.js● Android development skills or experience with Java is highly desirable● Proficiency with AWS, particularly RDS, ECS, and cloud infrastructure design● Demonstrated architectural expertise, especially in AWS environments● Experience leading platform transitions or architectural redesign projects● Proven ability to build and deploy rule-based, algorithmic, or pipeline-driven models● Expertise in large-scale data architecture and data engineering pipelines● Experience with geospatial and climate data feeds (e.g. Google Earth Engine) is a strong plus● Familiarity with modern software engineering practices and toolchains (CI/CD, IAC, testing frameworks)● Prior experience leading distributed engineering teams, including hiring, coaching, and delivery leadershipPersonal characteristicsWe are looking for a versatile, diligent, and proactive individual who can manage a diverse workload while remainingapproachable and receptive to staff needs and requests. You should be comfortable working in collaborativeenvironments, both within our organization and with external partners. We hope you will be inspired by our missionand take pride in your work and that of the wider team. You should be constantly looking to improve yourself and growwith the team and the company.