Head of Engineering - Education /Ed-tech sector
Are you looking for a Head of Engineering role in a fast-growing business where people are at the heart of everything we do?
Would you like to work within a socially conscious organisation that is making a real impact in the education sector?
The company
The Key is the country’s most trusted provider of knowledge and know-how to education leaders determined to make a difference. We provide authoritative, up-to-the-minute sector intelligence, tools, services and resources that give leaders the knowledge to act.
The role
We are looking for a Head of Engineering to join our Engineering team. Reporting to the Managing Director, the Head of Engineering will be an experienced, inspiring leader who will take overall responsibility for the performance, health and evolution of our engineering organisation.
The Key is one of the most loved brands in the education sector and we’re honoured to serve 17,000 schools. We’re now entering the most exciting phase in our history: transforming our trusted services into an AI-enabled platform that helps school leaders navigate thousands of high-stakes jobs by giving them the guidance, tools and training they need—and increasingly, by doing the work for them. You will
Leadership
- Nurture and develop a team of engineers that’s curious, context-rich and highly accountable for outcomes.
- Ensure the engineering team has the right talent, capabilities and context to build, deliver and maintain our products.
- Lead and be accountable for all elements of engineering including development, devops, documentation, performance, testing and 3rd line support.
- Identify and prevent issues before they happen and lead us forward ensuring we keep current with modern software architectures, frameworks and methodologies.
- Be a key driver of the organisation’s transition to a more product-let, software-centric way of working, while bringing colleagues along with that change.
- Partner with leaders across the organisation to ensure engineering is aligned to business goals and that trade‑offs and risks are understood and managed.
Technology and innovation
- Own the engineering roadmap, working closely with Product, Content, Marketing, Finance and Support to ensure we understand and meet the needs of our customers.
- Identify and prevent issues before they happen, and ensure we keep current with modern software architectures, frameworks and ways of working.
- Ensure strong architectural decision-making, including setting and evolving technical principles, reviewing major design choices and managing technical debt.
- Own the overall technology stack and key technical vendor relationships, ensuring they support our strategic goals, scalability, security and cost-effectiveness.
- Work with security and compliance to ensure our products continually improve and remain in line with ISO 27001, GDPR and other relevant standards.
- Be proactive in safely and pragmatically embedding AI into what we offer and how we work (e.g. content discovery, workflow tools, member‑facing assistants).
- Translate technical and AI‑related risks, opportunities and constraints into clear options and recommendations for non‑technical stakeholders.
- Be constantly curious about developments in technology, software and engineering practices, and instil this curiosity and experimentation mindset in the team.
- Share and champion creative and disruptive ideas, and create space for the team to test them in a disciplined, outcome‑focused way.
Requirements
The ideal person
- Senior engineering leadership experience – Led high-performing, multi-discipline engineering teams in a product-led organisation.
- Proven track record of change and transformation – Successfully driven significant changes in how engineering and product work, and brought people with you through that change.
- Product-first mindset – Thinks from user and business outcomes backwards, working closely with Product and other functions rather than treating engineering as a feature factory.
- Stakeholder and risk management – Confident operating with C-suite and non-technical leaders, clearly explaining risks, options and trade-offs and setting realistic expectations.
- Delivery and execution – Demonstrable history of reliable end-to-end delivery of complex, cross-team software programmes, balancing speed, quality and operational resilience.
- Technical breadth and depth – Strong grounding in modern web/SaaS architectures across frontend, backend, data and cloud, able to challenge and support senior engineers.
- AI and automation literacy – Practical experience applying AI (ideally including LLMs) to products or internal tools, with a clear view of their constraints, risks and value.
- Security, privacy and compliance – Experience designing and running systems that meet robust security and data protection standards such as ISO 27001 and GDPR.
- People leadership and culture – Track record of hiring, coaching and managing engineers, building a culture of ownership, learning and continuous improvement.
Nice to have
- Domain and context – Experience in EdTech, education, public sector or other mission-driven / regulated environments, ideally with subscription or membership models.
- Relevant technologies – Familiarity with some of our core stack (e.g. Python/Django, PostgreSQL, Vue.js/React, Node.js, .NET, MongoDB, MS SQL) and Google Cloud Platform.
- Content- and knowledge-heavy products – Experience building products on top of rich content or knowledge bases (e.g. search, discovery, workflows, recommendation).
- Broad technical background – Previous roles across development, operations or testing, and/or a degree in a technology-related subject or equivalent experience.
If you don’t meet all of the above but have a genuine interest in joining our team please get in touch - we’d be very happy to chat.
Benefits
Why work for us
We place huge importance on caring for and developing our people. If you join us you can expect a good work-life balance and the training and support you need to succeed in your role and continue to progress. We are a socially conscious company, but one that also likes to have fun. We offer a generous holiday allowance, flexible hours, buying and selling holiday, enhanced maternity pay, free breakfast, fruit, and drinks, regular socials and much more.
How to apply
Please upload your CV [and covering letter] below. In your cover letter please explain why you think you would be right for this role, how your experience fits, and why you would like to work at The Key
The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 19th December.
If you have any questions please email [email protected].
