About the Role

We believe that where you start in life, shouldn’t limit where you go.
 
The Open University (OU) is a unique institution created 50 years ago to open up education for all. We are open to anyone, anywhere, changing millions of lives across the world and always looking for new ways to help people succeed. Our pioneering use of innovative methods, such as our BBC partnership, means we reach more people than any other university.

We work across all four nations of the UK and we are the most popular choice for online, distance, flexible study.

About the role

At the OU we organise our various digital services into specific product groups based on user types, student lifecycle and business area. For example, there are distinct product groups for Core Services, Teaching & Learning, Student Support and Admin (SSA), and Staff Services.” 

The domain lead for engineering is responsible for the leadership and coaching of the domain engineering teams, working in an agile environment building, running and owning end to end systems. They will set the technical direction for the group and ensure that engineering output aligns with business objectives and our technology principles and that engineering practices are embedded across all teams within the group.

Working closely with the Group Leads for both Design and Product and the Domain Digital Service Leader the Engineering Lead will agree a joint technical vision, strategy and roadmap and support engineering teams in developing the best possible solutions.  Not responsible for hands on coding the Engineering Lead will, however, will have technical oversight of the groups’ roadmap and help push forward technical discussions and ensure everything is on track to ensure successful delivery and outcomes across a portfolio of products and services.

Work with other Domain Leads for Engineering, the Architecture function, other practise leads and the Director of Engineering and Architecture to collectively tackle challenges, plan people, resources and improve engineering practices.
 

Key Responsibilities

Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

Deliver Outcomes: Ensure successful delivery of outcomes across a portfolio of products and services, including support, running, maintenance, new developments and ensuring service for our students is maintained.
Lead and Manage Teams: Lead, manage develop and motivate engineering professionals in multidisciplinary product teams, including contractors and tech partner resources. Define the skills needed in collaboration with the Director of Engineering and Architecture.
Manage Budgets: Contribute to broader budgeting and forecasting activities, ensuring adherence to the agreed budget for the group. Collaborate with finance and other stakeholders to maintain financial health and accountability.
Engage Stakeholders: Regularly engage with key business stakeholders to co-create aligned roadmaps and ensure stakeholder needs are met.
Execute Technology Strategies: Contribute to and execute OU technology strategies, collaborating with other group engineering leads and technology teams. Share work and decision-making openly.
Ensure Software Quality: Ensure all software and code adhere to technology goals, standards, and reusable patterns, achieving expectations around Security, Stability, Scalability, Speed and Spend (5S’)
Coach and Develop Engineers: Provide coaching and growth opportunities for engineers and contribute significantly to the evolution of the Engineering profession within the OU.
Drive DevOps Culture: Drive an ongoing shift towards a DevOps culture and practices, including automation and practical AI to increase flow, frequent feedback and ongoing learning.
Implement Test Strategies: Work with testing specialists to define and implement test strategies and automated testing to improve and maintain overall code quality.
Manage Technical Debt: Address technical debt while supporting the pace of delivery.
Balance Build, Run and Improve: Manage the tension between build, run and improve, setting strategies for each and monitoring progress.
Support the Delivery Function: Work with lead delivery managers to ensure the delivery function is supported and delivers group outcomes.
Produce Performance Indicators: Produce key performance indicators across the end-to-end product portfolio to inform and guide performance improvement activity.
Engage with the Community: Actively attend and participate in conferences and developer forums to share expertise with the community and stay current with industry trends.
Consult with Engineering Leaders: Consult with other leaders in the engineering profession within the OU and share important context.
Maximise Data Re-use: Maximise the re-use and availability of data through modern engineering practices that allow the OU to grow the data asset.
 

Skills and Experience

Skills and Experience:

• Technology Leadership: Extensive experience leading engineering teams to deliver significant value through strategic project management and execution with a bias towards servant leadership.
• Problem Solving: Proactive self-starter with a strong ability to tackle complex technical challenges, driving solutions through effective team collaboration.
• Agile Product Delivery: Expertise in delivering products using agile methodologies, working closely with engineers in product teams to ensure timely and efficient outcomes.
• Modern Engineering Practices: Experienced in leading teams in the adoption and implementation of modern engineering practices, including Test-Driven Development (TDD), DevOps, Pair Programming, Infrastructure as Code and DORA Metrics.
• Building in the cloud: Proven experience in leading teams to build and run software on cloud platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS), develop cloud-native applications, and manage cloud costs effectively.
• Architecture: Strong understanding and application of architecture and design patterns.
• Modern Technology Stacks: Proficient in building and scaling software using modern technology stacks, including MACH architecture.
• Legacy to Modern Transitions: Experience migrating from a complex mix of legacy platforms to modern architectures and leading teams looking after a complex mix of legacy and modern applications
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Skilled in navigating the complexities of diverse technologies, coordinating with third-party suppliers, managing internal teams and collaborating with cross-departmental teams.
• DevOps Culture: Strong experience in fostering a DevOps culture, integrating continuous delivery and collaboration across all stages of software development.
• Global Team Management: Experienced in managing and working with diverse, geographically distributed teams, both onshore and offshore, utilising a variety of technologies to maintain a digitally connected environment.
• Effective Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a deep understanding of using various channels and formats to engage a diverse audience.
• Organised and Analytical: Highly organised with a strong ability to prioritise, delegate, and manage tasks within a team. Logical and analytical mindset, capable of assessing the implications of technical findings and issues.

Education and Experience:

• Education: A degree in STEM subject or extensive and relevant experience
• Professional Experience: Strong experience in the software engineering industry, including time spent as a senior manager or tech lead. 
• Leadership skills: Strong leadership skills, including the ability to lead and coach and performance manage a team of engineers and help them progress, as well as the ability to collaborate with other teams across Digital Services and the Open University. 
• Strategic thinking: A strong strategic mindset with the ability to develop and execute technical strategies that align with business objectives. 
• Modern engineering practices: Experience of leading engineering teams that deliver software through the adoption of modern engineering practices such as TDD, Pair Programming, Infrastructure as Code, DevOps and Cloud Platforms and activities that improve developer experience (DevEx)
• Industry knowledge: Stays up to date with trends, emerging technologies and new methods, bridging knowledge between internal and external communities.
   

Essential Requirements

As part of the application process, you will be expected to submit your CV and a Supporting Statement (maximum of 1000 words) that demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria listed above. Flexible working patterns will be considered.

It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where the successful candidate can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Milton Keynes office it is expected that some attendance in the office will be required when necessary and in response to business needs. We anticipate this being on a weekly/fortnightly basis. 

*Early Close: We may choose to close the application date early if we reach a high number of applications. However, if you would still like to apply before the deadline originally advertised do not hesitate to contact us and we can discuss this with the Chair of the panel.