Head of Data Engineering - Product & Plan for Better

Head of Data Engineering - Product & Plan for Better Salary: Competitive Plus Benefits
Location: Holborn Store Support Centre and Home, London, EC1N 2HT
Contract type: Permanent
Business area: Sainsbury's Tech
Closing date: 20 November 2024
Requisition ID: 271261

We'd all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That's waiting for you at Sainsbury's. Think about the scale it takes for us to feed the nation. The level of data, transactions and variety it involves. Then you'll realise that ours is a modern software engineering environment because it has to be. We've made serious investment into a Tech Academy and into setting standards and principles. We iterate, learn, experiment and push ways of working such as Agile, Scrum and XP. So you can look forward to awesome opportunities in everything from AI to reusable tech.

About the Team

In Sainsbury's Tech, we power the UK's number 1 multi-channel, multi-brand retailer. Our engineering teams are made up of inspired and multidisciplined individuals who are empowered to solve hard problems in ways our customers love and serve the needs of our business.

The Head of Engineering is a critical leadership role, inspiring a team of experienced and talented Engineers (including Staff Engineers) and Delivery Managers. Alongside the SHoE the HoE is one of the main drivers of the tech vision; overseeing the development and delivery of the technology roadmap based on the adopted strategies and visions. The technology roadmap will typically be split into outcomes, that require the HoE to coordinate multiple Engineering Managers/engineers into coherent engineering squads.

The role demands a highly analytical approach and being able to work highly effective in a matrix environment; the HoE will typically coordinate the matrix. The HoE is tasked with overseeing the engineering and delivery as well as the day-to-day activities in such a way that ensures that we continue to provide a high level of service to our customers/consumers.

Ultimately, the HoE is impactful in developing the culture and engineering capabilities in the domain to continue to deliver value.

What You'll do

People Leadership:

• Provide inspiring, motivational leadership at scale and create the environment for individuals to succeed
• Lead the evolution of our teams and stakeholders to ever more agile ways of working, supporting cultural change, removing wasteful activity and continually finding ways to improve outcomes and value.
• Build a strong pipeline of talent and stretching succession plans which attract, reward and develop our best colleagues, conscious of when to recruit and when to leverage third parties
• Work in partnership with Director of Product to identify areas to improve the customer experience with the solutions built both internally and externally
• Promote adherence to organisational software standards and ensure key control compliance

Strategy and Roadmaps:

• Own and Develop the engineering NorthStar for Product & Plan for Better
• Own the Integration design document, and System architecture document
• Understand the scope and existing roadmap impact based on the technology blueprint for Big Transformation Programme
• Accountable for advancing the function and continuous improvement across all practices in the domain

Engagement and Communication:

• Communicate clearly and convincingly with technology, business and product leaders, ensuring that they are appropriately engaged in all parts of the product lifecycle, from vision and strategy to operation and decommissioning
• Become known for your close understanding of your domain, proactive identification of unique technology-enabled opportunities, efficiencies, delivery excellence and clarity of communication.
• Develop and maintain friction-less lines of communication between your team and others within Sainsbury's Tech with whom collaboration is required.
• Support Sainsbury's senior leadership in shaping and iterating our transformation agenda, bringing clarity to areas of uncertainty and understanding our desired customer experience

Delivery:

• Ensuring the formation of and support for diverse technology teams, ensuring delivery and pace.
• Ensure the team and its leaders stay abreast of technology developments to ascertain their potential for integration into your area of remit or across the wider domains and Sainsbury's Tech organisation.
• Understand technology so that you can compellingly explain, communicate any trade-offs and risks.
• Ensure that all new and enhanced products and platforms are released into service visibly and seamlessly, in line with overall business change plans and expectations
• Own the full lifecycle of products in your area, including supporting live service and resolving issues to meet or exceed targets
• Act as Manager on Escalation across the wider tech enterprise as required as part of a pool with other SHOE and DoE's

Governance, planning, financial and supplier management:

• Assure operational plans for all products are in place including for key business events e.g. Black Friday, Christmas and Easter
• Shape and grow constructive exec relationships with senior leadership from key partners and collaborate with Supplier Management and Procurement to drive value from contracts, renewals and renegotiations
• Lead 'Requests for Proposal', procurement and vendor selection processes
• Manage the budget, risk and assurance of your portfolio, through consistent and effective processes, partnering with key stakeholders in Audit, InfoSec and other business teams

Who you are:

• Instinctive understanding of how technology can benefit retail with a focus on delivering customer value and business outcomes at pace
• Good background in building and leading delivery teams of circa 50 and above in a fast-paced, real-time environment in which IT and business success are inextricably linked.
• Ability to influence strategy, plans and actions across multiple stakeholder groups within and outside Sainsbury's Tech
• As a technologist and leader, operates from the front and 'walk the talk', leading teams in adoption of business advantageous technologies as well as ensuring proper, scalable solutions
• Creating highly effective external partnerships and driving the delivery of our third-parties in line with Sainsbury's priorities, measures and values
• Optimisation of team structure, ways of working, capability and culture to ensure delivery in as effective and efficient a way as possible
• Sound judgement to make sometimes difficult and complex decisions at pace.
• Pragmatism, and intellectual flexibility to propose and gather support around the right solution for each problem
• A passion for technology and experience in leading, motivating and directing software/technology engineering professionals and other technology teams.
• Servant leadership, helping your teams to perform at their best by ensuring that the business outcomes are clearly understood.
• Results orientation, with a bias for action that is deeply informed by evidence and data-based decision-making.

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer, so you'll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there's always the chance to try something new - whether that's as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we'll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them:

Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to get 10% off at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 weeks. This increases to 15% off at Sainsbury's every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 65% of salary, depending on how we perform (in cash and shares).

Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy additional holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. You'll also receive a company car cash allowance unless you are going to travel 10,000 business miles in your role, then you'll be able to choose a car. And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme, you will also be eligible for private healthcare too.

Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks' pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks' pay for paternity leave.

Please see for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).