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Job summary

We have an exciting opportunity for a Head of Software Engineering to join our senior team in a critical Head of Department role. You will have the ability to lead from the front, set a clear engineering vision, and inspire and empower multi-disciplinary teams around a shared definition of excellence.

This role sits within our Digital, Data & Technology (DDaT) directorate, reporting to the Director of Technology, and is central to the next phase of TPR’s transformation into a modern, digitally enabled and data-led regulator. Our vision is to be a catalyst for pensions innovation and regulatory effectiveness. We are using digital, data and technology to modernize regulation—making it more data driven, efficient, secure, transparent and user-centred.

As Head of Software Engineering, you will lead the development of a modern, high-performing software engineering function, ensuring that our services and platforms are built and operated to the highest standards of quality, resilience and security. You will be responsible for establishing and embedding consistent software engineering practices, strengthening delivery performance, and building a sustainable and scalable engineering capability across TPR.

You will work closely with colleagues across DDaT and the wider organisation to ensure collaborative, outcome-focused delivery, supporting TPR’s statutory objectives. As part of the DDaT senior leadership team, you will contribute to the broader design and evolution of the organisation, building strong relationships across Directors, ExCo and the Board. You will role-model TPR values and behaviours, fostering a supportive, high-performing and inclusive culture that keeps saver outcomes at the heart of everything we do.

Job description

Lead and deliver TPR’s software engineering strategy, aligning engineering capabilities, standards and practices with the organisation’s current and future needs. Establish and mature a modern engineering function that enables high-quality, secure and resilient digital services, delivered at pace through effective multidisciplinary teams.

Embed software engineering excellence across TPR by defining and enforcing clear standards, strengthening delivery performance and ensuring consistent, high-quality outcomes across all services and platforms. This includes embedding modern software engineering practices, with particular emphasis on improving delivery flow through: Test-Driven Development, DevOps, Automated Testing, Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment, leveraging AI to accelerate delivery with quality “engineered in” from the outset (Shift-left) and strong observability to strengthen feedback and use learning as a driver for continuous improvement.

Instil a secure by design ethos to enable independent, secure delivery with embedded security practices, architecture and cyber integration.

Act as the Head of Software Engineering Profession, providing leadership across software, platform, quality, infrastructure and DevOps engineering disciplines, with matrix responsibility for data engineering capability, ensuring alignment across the broader DDaT ecosystem. Build and sustain a strong engineering capability, supporting recruitment, development and retention of highly skilled technical professionals.

Support the delivery of TPR’s transformation by ensuring engineering is a core, integrated component of the operating model—working effectively alongside Digital, Product, Delivery, Architecture, Cyber and Data functions to deliver measurable outcomes for savers, schemes and employers.

Person specification

• Extensive experience in a senior software engineering leadership role within a complex organisation, with a strong track record of delivering high-quality user centred digital services at scale.
• Strong leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to engage effectively at senior levels.
• Proven experience of defining and implementing engineering strategies and leveraging AI capabilities that improve delivery performance, quality and resilience.
• Strong experience of establishing and enforcing engineering standards and governance across multiple teams.
• Demonstrable experience of leading software engineering capability development and building high-performing teams in Development, Test and DevOps professions.
• Deep technical understanding of modern software engineering approaches, including platform engineering and cloud-native design.
• Excellent presentation and communications skills with responsibility for providing senior technical guidance to project delivery and requires a deep understanding of the modern software engineering discipline.
• Proven experience of defining and delivering Test strategies, including Test-Driven Development and automated testing at scale.
• Extensive experience of “raising the bar” in delivery effectiveness including Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) in an agile, “Path to Live” approach.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £95,680, Pensions Regulator contributes £27,718 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

TPR offers:

• Genuine opportunities for learning and development.
• A values-led, inclusive environment.
• Hybrid working and flexible shift patterns.
• A vibrant workplace with employee networks (Disability, Family, LGBT+, Minority Ethnic, Mental Health, Women’s).

Reward and benefits

We offer 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, a hybrid working model, 35 hour working week (full-time), flexible working patterns, and flexitime. We also provide competitive parental leave, as well as a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%. Our dedicated benefits portal (Edenred) offers retail, gym, tech and restaurant discounts, and a cycle to work scheme.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Applications

To avoid disappointment, we would invite you to submit your application as soon as possible, as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can continue to provide a positive candidate experience, with each application being reviewed and considered. Unfortunately, once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

Current TPR employees who want to apply for this vacancy should first contact their line manager to discuss their application.

We welcome applications on a part time and job share basis.

Please note that TPR is unable to offer visa sponsorship. All applicants must already hold Right to Work in the UK for the duration of their employment. For more information on Right to Work, please visit Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK.

Selection and interview

If you are shortlisted for interview, we’ll be in contact with you shortly after the closing date. We aim to respond to every application however due to the large volume of applications this is not always possible. If you have not heard from us within 21 days of submitting your application, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we’re committed to the recruitment, employment, retention, and development of people with disabilities, and to improving their employment opportunities. Candidates who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria will be an offered an interview. Please note that if we receive a high volume of Disability Confident applicants, we reserve the right to offer an interview to those who best meet the essential criteria.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk
• Email : Recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk