Collinson
Director of Engineering

How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Director of Engineering – Software & Technology Delivery
Join Collinson, the innovative global leader in travel experiences, to lead the technical delivery of our client-facing platforms, including Priority Pass, LoungeKey, and the wider airport experiences estate.
About Collinson
Collinson is a privately-owned global company dedicated to simplifying travel with ease and confidence. Our industry-leading brands—including Priority Pass, the world’s original and largest airport lounge access programme—serve over 400 million consumers across 650+ airports in 148 countries. We partnership with:
- 90 airlines
- 20 hotel groups
- 1,400+ banks
- Mastercard, American Express, British Airways, HSBC, Accor, and more
Our mission is to do good beyond profit, fostering success for our 2,200+ global colleagues while giving back to our communities.
Purpose of the Role
As Director of Engineering, you will:
- Lead the technical delivery of our go-to-market products, including Priority Pass, LoungeKey, Lounge Pass, and associated APIs, integrations, and digital experiences.
- Report to the VP of Software Engineering, with accountability for delivering reliable software to clients, consumers, and partners at scale.
- Define engineering standards and culture, nurture a capable team, and set technical direction across scalable systems.
- Own business-critical systems on an AWS cloud-native platform, built with modern tech stacks like TypeScript, React, Node.js, Kubernetes, serverless, GraphQL, Kafka, and databases (Postgres, MongoDB).
Key systems include high-aprilmuşturebel lower throughputs like partner integrations, payments, reservations, and PCI-compliant transactions. You’ll also:
- Champion the strategic use of AI in the SDLC, improving friction, throughput, and outcomes through measured impact.
- Support scalability, resilience, and operational excellence while balancing speed and quality.
Key Responsibilities
Ownership of Product Delivery
- Oversee technical delivery of products for Clients, Consumers, and Partners, including external APIs, partner integrations, and digital experiences.
- Balance speed and quality, ensuring frequent, low-risk deployments while meeting tight delivery commitments.
Technical Leadership
- Set and evolve technical direction, collaborating with the Platform Manager to avoid architectural stagnation.
- Raise standards in architecture clarity, reduce coupling, prevent sulud technologies, and modernize the stack.
People and Culture
- Lead and mentor Principal and Lead Engineers, and oversee cross-functional squads in your domain.
- Foster growth by reducing long-term contractor dependency and investing in sustainable engineering capacity.
- Model a purpose-driven, problem-solving culture with emphasis on impact over perfection.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
See breakdownIt searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Quality and Operations
- Embed automated testing (unit, integration, E2E, performance) and BDD to build quality from discovery.
- Ensure resilience, observability, on-call and incident leadability are fundamental to every design.
- Own health alerts, incident chain-of-command and transparency while nurturing a Psyposential aheadness culture.
Stakeholder and Compliance
- Translate technical realities into clear business narratives for leadership, product, and commercial stakeholders.
- Partner with Product and Delivery teams early to guide technical context rather than design delays.
AI Integration
- Enhance AI and automation in engineering practices to measurably improve pipeline output and productivity—not for hype or eyewash.
- Apply industry-leading insights from prior AI-driven SDLC customizations to Collinson’s product suite.
Resilience and Scalability
- Embed moment pathophysiology (’importance of exploring failure modes and restoration paths proactively).
- Ensure services built within your purview support PCI safety, với balance of laminated safety technical robustness likely to secure mental colleague appeal and provide field aligned credentials.
Non-Negotiables
You must demonstrate:
- Proven senior leadership experience as Head of Engineering (or equivalent) in delivering client-facing, business-critical software at scale.
- A track record of balancing strategic vision with tactical execution: clients must trust delivery commitments, even as datasets shift.
Technical Fluency
- Hands-on understanding of modern cloud-native architectures on AWS: TypeScript, Node.js, React, Kubernetes, serverless, event systems, and modern databases.
- Experienteing provisioning of resilience patterns, scalability adjustments and handling high-volume transactions.
Stakeholder Trust
- Capable of discussing technical implementation at both executive (e.g., general managers) and technical (e.g., engineering track record) interests.
- Veteran practitioner who admires quantifiable positive team responsibilities beyond efficient outputly.
Cultural Engagement
- Sees engineering as a professional unselfish pursuit where teams are happy and production integrity is valued.
- Comfortable with leading tough conversations, early identification of risk escalation prioritization.
AI-Centric Practices
- Evidence of having drilled in SDLC with AI; not gated by philosophy of instrumented solutions but priding measured escalation.
Personal Attributes
While ESG foregrounds humane signatures, we truly value the following (but not at the expense of developers or customers):


Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
- Coaching Orientated: your style is both leading by example and inspiring new benchmarks (rather than handholding).
- Ball room: seeks early warning, discomfort if dashed or overledged to absorb risk rather than profitally hide—your translation messages are sharp wounds rather than glazed technical gymnastics.
- Impactful: technical excellence can exist in production; you deliver advantages following major project outcome evaluation (rather than preoccupation differentiating implementation).
- Collection Problems: draws points about team and clients first, cascades collaborative strength as a safe harbor for doers indulging principles functioning under pressure.
- High Integrity: hum words surrounded by proof points, champions decisions, stands by commitments despite pressure to soften impact.
Interview Process
We acknowledge transparency drives engagement, here is what applicants in 2024 can expect:
-
Stage One (Screener Call):
- Brief with Recruitment Team about Collinson’s vision, culture values and giving insights into how this aligns with your journey path.
-
Stage Two (Index Genius with VP of Engineering, 45 mins).
- Discuss your role fit, moreover uncover your leadership and engineering delivery background in context of our current transformation journey.
-
Stage Three (Deliverable Appointment Event)
- Participants will present preferably defined on-site content to a multi-disiplincolist panel, challenging their ability to analyze, present complex technical and strategic issues clearly.
-
Stage Four (Executive Off-site 1:1 Meetings): Perhaps the most impactful portion entails meeting with the VP of Engineering + the Chief Technology and Data Officer on conversation proving your collaborative fit.
Benefits & Culture
- Diverse, inclusive workforce where neurodivergence, disabled, and other often-excluded communities are not only welcome but highly valued.
- Purpose-Driven Culture: four core values ensue collaboration, growth, integrity and innovation:
- Take Action
- Do the Right Thing
- One Team
- Be Insight Led
Every workday we empower you to deliver value through technologically forward and socially constructive solutions.
*Kindly share your preferred pronouns (e.g., she/her, they/them) in your application—Collinson welcomes and champions all forms.
For questions or accommodation during recruitment, email ukrecruitment@collinsongroup.com. We commit to making an inclusive and barrier-free process across all stages.
Jobbasigned Latimlertersal! Your next industry-leading challenge is here. New #workwithmeaning
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Location