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Head of AI & Automation Engineering
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Head of AI & Automation Engineering
£85,000 - £100,000 Base Salary + Bonus + Equity
Location: London (Hybrid)
Joining a company at the right stage of growth can define a career.
Our client has grown into a global leader in DMARC and email security, helping organisations protect one of their most critical business assets - the inbox. Serving customers ranging from family-run businesses to global enterprises, the company has established itself as one of the most trusted names in email authentication and protection.
Backed by a successful $54 million Series B funding round and operating as a pre-IPO business, they are now focused on scaling their operations through automation, AI, and intelligent process design.
As part of that investment, they are looking to appoint a Head of AI & Automation Engineering to lead and accelerate automation initiatives across the organisation. Sitting at the intersection of software engineering, AI, data, and business operations, this role will play a critical part in shaping how the business scales over the coming years.
What You'll Be Doing
Owning the Automation Strategy
- Take responsibility for the company's business automation roadmap, identifying high-impact opportunities to replace manual processes, improve visibility, and create scalable solutions across functions including Sales, Finance, Marketing, Customer Success, and HR.
- You'll work with senior leaders to understand where technology can fundamentally improve how the business operates and prioritise opportunities based on business impact.
Leading Through Delivery
- This is a true player-coach role. You'll lead a small automation engineering team while remaining hands-on, designing, building, and deploying software and automation solutions that drive measurable productivity gains across the business.
- This isn't simply about configuring existing automation tools. You'll have the technical capability to build bespoke software, integrations, and applications where that's the right solution.
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Driving AI Adoption
- As an AI-first organisation, our client is looking for someone who can apply AI pragmatically to real business challenges.
- You'll identify opportunities to leverage AI, LLMs, agents, and other emerging technologies, evaluate where they can add genuine value, and build solutions that improve how teams work.
Building Cross-Functional Partnerships
- Work closely with stakeholders across the business, including the C-suite and senior leadership, to uncover pain points, identify opportunities, and translate operational challenges into automation, AI, and technology solutions.
- You'll need to be able to communicate complex technical concepts clearly, influence decision-making, and bring stakeholders along on the automation journey.
Delivering Business Impact
- Create solutions that improve efficiency, reduce manual effort, enhance visibility, and support better decision-making across the organisation.
- You'll be focused on outcomes rather than technology for technology's sake, with the ability to demonstrate the measurable impact of the solutions you build.
Developing the Team
- Lead, mentor, and develop a small automation engineering function while creating a culture of ownership, experimentation, and continuous improvement.
What You Should Have:
Strong Software Engineering Background
- A proven track record in software engineering, application development, technical architecture, or a similar engineering-led environment.
- We're looking for someone who can build software themselves and has the technical depth to design and implement solutions rather than simply identify or manage automation opportunities.
Strong Technical Capability
- Hands-on experience working with:
- Software development and modern engineering practices.
- APIs and systems integrations.
- Cloud technologies and data platforms.
- AI-powered tools including LLMs, agents, analytics platforms, and document processing technologies.
- Workflow automation platforms such as Zapier, Make, n8n, Workato, or similar solutions.
- The specific tools are less important than having the engineering capability to understand a problem and build the right solution.
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Leadership & C-Suite Experience
- Experience leading small teams while maintaining a hands-on approach to design, implementation, and delivery.
- You'll also be comfortable working with C-suite and senior stakeholders, influencing decisions, and helping business leaders understand and adopt new approaches to automation and AI.
Business & Technical Fluency
- The ability to comfortably operate across business and technical domains, translating complex challenges into practical, scalable solutions.
AI-First Mindset
- Someone who naturally asks, "How should AI change this process?" rather than simply improving existing workflows.
Outcome-Focused Approach
- A pragmatic mindset focused on value delivered rather than tools used. You're motivated by impact, not activity.
Ownership & Initiative
- You're proactive, comfortable working with ambiguity, and don't wait to be told where improvements need to be made.
Nice to Have
- Experience working within high-growth SaaS or cybersecurity businesses.
- Experience in AI-first organisations.
- Background in Software Engineering, Engineering, Product, Operations, Analytics, or Business Transformation.
- Experience building internal software, automation platforms, or centres of excellence.
- Experience with Salesforce integrations.
What You'll Get
- Up to £100,000 base salary DOE
- Bonus plan
- Equity participation
- 25 days annual leave plus public holidays
- Self-development budget for coaching, training courses, and industry events
- Private health insurance
- Gym membership
- Maternity and paternity leave
- Cycle-to-work scheme
- One volunteer day each year to give back
- Hybrid working model
- Genuine ownership and influence across the business
- Opportunity to shape how AI, software engineering, and automation support the future growth of a global cybersecurity company
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