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Head of Technology
Senior Leadership London, UK · Hybrid (with mandatory office days)
About EmpowerRD
R&D tax credits are a powerful yet underused innovation driver—yet navigating them often requires excessive bureaucracy and delays. EmpowerRD is changing that by building software that simplifies claiming R&D tax relief for businesses and advisors, ensuring it’s transparent, efficient, and customer-empowering. Our mission drives our growth: helping every innovative company unlock the funding they deserve.
This pivotal moment in our journey demands leaders who prioritise outcome-driven work, challenge existing norms (respectfully), and aim high. While we don’t claim to have all the answers, we pride ourselves on being a driven, progressive, and kind team, committed to shaping the future of R&D tax relief.
Our company virtues guide everything we do:
- Be a truth seeker
- Build Bridges
- Empower Growth
- Start and keep going
- Foster Well-Being
About the Role
We’re seeking a Head of Technology to join our senior leadership team at an exciting stage of growth. In this role, you’ll own technology strategy end-to-end—shaping architecture, engineering culture, and innovation—while ensuring these efforts differentiate us in the R&D tax market.
You’ll act as the connective tissue between product ambitions, engineering execution, and business strategy, collaborating closely with the CEO, Head of Product, Operations, and Marketing.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Develop, communicate, and execute a scalable technology strategy aligned with business goals and growth plans.
- Partner with the executive team, product, and cross-functional units to identify and drive technology-enabled initiatives.
- Own Data, Metrics, and Insights, ensuring they underpin all business decisions (you’ll also serve as Data Protection Officer).
- Oversee architecture and infrastructure, ensuring systems are scalable, secure, and compliant with industry best practices and regulations.
- Lead engineering and data teams, fostering a learning culture and high-performing environment.
- Clarify ways of working, ensuring teams understand roles in the software lifecycle.
- Mitigate technology risks, ensuring compliance with data privacy (GDPR, HMRC regulations) and internal policies.
- Manage the technology budget, optimising resources for cost-effective outcomes.
- Oversee vendor relationships, evaluating and selecting best-in-class solutions.
- Stay ahead of technological trends (especially AI and data platforms) and drive strategic recommendations.
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What You Bring
Essential
- Five+ years in senior technology leadership (e.g., Head of Tech, CTO).
- Deep understanding of software development methodologies, especially those transformed by AI.
- Battle-tested experience building tech platforms for mid-to-large enterprises—proven success in architecture, systems, and security.
- Strong expertise with our tech stack: Vue, Ruby on Rails, Postgres, Terraform, dbt, AWS, GCP.
- Hands-on experience in:
- Software development
- Systems architecture
- Infrastructure management
- IT operations
- Cybersecurity & compliance
- Budget management
- Broad commercial acumen, particularly in SaaS models and scaling growth-focused teams.
- Strategic thinking: Ability to translate business objectives into technology decisions using data and discussion.
- Leadership and team development: Track record of building high-performing, learning-centred engineering teams.
- Project delivery: History of delivering large-scale projects on time and within budget.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with data-driven decision-making.
- Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or equivalent experience.
Valued but not required
- Experience in fintech, SaaS, professional services, or regulated tech environments (e.g., compliance-heavy sectors).
- Hands-on AI/Data platform tooling work.
- Familiarity with R&D tax credit landscape, accounting, or HMRC workflows.
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Is This Role Right for You?
✅ This role aligns with you if:
- You’re driven by setting technology direction, not just executing a predefined plan.
- You’re equally comfortable discussing technical architecture with engineers as you are presenting to executives.
- You uphold high standards without compromising on progress.
❌ This may not fit if:
- You prefer a stable, risk-averse technology management role.
- You don’t rely on data/insights as part of your decision-making process.
- You insist on complete certainty before acting; we’re a fast-paced, adaptive team.
Practical Details
- Location: London, UK (Hybrid model with mandatory office attendance).
- Visa Sponsorship: Unfortunately, we cannot offer UK visa sponsorship for this role.
- Salary: Negotiable and discussed during first interviews.
Application & Interview Process
We score all applications with AI but prioritise human review. Tailor your application showing clear relevance; highlight real impact using our framework:
"Achieved X outcome as measured by Y metric, by doing Z action."
The applied approach requires:
- Operational grounding (execution depth)
- Strategic breadth (vision and boundaries)
- Technical depth (proven expertise)
Process:
- Intro call (30 mins) – Align the role with your background.
- Take-home exercises (strategic + technical) followed by a presentation interview.
- CEO interview (60 mins) – Leadership approach and strategic alignment.
- Culture interview with function and tech team leads.
EmpowerRD · www.empowerrd.com
Awards & Recognition:
- Nominated for National Technology Awards 2026
- Growth Business of the Year
- Financial Services Technology of the Year
- RegTech Project of the Year
- Ranked #1 in TechRound 2025 FinTech 50
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