Head of Enterprise Application Engineering

Hastings Direct

Head of Enterprise Application Engineering leading enterprise applications at Hastings Direct. Focusing on driving quality outcomes and continuous improvement within the engineering team.

Posted 7/9/2026full-timeBexhill • 🇬🇧 United KingdomLeadWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead the engineering, integration, configuration and continuous improvement of enterprise applications currently spanning Modern Workplace, Contact Centre, and HR & Finance platforms.
Act as the technology lead maintaining the guardrails for safe and secure development and deployment.
Work closely with relevant stakeholders including CIO Group Architecture, CIO leadership, business stakeholders and suppliers to improve adoption, productivity, resilience service performance and commercial outcomes in line with Hastings’ strategy.
Help shape application roadmaps, drive high-quality outcomes, and champion continuous improvement in customer and colleague experience.
Define and enforce engineering standards and governance, including configuration and integration standards and controls for integrity, availability, supportability, compliance and resilience.
Drive service quality through prevention, automation and continuous improvement, including monitoring, root cause analysis and action to keep technical debt low.
Lead application strategy, guardrails and roadmap alignment, working with CIO Group Architecture to maintain design principles and cohesive delivery across teams.
Build capability across Modern Workplace, Telephony, and HR & Finance.
Provide technical leadership, stakeholder engagement and supplier management.
Develop high-performing teams through coaching, recruitment and succession planning.
Champion innovation, best practices and emerging technologies.
Use Management Information and agreed KPIs to track progress, improve service performance and recommend continuous improvements.
Contribute to enterprise-wide priorities through strategic alignment, cross-functional collaboration, change leadership and governance oversight.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Proven leadership experience in enterprise application engineering, driving productivity, service quality and operational efficiency within a fast-paced, enterprise-scale technology environment.
Strong knowledge of Microsoft 365, Modern Workplace, Contact Centre, and HR & Finance platforms, with the judgement to balance integration, security, supportability, resilience and business value.
Experience with engineering methodologies, tools and best practices with the ability to set a pragmatic engineering culture that improves quality, pace and consistency.
Excellent analytical, troubleshooting and problem-solving capabilities.
Strong strategic and commercial awareness, with the ability to translate business strategy into technology priorities, trade-offs and measurable outcomes.
Enterprise leadership capability, including cross-functional collaboration, change leadership, risk-aware decision-making and the ability to lead through ambiguity.
A collaborative, organised and adaptable leadership style, with a focus on quality, customer outcomes and developing people.

Benefits

Comp & perks

competitive salary and £6k car allowance
Flexible working – we champion a flexible hybrid working approach – please speak to your recruiter to discuss in more detail
Competitive bonus scheme - all colleagues are eligible for our annual 4Cs performance bonus
Physical wellbeing – as a Band 5 colleague, Hastings pay for you to receive private medical Insurance (also known as PMI). This gives you flexibility and convenience to see a specialist or consultant and allows you to decide when and where you will be seen
Financial wellbeing – as well as providing you with 4x your salary with our life assurance cover, income protection at no extra cost, and matched pension contributions up to 10%, we are proud to provide you with an award winning package which includes – discounts, cashback, free independent mortgage advice and free access to financial wellbeing support
Mental wellbeing programme – we have the thrive mental health app, our colleague assistance programme available 24/7, our own in-house mental health first aiders, support groups and a dedicated team to make sure we are covering your needs
27 days annual leave + bank holidays, with the option to buy or sell one of your weeks, access to our health care cash back plans, dental plans, discounted health assessments, Cycle to work and tech schemes, discounted and free onsite facilities, social events throughout the year and much more …

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Hard Skills & Tools

Engineering MethodologiesTroubleshootingProblem-SolvingService Quality ImprovementOperational Efficiency

Soft Skills

Collaborative LeadershipOrganizational SkillsAdaptabilityAnalytical ThinkingStrategic Awareness