Director of Engineering

Tech that takes you places

We're CarTrawler, the global travel tech company behind seamless connections between people, places and possibilities. From powering car rental to creating smarter ways to move, we make travel smoother for millions worldwide. Our culture is built on curiosity, collaboration and craic where every idea counts and every journey matters. Ready to make an impact? Let's go places together.

As we evolve from a single-category leader into a multi-product travel platform, we are building the next generation of B2B connectivity, blending modular architecture, unified product experiences and AI-powered intelligence.

This is a pivotal leadership role at the centre of that transformation.

We are seeking a strategic and execution-focused Director of Engineering to lead engineering delivery across our multi-product B2B platform.

This role is accountable for engineering outcomes across Product Engineering, Platform Engineering and Engineering Excellence. You will shape engineering strategy, steward architecture direction, embed modern AI-enabled practices and ensure predictable, high-quality delivery at scale.

You will play a key role in transitioning CarTrawler into a multi-travel platform business, balancing platform evolution with operational excellence.

What you will do as a Director of Engineering Set Engineering Strategy & Direction

• Define and execute an engineering strategy aligned to business goals and platform ambition.
• Lead architectural evolution toward API-first, modular, scalable services.
• Balance near-term delivery with long-term platform sustainability and risk reduction.
• Govern strategic technical initiatives including modernisation and architectural convergence.

Drive Execution & Delivery Excellence

• Ensure high-quality, predictable delivery across multiple squads and domains.
• Establish strong operating rhythms, planning discipline and measurable delivery health.
• Remove cross-team blockers and optimise ways of working.
• Own and evolve the engineering operating model with clear accountability and decision rights.

Lead Platform & Governance

• Steward enterprise architecture in partnership with Product and Infrastructure leadership.
• Champion reliability, security-by-design, observability and operational resilience.
• Embed interoperability, reusable services and API lifecycle standards.
• Align engineering decisions with commercial and product outcomes.

Embed AI & Engineering Excellence

• Define and lead the GenAI engineering agenda across the platform.
• Establish scalable AI patterns and production-ready operational controls.
• Ensure responsible AI adoption including governance, privacy and risk management.
• Drive developer productivity through modern tooling, CI/CD, automation and AI-assisted engineering.
• Raise the bar on quality, craftsmanship and technical sustainability.

Build & Lead a High-Performance Organisation

• Lead and develop senior engineering leaders.
• Shape organisation design, capability planning and succession.
• Strengthen engineering culture, talent density and employer brand.
• Foster an inclusive, accountable and continuously improving environment.

Partner at Executive Level

• Operate as a senior leader within Product & Technology and across the enterprise.
• Partner closely with Product, Infrastructure, Security, Data and Commercial teams.
• Communicate strategy, progress and risk clearly to executive stakeholders.
• Engage externally with key partners and investors when required.

What you'll bring to the team

• 10+ years in software engineering, including 7+ years leading multiple engineering teams in product-led environments.
• Proven experience delivering scalable, high-transaction platforms.
• Strong architectural fluency across cloud-native systems, APIs and distributed architectures.
• Experience leading organisational transformation and engineering modernisation.
• Track record embedding modern software delivery practices (CI/CD, DevOps, observability, security-by-design).
• Experience adopting AI-enabled engineering practices; bonus if you have taken GenAI capabilities to enterprise-scale production.
• Strong commercial judgement and ability to balance investment, risk and business value.
• Experience developing senior engineering leaders and building high-performing teams.

Go on, give it a go!

We know that looking for a new job can feel a bit daunting but don't let a touch of imposter syndrome hold you back. Even if you don't tick every box, we'd still love to hear from you! Apply today to stay connected.

At CarTrawler, we're proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. No matter your background, identity, or life experience, if you're passionate about what you do, you'll be welcomed here.

Perks for the journey

Competitive pay and benefits, including a performance-based annual bonus, fully subsidised VHI health insurance and pension matching up to 4%.

Generous time off and flexible working, including 25 days' annual leave, extra company days, monthly Friday Unplugged afternoons and the option to work abroad for up to 20 days a year.

Comprehensive wellbeing support, including access to health and mental health programmes (HeadsUp and EAP) and paid leave for marriage, volunteering and personal wellbeing including menstrual, menopause, and fertility leave.

Growth and recognition culture with development opportunities through training, coaching and study support plus programmes that celebrate individual and team achievements.

Everyday perks that make a difference - subsidised canteen (KC Peaches), on-site car parking, Bike to Work and TaxSaver schemes plus an active Sports & Social Club.