Head of Engineering

Job Description Dunnes Stores is Ireland's leading retailer positioned at the cutting edge of food and fashion retailing. We are Irish owned and operate over 130 stores across Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Spain, as well as a growing online store. We are expanding our service and product offering for our customers all the time. Dunnes Stores is undergoing a major strategic transformation to modernize its business capabilities and technology landscape. The Head of Engineering will play a pivotal role in defining and delivering the engineering vision that supports this transformation. This role combines leadership, architecture, delivery excellence, and innovation to elevate Dunnes' technology function to world-class standards. Strategy & Architecture Define and evolve the Engineering Strategy aligned to business objectives. Establish and maintain the Target State Architecture in line with industry best practices. Define and embed Engineering Excellence principles: Quality, Speed to Market, User-Centric Design, Scalability, Security, and Innovation. Build a high-performing Engineering Centre of Excellence focused on continuous improvement. Technology & Delivery Lead the development and modernization of critical systems across Finance, Logistics, Digital, In-Store, and Corporate domains. Drive delivery of scalable, secure, and high-performance applications (retail systems, mobile apps, in-store technologies). Own productivity and standards across APIs, mobile (Swift/Kotlin), full stack (C#/.NET/Angular), DevOps, and Azure Cloud Infrastructure. Oversee Application Security governance across the SDLC, ensuring compliance and resilience. Operations & Governance Lead Engineering operations including uptime, support, and performance across all business systems. Set and monitor Engineering KPIs; lead quality assurance and release governance processes. Define and manage the Engineering budget at annual and monthly levels. Lead vendor relationships across onshore, nearshore, and third-party partners. People & Leadership Lead and mentor a team of ~50 FTEs, including 5-6 senior leaders at SM/Director level. Attract, retain, and develop top engineering talent; foster a culture of excellence and innovation. Provide career development, performance management, and succession planning. Champion knowledge sharing, innovation, and collaboration across engineering and broader IT functions. Business Engagement Partner with functional leads to identify technology opportunities for business growth and operational efficiency. Engage stakeholders to understand needs, manage expectations, and align delivery. Collaborate with PMO, CISO, Data/Analytics, Infrastructure, and Product teams to ensure cohesive execution. Skills and attributes for success: A Bachelors or Masters degree or professional qualification in a Computer Science discipline (or equivalent work experience) 10+ years of progressive engineering leadership in enterprise environments. Proven experience across: Microsoft stack: C#, .NET, Azure Mobile & Web Development Oracle business systems DevOps & CI/CD pipelines AI-enabled development Expertise in modern engineering practices, DevSecOps, application architecture, and cloud-native delivery. Strong track record of leading full software development lifecycle initiatives. Skilled at vendor and budget management in complex matrix environments. Experience in working within a complex matrix organisation Exceptional communication skills - both written and verbal Experience using relevant change principles, communication tools, templates, and methodologies Have a passion for change, communications, and innovation Be professional, quickly establishing personal credibility and demonstrating expertise Have strong personal impact and resilience and be able to influence clients and stakeholders to gain support for major changes and key decisions Desirable Experience in retail Knowledge of ERP and/or large-scale supply chain systems. Familiarity with scaled agile frameworks (e.g., SAFe, LeSS). Benefits: Competitive salary Comprehensive benefits package including our employee discount Opportunities for professional development and career progression A dynamic and collaborative work environment focused on innovation and growth If this sounds like the job for you, please apply now Dunnes Stores is an Equal Opportunities Employer