Head of Engineering – Global Registry Platform

Position Overview

On behalf of a premier global provider of financial services software, we are seeking a seasoned, high-impact technology leader to serve as Head of Engineering for a world-class, mission-critical global registry platform.

This is a rare, succession-driven leadership hire. The incoming executive will initially work alongside a highly respected, long-tenured leader during a structured transition period before assuming full ownership of the function. This role sits at the intersection of enterprise software delivery, global client management, and scale, offering a clear mandate, strong executive sponsorship, and a defined path to ultimate ownership.

• Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (On-site)
• Team Size: ~150 indirect reports across global locations; 5 direct reports
• Travel: Approximately 4–5 trips per year (Canada and US)

Key Responsibilities

• Global Team Leadership: Oversee a distributed team of approximately 150 technology professionals across Toronto, Europe, India, and Bangkok.
• Strategic Stakeholder Management: Serve as the primary technology liaison to key corporate joint-venture partners, collaborating closely with business leadership on strategy, delivery, and client commitments.
• End-to-End Delivery Ownership: Own the full software delivery lifecycle for a mature global platform, managing everything from foundational architecture decisions to production releases.
• Drive Client Onboarding: Spearhead enterprise implementation programs, including RFP responses, complex implementation timelines (3–9 month migration cycles), data migration, and technical integration.
• Technology Modernization: Champion the engineering team’s ongoing evolution toward modern development practices and AI-enabled tooling.
• Executive Communication: Translate complex technical concepts for executive and client audiences, effectively representing the technology organization at the most senior levels of the business.

What We Are Looking For

The ideal candidate possesses a rare blend of deep engineering credibility and the executive presence required to lead large organizations and navigate highly complex client relationships.

• Scale Leadership: 10+ years of progressive technology leadership experience, with a proven track record of managing teams of 50–150+ people across multiple geographies.
• Engineering Credibility: A strong background in software engineering or architecture; you do not need to write production code daily, but you must be close enough to the technology to challenge your team and make sound decisions.
• Domain Expertise: Deep experience within complex, back-office data processing environments (e.g., financial services, wealth/asset management, insurance, pension/retirement, or large-scale logistics).
• Enterprise Delivery Sophistication: Success managing enterprise-grade implementation programs (onboarding, data migration, and system integration). Comfort operating in a structured delivery environment with waterfall-influenced implementation cycles alongside modern Agile practices.
• Influence & Presence: Strong political acumen and communication skills for stakeholder engagement with both internal executives and external partner leadership.
• Language Skills: Fluency in English is required; bilingual capability in French is considered a strong asset.

Who Thrives in This Role

• Leaders who have successfully built and shipped products at scale and know what excellent engineering leadership looks like.
• Professionals comfortable with a mature, mission-critical platform and the absolute discipline required to operate it reliably for global institutions.
• Executives who easily earn trust in both the engineering room and the boardroom.

Who Is Likely Not a Fit

• Leaders who have only managed organizations of 1,000+ people and have been completely removed from technical details for 15+ years.
• Candidates coming exclusively from early-stage startup environments who are unfamiliar with structured enterprise delivery cadences.
• Technical leaders with no client-facing or business stakeholder experience.