Description About the Team At Sainsbury’s and Argos our consumer facing apps are the key to our digital interaction with over 10 million customers. We are undergoing a significant investment within our apps development to support our overall corporate strategy of being “First Choice for Food” and “More Argos more Often”. We are seeking a visionary and experienced Head of Engineering for App Development to lead and further build our innovative and dynamic team. The ideal candidate will bring a strong background in app development at scale, preferably within the retail sector with reference to growing the use of apps amongst the customer base. We have a hybrid working model which gives you flexibility to work from our offices and from home however we are big on collaboration and connection. This means finding a balance that works for both us and you and allows a high performing team to be developed. What you'll do Leadership: Provide strategic direction and leadership to our app development team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence Customer Obsession: We aim to be app first for our customers, so set the example ensuring that the app is the first-place customers go when engaging with us Team Building: Build and manage a high-performing, motivated and flexible team composed of both permanent colleagues and third-party professionals, ensuring optimal resource allocation and outcome delivery Development at Scale: Oversee the development and deployment of scalable app solutions that meet the needs of our customers and enhance their overall experience Innovation: Drive continuous improvement and innovation within the team, leveraging the latest technologies and methodologies to stay ahead of industry trends Stakeholder Management: Work closely with the product teams and senior leadership to align app development initiatives with business outcomes and customer needs Quality Assurance: Ensure the highest standards of quality and performance in all app development outcomes, from concept to launch and beyond Be a technical evangelist both within the team and outside, coaching and/or mentoring other more junior engineers as appropriate Who you are Experience: Proven track record in app development at scale, preferably within the retail sector, but other high-profile industry experience will be considered Customer: Understanding of what customers want from an app to drive an app first approach, creating a smooth and simple way for them to buy from us Technical Expertise: Deep understanding of app development technologies, frameworks, and best practices, with a focus on Native app development for both iOS and Android but also looking at how we can write once and deploy in multiple environments, preferably with Kotlin Multi Platform Leadership Skills: Demonstrate ability to lead and inspire a diverse team of engineers, fostering a collaborative and high-performing work environment Strategic Vision: Ability to think strategically and translate business goals into actionable app development plans at pace Passion: A genuine passion for app development and a drive to stay at the forefront of industry advancements Flexibility: Ability to adapt to changing business needs and workforce flexibility leading teams that includes both permanent staff and third-party professionals Responsibilities We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. Think about the scale it takes for us to feed the nation. The level of data, transactions and variety it involves. Then you’ll realise that ours is a modern software engineering environment because it has to be. We’ve made serious investment into a Tech Academy and into setting standards and principles. We iterate, learn, experiment and push ways of working such as Agile, Scrum and XP. So you can look forward to awesome opportunities in everything from AI to reusable tech. Qualifications We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer, so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new - whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them: Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to get 10% off at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 weeks. This increases to 15% off at Sainsbury’s every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 65% of salary, depending on how we perform (in cash and shares). Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy additional holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. You'll also receive a company car cash allowance unless you are going to travel 10,000 business miles in your role, then you'll be able to choose a car. And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme, you will also be eligible for private healthcare too. Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave. Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).