Job Description:

Head of Engineering

Angel Court, London

Permanent - Full time - Hybrid

We make health happen

At Bupa, we exist to help people live longer, healthier, happier lives - and to make the world a better place. It's a purpose that shapes everything we do, from the way we build digital tools to the experience people have when they use our services.

As our Head of Engineering, you'll play a vital role in shaping technology that helps people enjoy the best healthcare experience they've ever had. You'll lead teams who design, build and evolve the digital products that support our customers, clinicians and colleagues every day.

It's a chance to bring together deep technical know‑how with a genuine passion for people. You'll help nurture a high‑performing, inclusive engineering culture where innovation thrives, ideas are welcomed, and everyone feels empowered to do their best work.

What makes this role unique at Bupa is the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on people's lives through technology, while working in an organisation with no shareholders - where customers, not profits, always come first.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you'll:

• Lead and support a team of Software Engineering Managers as they develop and maintain a wide range of digital products.
• Work closely with fellow Heads of Engineering to build a culture of high standards, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Partner with Product Management to create long‑term engineering strategies your teams can turn into practical, achievable plans.
• Help shape how our software ecosystem fits together, contributing to architectural decisions and ensuring engineering and testing approaches align with the overall strategy.
• Share regular updates across teams and with senior leadership, helping everyone stay connected to priorities and progress.
• Encourage a positive, curious culture where people feel confident to bring new ideas and try new approaches.
• Mentor and coach team members at all levels, helping them grow their skills and feel confident in their development.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for someone who brings both technical depth and human warmth. You'll have:

• A degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science or a related field.
• Broad, hands‑on experience as a software engineer across multiple technologies (such as Java or JavaScript) and experience building distributed systems.
• At least three years' experience leading engineering teams developing complex technical products.
• Experience designing software architectures for performance, resilience and scalability.
• A track record of turning early‑stage product concepts into prototypes and production‑ready solutions.
• Experience working with cloud‑based software services.
• Strong foundations in data structures, algorithms and practical problem‑solving.
• Experience with agile delivery approaches.
• Confidence recruiting, coaching and developing individuals and teams.
• Clear, approachable communication skills and the ability to work well with others - from engineers to senior leaders.
• The resilience to work within a large, evolving organisation.
• A curious mindset and a positive, flexible approach to new challenges.

Benefits

Our benefits are designed to make health happen for our people. Viva is our global wellbeing programme and includes all aspects of our health - from mental and physical, to financial, social and environmental wellbeing. We support flexible working and have a range of family friendly benefits.

Joining Bupa in this role you will receive the following benefits and more:

• 25 days holiday, increasing through length of service, with option to buy or sell
• Enhanced pension and life insurance
• Private medical insurance
• Access to our health and wellbeing services
• Discounts on Bupa products and services

Why Bupa

We're a health insurer and provider. With no shareholders, our customers are our focus. Our people are all driven by the same purpose - helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world. We make health happen by being brave, caring and responsible in everything we do.

We encourage all our people to ”Be you at Bupa”, we champion diversity, and we understand the importance of our people representing the communities and customers we serve. That's why we especially encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Bupa is a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. This means we aim to offer an interview/assessment to every disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria for the role. We'll make sure you are treated fairly and offer reasonable adjustments as part of our recruitment process to anyone that needs them.