Job description
Waracle are looking for a Head of Backend and Cloud for an exciting new role joining our world-class digital technology consultancy and home to a diverse, smart, curious and ambitious community of specialists in technology-driven transformation.
We work with ambitious clients to help them solve their biggest business and customer challenges. We help our clients to innovate and create intelligent digital products and services. We thrive on complex challenges and deliver business-critical IT transformation projects, moving seamlessly from strategy, design and delivery to operations.
This is a Hybrid role working from any of our offices 2 days a week.
Are you a visionary leader ready to curate, shape, and amplify technical standards across a dynamic digital consultancy? We’re seeking an inspiring Head of Backend and Cloud to lead our practice, leveraging established technologies like Java, Python, .NET, and Node.js, alongside emerging languages such as Go and Rust. This is a unique opportunity for someone to drive our technical strategy , empower development teams to deliver high-impact solutions , and build our GCP Solutions Architecture capability. If you have a proven track record in articulating robust architectures on major hyperscalers—especially GCP—and are passionate about continuous learning and technical excellence, we encourage you to apply and bring your expertise to our diverse team. We especially welcome leaders who are committed to living our company values every day.
Key aspects of the role include
- Practice Leadership: Creating a compelling vision for Waracle’s backend and cloud approach, fostering a Community of Practice (CoP), mentoring team members, and defining the practice’s hiring strategy.
- GCP Capability Development : Driving our GCP Solutions Architecture capability, supporting partnership development, presales, and upskilling the practice’s technical skills.
- Technical Strategy: Leading the technical direction, articulating robust architectures, designing scalable build pipelines, and evolving our technical offering with new approaches and service offerings.
- Client Engagement: Acting as a strategic advisor to clients (including at the CTO level) to guide their technical strategy and supporting pre-sales by crafting compelling technical proposals.
Duties of this role
You will be reporting to the Director of Engineering and Data, and your responsibilities will include:
- Developing and executing the Community of Practice (CoP) strategy to drive technical excellence and knowledge-sharing.
- Mentoring and coaching team members for continuous skill development and alignment with technical standards.
- Leading discussions with senior technical leads on the client side to guide and shape their technical strategy.
- Driving the adoption of best practices in coding standards, design principles, and architectural patterns.
- Contributing to the Waracle Delivery Playbook and leading continuous improvement initiatives.
- Designing end-to-end technical cloud solutions on GCP, including setting up landing zones for greenfield clients.
- Providing consumption estimates and forecasts using GCP tools.
- Acting as a hands-on technical expert, leading Proof of Concepts (PoCs) and solving complex technical challenges.
- Communicating the ROI and business value of technical features to stakeholders.
- Supporting team upskilling in GCP capability/certifications through coaching and structured learning
What you'll bring
- Strong proficiency in backend development using Node.js, with expertise in technologies such as Java, Python, or .NET.
- Familiarity with emerging technologies, including experience with Go, Rust, or similar languages.
- Proven ability to design and articulate robust architectures and build pipelines.
- Demonstrated success in shipping solutions on major hyperscalers, particularly GCP.
- GCP Professional Certifications such as GCP Professional Cloud Architect are highly desirable.
- Expertise in the GCP Well-Architected Framework and technical knowledge around cloud practices, especially networking and cost/performance optimisation.
- Proven track record of leading and mentoring technical teams, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to confidently present complex solutions at executive levels.
- Strong commercial acumen, with experience in resource planning, budget management, and account growth.
- Ability to act as a trusted advisor to clients and internal stakeholders
Recruitment process
The recruitment process you can expect for this role is an initial call with your dedicated Talent Acquisition Partner who will chat with you about Waracle, what you are looking for in a new position, the salary for the role, notice period and benefits (the important stuff!).After that, you’ll be invited to a two-stage interview process where you have an opportunity to find out more about the role and showcase your skills and experience. Your Talent Acquisition Partner will guide you through the whole process to your first day with us.
Our Benefits
We believe in supporting our team, inside and outside of work. Here's a glimpse of what you can expect:
You'll receive 27 days of annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays, totalling 35 days of holiday to unwind and pursue your passions.
Plan for retirement with our company-matched 5% pension contribution. For added peace of mind, we also offer a Death in Service benefit, providing 2 x your annual salary for your loved ones.
Our Medicash Health Cash Plans help cover everyday healthcare costs, complemented by an Employee Assistance Programme for confidential support, and Group Sickness Cover for peace of mind.
We champion hybrid working, providing a home office setup budget to ensure you're comfortable and productive wherever you are.
Invest in yourself with access to Udemy Business and a dedicated learning and development budget for continuous growth.
Make the most of our Cycle to Work Scheme, and enjoy exclusive gym and retail discounts.
Our enhanced parental leave policies include support for fertility journeys, recognising diverse family needs.
We foster a vibrant culture with regular fun meet-ups and lunch on us in the office once a month. You'll also have the opportunity to make a local impact through Spirit of Waracle, our initiative for getting involved in charitable causes locally, building strong team bonds and giving back.
Our values
To make the world a better place through impactful software
We take pride in delivering high quality work and seeing the impact it has. We are curious, proactive, and always learning; continuously improving ourselves and our skills. We strive for excellence in everything we do. We see every opportunity as a chance to raise the bar - for Waracle, our clients, and for our own professional growth.
We succeed together: whether we’re leading, supporting or learning. We lead with empathy, working as a unified team to understand and appreciate other people’s perspectives and experiences. This commitment to one another empowers everyone to do their best work and reach their full potential. We build trust, celebrate every contribution, and create a space where everyone has the opportunity to shine.
We have big goals, but we don’t try to do everything. We know there are a limited number of hours in a day, so we make every one of them count. We accomplish this by regularly pausing to assess the potential impact of our work, prioritising what matters most and then acting with purpose.
We are transparent in how we think and act. We seek and share context, give and accept feedback, and communicate openly. We take full ownership of what we deliver as individuals and as a team, and hold ourselves accountable. This openness and accountability gives us the clarity and purpose to deliver at our best.
We love what we do and find the fun in each day, celebrating our shared successes and the satisfaction of doing hard work well. We’re in this together, creating space for connection, laughter, and fun. When we look after our clients and each other, and do work we’re proud of, we go home happy.
Frequently-asked questions
Here are some of the things that people tend to ask about working at Waracle.
Absolutely! At Waracle, we welcome both permanent and contract applicants. Each job posting indicates if it's open to contract applications. We offer a diverse range of projects, both within and outside IR35 regulations, catering to various preferences and expertise levels.
We work on a Hybrid working model and offer flexible working hours. We're spread across 4 vibrant UK offices, but our teamwork isn't confined to those spaces, it's all about collaboration! While using the office is encouraged for our teams to work together, each of us has a home office setup, relishing the freedom of hybrid workstyles. As of now, remote work outside the UK isn't part of our standard practice.
As proud sponsors, we're geared up to provide sponsorship for eligible roles. Be sure to view the specific job listing you're interested in to make sure we are accepting applications for sponsorship. If it doesn't quite fit, consider diving into our talent pool for potential future opportunities!
We always want to hear from talented people, join our talent pool 👇 and we'll contact you when a new opportunity becomes available.
Equal Opportunities
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.
We are not accepting applications from recruitment agencies.
