Head of Engineering

The role At Xero, we’re looking for an experienced Head of Engineering to lead multiple engineering teams across key product portfolios, and help us build better products for small businesses around the world. This is a senior leadership role for someone who can operate across people, technology, delivery, and strategy. You’ll lead globally distributed teams, partner closely with Product and Design, and create the conditions for teams to deliver high-quality, high-impact software at scale. As a Head of Engineering, you’ll provide technical leadership across your portfolio while supporting and growing other engineering leaders. You’ll bring clarity to complex challenges, help teams make smart trade-offs, and ensure delivery remains aligned to customer, commercial, and technical priorities. You’ll also play an important role in shaping how engineering evolves at Xero, including lifting capability across teams, strengthening operational excellence, and driving AI-first ways of working where they create real value. What you’ll do Lead and grow multiple engineering teams within your portfolio Set clear direction across delivery, architecture, people leadership, and engineering standards Partner with Product and Design leaders to balance customer needs, business goals, and technical health Act as a technical anchor with an informed view on system quality, reliability, and long-term sustainability Drive complex cross-functional programs with strong accountability and clear outcomes Support the adoption of AI-first practices, responsible AI architecture, and AI-powered workflows across the portfolio Lead technical modernisation initiatives, including service decomposition, API-first design, and platform improvements Raise the bar on operational excellence, service ownership, observability, and continuous improvement Build high-performing teams and leaders, creating a culture of growth, accountability, inclusion, and psychological safety What we’re looking for Proven experience leading leaders and managing multiple engineering teams in fast-moving, scaled environments Strong technical judgment, with deep understanding of software architecture, engineering trade-offs, and managing technical debt Experience shaping strategy and aligning teams to deliver against broad organisational goals A track record of simplifying complexity and driving progress across cross-functional environments Strong people leadership skills, with the ability to coach, challenge, and develop high-performing teams High emotional intelligence, including self-awareness, empathy, sound judgment, and the ability to navigate tension constructively A bias for action and a practical approach to decision-making A genuine interest in how AI can improve engineering effectiveness, product development, and customer outcomes