Director – Principal Engineer : Valpre Platform

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Overall purpose of role

The Engineering Director – Valpre Platform is accountable for engineering leadership and hands‑on delivery of the Valpre platform within PBWM’s Client Lifecycle Management (CLM) landscape. The role focuses on building and evolving high‑quality client and colleague experiences through modern front‑end and backend‑for‑frontend engineering, supported by scalable Java‑based microservices.

The role requires a strong understanding of the Private Bank and Wealth Management domain and the end‑to‑end CLM lifecycle, including onboarding, KYC/CDD and ongoing client servicing, to ensure platforms and experiences are fit for purpose in a regulated, high‑touch client environment. Operating in a balanced hands‑on and leadership model, the role provides deep technical leadership while leading teams, shaping engineering standards, and partnering closely with Product, UX, Architecture, Operations and Risk.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead and develop high‑performing engineering teams, fostering a strong culture of engineering excellence, collaboration and accountability.
• Own and execute the engineering roadmap for the Valpre platform, aligning frontend, backend‑for‑frontend and core API services to PBWM CLM technology strategy and Private Bank client experience objectives.
• Drive modern client and colleague experiences using Angular, React, JavaScript/TypeScript, and Java‑based API and microservices architectures.
• Maintain significant hands‑on engagement (circa 50%) to provide technical leadership through architecture design, framework development, code and design reviews, and hands‑on contribution where complexity or acceleration is required.
• Apply CLM and Private Bank domain understanding to translate client onboarding, servicing and lifecycle needs into intuitive, scalable and secure digital experiences.
• Design and evolve organisation‑wide UI frameworks, shared components and engineering standards to enable consistency, reuse and rapid delivery across CLM platforms.
• Ensure strong backend‑to‑frontend integration patterns, API design and performance to support scalable, resilient and compliant client journeys.
• Collaborate closely with Product Owners, UX designers, CLM SMEs, Architects and Operations teams to ensure strong functional, technical and experience alignment.
• Drive continuous improvement in the Valpre engineering stack through modernisation initiatives, improved tooling, automation and platform simplification.
• Be accountable for delivery outcomes across quality, time, cost and risk, and act as senior escalation point for complex delivery and production issues.
• Ensure all engineering activities comply with regulatory requirements, Enterprise‑Wide Risk Management Framework and Barclays policies and standards.

Essential Skills

• Strong engineering leadership experience across frontend and full‑stack platforms in complex, regulated environments.
• High‑level understanding of the CLM domain and Private Bank & Wealth Management business, including onboarding, KYC/CDD and client servicing journeys.
• Deep hands‑on experience with Angular, React, JavaScript/TypeScript and modern UI engineering practices.
• Strong experience designing and building Java‑based APIs and microservices, including backend‑for‑frontend patterns.
• Proven experience creating and governing shared frameworks, platforms or colleague‑facing engineering capabilities at scale.
• Solid understanding of API design, performance optimisation, security and integration patterns.
• Experience working across Agile delivery models and multi‑team organisational structures.
• Ability to balance hands‑on technical contribution with team leadership and delivery accountability.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to communicate effectively across technical and business audiences.
• Understanding of operational resilience, vulnerability management and production support considerations.
• Good to have experience with mobile technologies and mobile‑first design principles.