Engineering Director - Platform

The Platform Engineering tribe provides the core capabilities that enable Wise to build and run its products at scale. The scope is broad, covering compute and data infrastructure, build and release systems, ML and AI capabilities, and incident and resilience tooling, among others — all within a highly innovative and regulated environment. The platform drives mission-aligned outcomes across reliability, efficiency, productivity, and risk. Today, the tribe consists of 30+ teams.As Wise continues to grow and the technology landscape evolves, we need to continually adapt and strengthen our platform to support the next phase of scale. We are expanding our leadership team to help shape this evolution. This role sits within our senior platform leadership group.We’re looking for a proven leader to join us and do things differently.This is a senior leadership role with line management responsibility, combined with a broader mandate to shape the direction of platform engineering at Wise.You’ll start by leading a focused team while taking ownership of a broader, cross-team priority, with scope expected to grow as the function evolves. While you’ll begin with a focused team, your impact will extend well beyond it through influence across the wider engineering organisation.The primary focus is shaping the next evolution of our platform as a cohesive system of capabilities that supports how engineering teams build, ship, and operate software. This includes responding to how emerging technologies, such as AI, are changing developer workflows and platform expectations.This includes improving how we ensure reliability, evolving platform capabilities, and introducing standards and practices where they create leverage — while enabling teams to operate with autonomy.You’ll work closely with teams across Wise to align priorities, introduce new ways of working, and help shape how this space evolves over time.What you’ll doLead and develop a small, high-impact teamSet clear direction and ensure delivery against key prioritiesOwn and drive cross-engineering strategic initiatives focused on evolving platform capabilitiesWork across squads to align on priorities, standards, and ways of workingDefine and introduce platform standards and practices where they create leverageImprove engineering effectiveness by evolving platform capabilities, developer workflows, and feedback loopsTranslate emerging technologies and trends into practical applicationsHelp shape operating models, team responsibilities, and ways of working that support scalable engineeringPartner with senior stakeholders to shape strategy and influence decisionsUse data and insight to guide direction and measure impactThe experience, background and competencies needed to succeed in this roleProven experience operating at Director (or equivalent) level within platform or engineering, with strong experience across the software development lifecycleStrong track record of leading through influence, not just formal authorityExperience owning and delivering cross-team or organisation-wide initiativesComfortable working across multiple squads and aligning different prioritiesAbility to define and drive strategic themes (e.g. platform, developer experience, or technology shifts)Ability to think strategically while staying close to executionHands-on mindset; able to go deep when needed as well as set directionStrong problem-solving skills; able to bring clarity to complex and ambiguous areasExcellent stakeholder management; able to influence senior leaders and peersClear communicator; able to simplify complex ideas for different audiencesData-driven approach; uses data to guide decisions and measure impactExperience introducing new technologies or evolving existing platformsExperience improving engineering systems through a combination of technology, process, and cultureAbility to balance short-term delivery with long-term thinkingStrong sense of ownership and accountability for outcomesCollaborative and low-ego approach; builds trust across teamsExperience leading leaders, with the ability to build and scale leadership layers over timePassion for staying close to industry trends and emerging technologiesAlignment with Wise’s mission and values Leading at WiseOur 4D leadership framework, defined by four key attributes, captures what it means to be an impactful leader at Wise. Our unique culture gives teams and individuals the autonomy to make impactful decisions for our customers. Leaders empower their teams to deliver this impact and champion our culture.Design: Our leaders design the strategic direction, empowering their teams to operate autonomously and make data-driven decisions that directly benefit our customers.Drive: They drive a high-performing culture by acting as a coach, nurturing an environment of continuous development and growth.Develop: Leaders actively develop resilience and emotional intelligence to lead authentically and by example.Disrupt: They disrupt the stat