Head of Technical Platforms

Aviation / Airline Industry
West London | Hybrid (3 days per week on‑site)

An opportunity to lead technology delivery at scale within a major organisation operating in the aviation and travel sector, undergoing significant digital and technology transformation.

We’re seeking a senior technology leader to take ownership of delivery, stability and evolution across a broad portfolio of business‑critical, customer‑facing and operational platforms that support a complex, high‑availability airline environment. This is a high‑impact role with accountability for strategy execution, large‑scale teams, significant budgets and a complex third‑party supplier ecosystem.

The Role

As Head of Technical Platforms, you will define and execute a multi‑year technology and delivery strategy aligned to business priorities in a regulated, safety‑critical industry, ensuring measurable outcomes, operational excellence and resilient platforms. You will lead and develop a large, multi‑disciplinary product and engineering organisation, embedding strong governance, modern delivery practices and a culture of accountability, innovation and continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities include:

• Defining, owning and executing technology delivery strategy and roadmaps aligned to aviation and business objectives
• Full accountability for delivery, stability, operational performance and service reliability across multiple platforms and domains
• Building, leading and developing high‑performing product, engineering, DevOps and DevSecOps teams
• End‑to‑end ownership of vendor management across strategic third‑party suppliers, systems integrators and technology partners
• Setting commercial and performance expectations for suppliers, ensuring value for money, resilience and regulatory compliance
• Oversight of major transformation programmes delivered via a blend of in‑house and third‑party teams
• Ownership of significant Capex and Opex budgets, forecasting and spend optimisation
• Establishing clear KPIs covering delivery performance, quality, platform health and supplier outcomes
• Acting as a trusted partner to senior business and operational leaders in a complex, always‑on environment
• Ensuring compliance with architecture, cyber security and regulatory standards while proactively managing technology and supplier risk
• Driving innovation and adoption of emerging technologies within agreed enterprise and safety frameworks

About You

You’re a senior technology leader with experience delivering at scale in complex, regulated industries such as aviation, travel, transport or comparable operational environments. You combine strategic leadership with strong execution capability and are comfortable leading teams and partners in high‑availability settings.

You’ll bring:

• Proven success leading large technology or product delivery organisations
• Strong experience managing strategic vendors and third‑party delivery partners in complex operational environments
• Experience defining and executing enterprise‑level technology strategies and roadmaps
• Deep understanding of modern engineering practices, platforms and digital operating models
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, including confident engagement with executive and operational leaders
• Commercial acumen, with experience owning budgets, supplier contracts and driving ROI
• A leadership style that empowers teams, builds trust and drives accountability
• Experience within aviation, travel, transport or similarly regulated industries (nice to have)

Location & Working Pattern

• West London
• Hybrid working – 3 days per week on‑site

Reward Package

• Salary up to £146,000
• Circa 20% bonus
• 15% employer pension contribution
• Car allowance
• Private healthcare
• Excellent travel and lifestyle discounts

If you’re a senior technology delivery leader with experience in aviation or complex operational industries, and you excel at delivering outcomes through large teams and strategic third‑party partners, we’d love to hear from you.