Job Description
Position
Head Of EngineeringPosition
1
Department
Information TechnologyDepartment
Enterprise Architecture EngineeringReporting to
VP – Head of EngineeringReporting to
3Location
GurgaonLocation
GurgaonJOB SUMMARY:
As Head of Engineering, you will play a pivotal role within the Enterprise Architecture Engineering team, driving the availability, accessibility, and monetization of digital assets across Axis Max Life’s business functions. You will lead the design and delivery of hybrid and multi-cloud solutions that seamlessly integrate customer, agent and employee-facing digital platforms, back-end systems, and external data sources.
Collaborating closely with the CTO, CDIO, COO, business leaders, and cross-functional teams including AI Works, Architecture, Reporting Analytics, and Data Engineering, you will influence key technology decisions through data-driven insights. Your deep understanding of platform architecture will enable you to recommend optimal technology stacks and application strategies to build efficient, scalable systems.
You will champion innovation by rapidly prototyping new technologies and delivery approaches to solve critical business challenges. Furthermore, you will establish and scale a world-class engineering organization aligned with global technology standards, leveraging a modern blend of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software, custom applications, cloud-native microservices, and data platforms to deliver secure, scalable, and future-ready systems.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Define and execute the technology strategy and roadmap aligned with business objectives, leveraging hybrid and multi-cloud architectures including AWS, Azure, GCP, and OCI
- Institutionalize full-stack engineering best practices and agile-at-scale delivery across all verticals, leading estimation, resource planning, velocity tracking, and plan vs. actual forecasting
- Partner closely with product and design teams to interpret business requirements, prioritize initiatives, solve complex problems, and deliver end-to-end solutions from conceptualization through production ownership
- Manage a team of 250+ engineers ensuring operational excellence by enforcing rigorous engineering standards across the SDLC
- Oversee and validate engineering estimation processes to ensure accuracy, feasibility, and predictability across initiatives
- Drive adoption of modern platform delivery patterns such as microservices, APIs, and event-driven designs to build secure, scalable, and resilient digital solutions
- Integrate DevSecOps, CI/CD, GitOps, infrastructure-as-code, and observability frameworks to accelerate delivery, improve quality, and reduce costs
- Champion SRE principles and shift-left security to build self-healing, audit-ready platforms with robust resilience and security posture
- Oversee infrastructure sizing and optimization in collaboration with solution architects and infrastructure teams to ensure cost-effective, scalable deployments
- Lead release and hypercare planning to ensure smooth, defect-free production rollouts with rapid post-deployment stabilization
- Drive strategic cost optimization by increasing adoption of open-source technologies and reducing reliance on licensed software, while maintaining performance and compliance
- Manage vendor relationships to maximize productivity and return on investment
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES:
Promote a diverse and inclusive engineering culture that fosters rapid experimentation and innovation
Conduct technical reviews to manage tech debt, ensure architectural integrity, and maintain a sustainable tech stack portfolio
Partner with HR and leadership to build and retain top engineering talent through structured LD, digital talent strategies, and a compelling employee value proposition
- Establish clear career paths, succession planning, and leadership development programs to retain and grow top talent in AI, emerging technologies, and digital transformation
- Ensure seamless cross-team collaboration by resolving service, infrastructure, security, and testing dependencies in multi-application ecosystems
- Own and optimize technology budgets and engineering capacity to support strategic initiatives with cost-effective investments
Measures of Success
Ensure enterprise architecture adherence, accelerate platform rationalization, and increase portfolio sustainability from 70% to 85%, aligning the IT landscape with the overall business vision and blueprints
Deliver applications faster, better, and more cost-effectively through leveraging AI co-pilots, optimized technology and processes
Reduce technical debt to improve overall IT KPIs and enable sustainable performance improvements
Achieve 99.99% uptime for critical applications, optimize response times and auto-scaling efficiency, and strengthen security posture using observability, AIOps, and AI-enabled operations management
Enhance user experience (both internal and external) through automation and operational efficiency by adopting cutting-edge technology solutions that solve business problems
Improve Tier 1 2 delivery on-time rate from 75% to 90%, raise testing automation and coverage from 50% to 90%, achieve 100% DevSecOps coverage, and enhance CI/CD adoption and UAT stability
Increase insourcing of specialized talent from 15% to 70%, boost engineering engagement and capability maturity, and strengthen leadership pipeline and retention
Increase self-healing IT operations from 15% to 80%, reduce planned downtime by 50% and implement parallel production-like environments to improve reliability and availability
Key competencies/skills required
Proven experience leading large, complex engineering organizations of 200+ engineers across multiple Scrum/Agile teams
Demonstrated ability to drive strategic technology initiatives that deliver significant business value and align with organizational goals
Proven track record leading platform, data, and cloud modernization programs valued over $10M at enterprise scale
Strong track record of successfully delivering highly complex, enterprise-scale applications in collaboration with Business and Product Owners
Deep knowledge of life insurance, BFSI sectors, and regulatory frameworks including IRDAI, data protection, and financial compliance
TOGAF-certified architect with technical expertise spanning AI/ML, GenAI integration, multi-cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure, OCI), mobile, and full-stack development
Extensive experience implementing and scaling Agile and SAFe methodologies across large, distributed teams
Expertise in driving architectural decisions, applying design and enterprise integration patterns to ensure scalable, secure, and maintainable systems
Proven ability to oversee cloud-native application development, performance tuning, and scalability improvements at enterprise scale
Strong focus on DevOps maturity, continuous integration/delivery, automation, and DevSecOps practices to improve delivery speed, quality, and security
Outcome-driven strategist with strong executive presence, project recovery expertise, and strengths in innovation, cross-functional collaboration, and regulatory compliance
Skilled in vendor management, technology evaluation, and driving adoption of cutting-edge tools and frameworks
Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills with a collaborative, “can-do” mindset; effective in client relationship management and escalation handling
Passionate about building high-performing teams, mentoring engineering leaders, and fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement
Desired qualifications and experience:
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (B.E./B.Tech) or equivalent; a Master’s degree in Computer Applications (MCA) or Engineering/Technology from a reputed institute is preferred.
15+ years of progressive experience in software engineering and enterprise technology leadership, with a minimum of 3–5 years in a senior leadership role (e.g., Director/VP/Head of Engineering) leading large, high-performing engineering organizations.
Proven experience in delivering 2–3 large-scale, enterprise-grade technology transformation programs involving application modernization, cloud-native architecture, and digital platforms — preferably in BFSI, fintech, or similarly complex industries.
Demonstrated success in building and scaling engineering teams across full-stack development, DevSecOps, cloud, and data platforms, with hands-on involvement in defining technology roadmaps and platform strategies.
Strong understanding of hybrid/multi-cloud ecosystems (AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI) and modern architectural paradigms including microservices, event-driven systems, APIs, CI/CD, and SRE frameworks.
Experience working in or wSith fast-scaling startups, global technology firms, or mature digital organizations known for engineering excellence and product-led growth.
Adept at working cross-functionally with C-level stakeholders, product leaders, data teams, and operations to drive innovation and measurable business impact.
Strong thought leadership, people management, and mentorship capabilities — with a track record of nurturing talent, shaping culture, and fostering a high-trust, high-performance environment.
Prior exposure to regulated industries (insurance, banking, healthcare) is an added advantage, especially with regard to security, compliance, and data governance.
