Head of Engineering TWIN

We are seeking a proactive and highly skilled Head of Engineering to join our team. This role takes leadership for our technical delivery and technical teams (> 15 people today) and supports our external engagements with partners in both government and industry.  You will be key in supporting our growth from having delivered proof of our technology and business model to becoming an international and recognised organisation. 

TWIN (Trade Worldwide Information Network) is powered by IOTA technologies and is a digital infrastructure for international trade with capabilities for governments and industry to build digital twins, digital product passports, and collaborate on digital trade data sharing. TWIN is governed by six organizations, enabling governments and industry to collaborate around an impartial governance framework overseen by the World Economic Forum, Trademark Africa, Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, and the IOTA Foundation. The core TWIN solution will be offered as open source software through the TWIN Foundation, giving all actors a shared infrastructure and providing opportunities for companies (and governments) to build proprietary and commercial solutions on top of TWIN. Thus experience with open source projects is a requirement for a successful candidate. 

The aim is to solve some of the most pressing and highest value-for-cost challenges globally, such as frictionless global trade, removing red tape at the borders, creating supply chain visibility for better planning, and ensuring better product traceability. The first application using the TWIN infrastructure is the www.tlip.io in Kenya, with more ecosystems forming around the globe such as the www.virtualwatchtower.org. In addition, we are in process building technical documentation at www.twindev.org 

You will be a servant leader and coach for our engineering teams responsible for implementing good practice processes, driving strategic decision making, ensuring productivity and professional development of individual contributors. You will be working with IT architects and software developers with experience in blockchain and data space technology - and have access to IOTA’s engineering teams and experts. Furthermore, we are growing our external collaboration with governments and industry, to integrate our technology with their IT departments, where good understanding of current database systems, and hybrid infrastructure combining cloud and on premise is critical. Providing external visibility on our technical roadmap and capabilities is strategically important for our growth path as well as your ability to engage IT executives in our partner organisations. 

You will be working with team members globally (primarily UK and Kenya at the moment), including staff from partner organizations.

• Develop and implement the company’s technology and engineering strategy.

• Oversee technical aspects and technological resources of the organization, including team, OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), roadmaps, and budgets, ensuring timely delivery.

• Building a technical team of dedicated and knowledgeable talent

• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the engineering team.

• Collaborate with other executives to align technology and engineering goals with business objectives. This includes dialogue and information sharing with the wider IOTA engineering teams to ensure alignment and focus from R&D to customer facing applications

• Stay current with industry trends and emerging technologies to drive strategic decisions.

• Represent the company’s technology and engineering interests to external stakeholders, including investors, partners, and customers.

• Drive the open source strategy for the TWIN technology including setting up the governance model (with external organisations) and ensure documentation is in place and meets the needs of stakeholders.

• The role requires considerable travel for both team meetings and external engagements.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

• Proven experience in a senior technology or engineering leadership role with responsibility for aligning technical and business roadmaps, managing technical budgets, and overseeing multiple engineering teams.

• Strong track record in stakeholder management, including engaging with senior business leaders, industry partners, and government entities to drive technical adoption and strategic alignment.

• Extensive experience in software development and system architecture, particularly in open-source projects and governance models for decentralized systems.

• Deep expertise in distributed systems, microservices architecture, and cloud/on-premise hybrid infrastructures, with experience in large-scale, mission-critical IT deployments.

• Strong knowledge of blockchain technology, data space architecture, or decentralized systems with a focus on international trade, supply chain management, or a similar industry.

• Demonstrated ability to build, scale, and lead high-performing engineering teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.

• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment, ensuring technical excellence while meeting business objectives.

Nice to have: 

• Experience in a consultancy, advisory, or external-facing role, engaging with enterprise clients, government agencies, or industry bodies on technical solutions.

• Experience as a public speaker, with contributions to industry forums, conferences, or publications in blockchain, digital trade, or supply chain technology. 

• Experience working with digital identity solutions, verifiable credentials, and trust hierarchies in decentralized applications.

• Familiarity with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Transport Management Systems (TMS), Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), and Single Window systems for trade facilitation.

• Fully remote position with high flexibility and autonomy.
• Opportunities for high-impact contributions to the blockchain ecosystem.
• A dynamic and collaborative team focused on enabling third parties to build decentralized solutions.
• The chance to work with cutting-edge blockchain technology.